Posted February 13, 2014
U.S. Representative Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
introduced legislation that would require oversight and inspection of chemical
storage facilities and aboveground storage tanks, according to an article by
the Huntington News, available here.
Capito introduced the Ensuring
Access to Clean Water Act, H.R. 4024, on Monday in response to
recent chemical
spills in West Virginia.
“Families need to know that the water that comes out of
their tap is clean and safe. The
chemical spill in Charleston highlighted a number of gaps in existing
regulations that must be closed.
Chemical storage facilities and aboveground storage tanks must be
routinely inspected, particularly if they are located near rivers. Public utilities must know what chemicals are
nearby and how to respond should chemicals enter the water system. I urge Congress to pass this critical
legislation to ensure that everyone in America has access to clean water in
their homes,” Rep. Capito said in a press release here.
The legislation would require states to create programs
for overseeing chemical storage facilities and inspect aboveground storage
tanks. It would also “establish minimum
requirements for these state oversight and inspection programs, including design
standard, leak detection, spill and overfill control, inventory control,
emergency response and communication, employee training, lifecycle maintenance,
and notice regarding the potential toxicity of stored chemicals.”
Inspections would be required every three years for
tanks located in “source water assessment areas” and every five years for other
tanks. The bill would also allow the EPA
to offer technical assistance to state programs, mandate that the EPA create a
survey of best practices, set penalties for violations, and provide owners/operators
of public water companies the right to file a civil action or petition to
address “imminent and substantial endangerment to public health.”
For more information on the Clean Water Act, please
visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
