Action Alert: Reject HB 2598 Bill to Exempt Oil and Gas Tanks from Aboveground Storage Tank Act on House Energy Agenda
February 22, 2021~ WVRivers.org
It’s baaaaaack…. lobbyist are at it again trying to exempt oil and gas tanks from the Aboveground Storage Tank Act. This year’s bill, HB 2598, is similar to last year’s rollback attempt – which you defeated! It would exempt certain oil and gas tanks that are closest to our public drinking water intakes. If this bill passes, over 1,000 tanks in 27 counties would become unregulated. View our fact sheets to learn more.
We anticipate the House Energy Committee to take up the bill on Tuesday, 2/23.
Act NOW: Tell members of the House Energy Committee to protect our drinking water and reject HB 2598.
Many of you helped us succeed in convincing the legislature in 2017 and 2020 to keep these oil and gas tanks in zones of critical concern (“ZCCs”) regulated by the AST Act. But industry keeps pushing. 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 HB 2598.
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.
Contact members of the House Energy Committee, say no breaks for tanks in ZCCs – reject HB 2598!
Action Alert: House Judiciary to Consider Water Quality Standards
February 22, 2021 ~ WVRivers.org
Legislators will soon be voting on a proposal submitted by WVDEP related to a critical portion of West Virginia’s water quality standards called human health criteria. Human health criteria determines how much of a toxin can be in our water before it harms our health. Let Legislators know that you oppose any weakening of water quality standards!
Sadly, the proposal before the legislature allows for more chemical toxins in our water. Public health experts agree that any additional exposure to the toxic chemicals regulated by human health criteria would pose increased risks to our health. View our fact sheet on the Rule.
The water quality standards rule’s first stop as it works its way through the legislature is the House Judiciary Committee. Contact members of the committee today and ask them to make public health their #1 priority and reject any change that would weaken our water quality standards.
Also, stay tuned for more information on the status of a pending public hearing request submitted by our friends at the WV Environmental Council. As of this hour, we are still awaiting a decision from the House Judiciary Chair on the pending request. We’ll keep you posted.
Cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline
February 17, 2021
The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) is a monster fracked gas pipeline construction project that’s been threatening endangered species in West Virginia and Virginia. There are multiple lawsuits challenging the construction route and practices of the MVP. Recent financial reports reveal there is no longer an economic necessity for the MVP. Tell MVP to stop throwing good money after bad by canceling the MVP.
SIGN THE PETITION TODAY
Public Hearing for Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC Lambert Compressor Station
February 8, 2021 from 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM.
Mountain Valley Pipeline, LLC has applied for a new source review permit to build the Lambert Compressor Station in Pittsylvania County. The Lambert Compressor Station will be located at 987 Transco Road in Chatham, Virginia (off Route 57).
The DEQ is hosting a virtual public hearing on the draft permit to seek public comment and to discuss the proposed facility and the permitting and public commenting processes.
The Hearing will end after all public comments have been received or 10:00pm whichever is earlier.
Register for the hearing here:
DEQ will accept comments from Jan. 8 to March 10, 2021.
View permit documents here:
Additional information and any updates to this notice will be published on the Public Notice section of the DEQ webpage: www.deq.virginia.gov
Virginia DEQ: Comments Sought through March 10, 2021 on Compressor Station for MVP Extension
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is seeking public comments on a compressor station at the start of a natural gas pipeline in Pittsylvania County. 
Mountain Valley Pipeline is seeking a permit to build a 29,000-horsepower facility that would provide the compression needed to move natural gas at high pressure through the pipeline, an extension of its current project.
Called MVP Southgate, the 77-mile line would start at the main pipeline’s terminus near Chatham and transport gas south into North Carolina, ending in Alamance County near Burlington.
Written public comments will be taken through March 10. The Air Pollution Control Board will then decide whether to grant a permit for a facility that would include two gas-fueled combustion turbines, five microturbines and ancillary equipment.
Learn how to comment HERE
Sign the petition. Demand the EPA Protect the Ohio River from Pollution. January 2021
The Sierra Club, along with nine other environmental organizations, have filed a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling for better protections of a local river and landmark.
Why This Matters
The Ohio River and many of its tributaries have suffered from excess nutrients in the water, also known as eutrophication, posing a severe threat to human health and the environment. The effects of eutrophication in the Ohio River have been caused by nitrogen and phosphorus pollution on multiple occasions. Pollution from these nutrients cause or contribute to dead zones in the river, greatly affecting the ability for aquatic life present there to survive. Human health effects have also been traced to nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.
The Ohio River consistently is ranked as the most polluted in the country, with an estimated 30 million pounds of toxic chemicals illegally dumped into its waters each year. Possibly most concerning, the Ohio River has seen large scale harmful algae blooms in 2015 and 2019 due to excess nutrients, both of which covered hundreds of miles according to reports from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission. The blue-green algae present during harmful algae blooms can produce a toxin known as microcystin that’s harmful to the liver. When ingested or touched, the toxin can cause stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, numbness, and other health effects. The Ohio River provides drinking water for over 5 million individuals, and most water treatment plants lack the ability to remove the toxin from the water supply.
Sierra Club and partner organizations have submitted a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency requesting rulemaking be established under the Administrative Procedure Act for numeric water quality standards for nitrogen and phosphorus for the Ohio River and its tributaries. Additionally, the petition seeks the establishment of total maximum daily loads for nitrogen and phosphorus for the Ohio River. Action by the EPA to control nutrient pollution in the Ohio Basin is badly needed as states are not currently effectively limiting nutrient pollution through NPDES permits or TMDLs.
Take action and let the U.S. EPA know that excess nutrient pollution must be controlled on the Ohio River.
SIGN THE PETITION HERE
Action Alert: Keep the Public’s Voice Part of Public Lands Management
