An editorial from The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The Legislature in Charleston is revisiting the regulations it imposed on owners of aboveground storage tanks following the chemical spill in the Elk River that disrupted the water supply of 300,000 West Virginians.
The implication in lawmakers taking up a revision of the law is that some people think the measure passed last year was too strict.
The new measure would significantly reduce the number of aboveground storage tanks required to be inspected by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection each year.
Since the law was put into play last year, more than 50,000 aboveground tanks have been registered with the DEP.
Some people think that’s too many tanks.
The question some lawmakers are raising is whether the DEP has the resources to inspect that many tanks every year, as the law stipulates.
That may be the case, but if it is, why didn’t lawmakers address that potential shortcoming last year and fund more DEP inspectors?
The new measure seems to be going in the opposite direction in order to give businesses affected by the stricter regulations some relief.
Instead of 50,000 above-ground tanks under orders for an annual inspection, the new measure would reduce that number to 1,800 tanks.
That’s quite a spread.
We think a compromise can still be reached that gives some relief to businesses but also protects our water resources…
