The state Department of Environmental
Protection will propose charging aboveground storage tank owners whose tanks
are near water sources $375 in an annual fee to finance the inspection program.
DEP Secretary Randy Huffman shared the
numbers Monday with members of the House Finance Committee. The new Aboveground
Storage Tank Act requires annual DEP inspections of the more than 3,000 tanks
close to water sources, the zones of critical concern.
“Those are required by statute to be
inspected once a year,” Huffman said.
The DEP plans to hire 15 inspectors to
do the job, which will also include looking at other tanks that are not close
to water sources less frequently.
Huffman said the DEP will propose all
Level 1 tanks be assessed an annual fee of $375, Level 2 tanks $61 annually. He
said there are currently no fees being discussed for Level 3 tanks. The fees
would bring in about $3 million annually. They are being proposed in a DEP rule
that hasn’t received final approval.
Huffman told committee members the
inspectors would be busy.
“That’s 3,000 inspections per year. I
think we figured each inspector could do 200 inspections a year,” he said.
There have been a total of 48,000 tanks
registered with the state. Tank owners are also required to submit annual
certifications to the state.
The Aboveground Storage Act was created
last year by lawmakers following the chemical spill and water emergency that
began on the Elk River in Charleston
