Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin will
introduce a bill Monday directly linked to the water emergency that has
impacted 300,000 residents in nine West
Virginia
Tomblin said the bill gives power
to the Division of Environmental Protection to create an above ground
storage tank regulatory program.
“It requires above ground storage
tanks to be constructed and maintained in a safe manner,” Tomblin said.
The bill also requires public
notice on the location of tanks and what’s in them.
It was a tank owned by Freedom
Industries on the Elk River in Charleston
The governor’s bill includes a
requirement for water utilities to have contingency plans in place to prepare
for emergencies.
“I think we’ve learned a lot from
this event and hopefully with this legislation we can prevent another event
like this,” Tomblin said.
The House of Delegates has already
approved a bill that would financially help businesses impacted by the water
emergency. Another regulatory bill has been introduced in the state Senate.
There’s also congressional legislation connected with the water emergency under
consideration.
