Say No to Removing Regulations of Tanks Near Drinking Water Intakes

Share via

Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition Action Alert
Supporting Organized Voices and Empowered Communities Since 1987

Jan 13, 2020	View / Comment Online

From WVEC and WVRC:

HB4079 exempts certain tanks used by the oil and gas industry from the Aboveground Storage Tank Act. This bill is particularly alarming because it deregulates tanks that are located closest to our public drinking water intakes!

Tell members of the House Energy committee to protect our drinking water and reject HB4079.

Take Action

Many of you helped us succeed in convincing the legislature in 2017 to keep these oil and gas tanks in zones of critical concern (ZCCs) regulated by the AST Act. But industry keeps pushing harder.

Now they want all of these tanks exempt, even the ones within feet of drinking water intakes. We must hold the line and say that all tanks within ZCCs should have the standards and oversight mechanisms of the Aboveground Storage Tank Act. Say no to HB4079.

We know from the Freedom Industries tank leak that caused the WV Water Crisis what can go terribly wrong when tanks in ZCCs are overlooked. ZCCs are areas directly upstream from public drinking water intakes in which a released contaminant will reach the intake within five hours. Exempting tanks in ZCCs from regulation puts us in more danger because there is the added concern of not having enough time to respond if tank fails.

The House Energy committee meets this Tuesday and is expected to consider this bill. Please contact members of the committee now to say, no breaks for tanks in ZCCs – reject HB4079!