The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection will be hosting an informational session in Martinsburg this week to educate the public about the new Aboveground Storage Tank Program. This session is set for 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Holiday Inn located at 301 Foxcroft Avenue. Stay tuned for more information about other informational sessions still in the planning stages.
Under the program, which is required by legislation (Senate Bill 373) passed in March, all aboveground storage tanks in the state must be regulated by the DEP if they have the capacity to hold 1,320 gallons or more of liquid, are 90 percent or more above ground and are at a fixed location for at least 60 days. It is estimated that this could affect as many as 80,000 tanks used in a variety of industries and for a multitude of purposes.
These tanks must be registered with the agency by Oct. 1. Other upcoming deadlines include Dec. 3, which is when spill prevention response plans – if required – are due; and Jan. 1, the deadline for tank inspection certifications to be submitted.
As explained in a temporary interpretive rule filed with the Secretary of State’s Office and a rough draft of an emergency rule the agency has disseminated to the public for feedback, the DEP plans to categorize tanks as either Level 1, high risk to public health and the environment; Level 2, moderate risk; or Level 3, low to no risk.
The draft interpretive rule is out for public comment through Oct 9, the same day a 6:30 p.m. public hearing is scheduled at DEP headquarters in the Kanawha City area of Charleston. The agency will be taking comments on the rough draft of the emergency rule through Oct. 24 and then will use those comments, plus input received during an Oct. 1 stakeholders meeting, to enhance the rule before it is filed with the Secretary of State’s Office.
Comments on both drafts can be emailed to WVDEPtankrules@wv.gov (using either Interpretive Rule Comments or Emergency Rule Comments as the subject line) or mailed to:
West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection – Public Information Office
AST Emergency Rule Comments or AST Interpretive Rule Comments
601 57th Street SE
For more DEP news and information, go to
www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about the Adopt-A-Highway, West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia NonPoint Source and Youth Environmental programs, connect on Facebook.