W. Va. Company Ordered to Remove (All Above-Ground) Tanks After Spill

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

W.VA. COMPANY ORDERED TO REMOVE TANKS AFTER SPILL

By JOHN RABY
— Jan. 25, 2014 5:04 PM EST

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia's governor on Saturday ordered the company at the center of a chemical spill that tainted the state capital's water supply to remove all above-ground storage tanks from the Charleston operation.

A statement released by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin's office said Freedom Industries must start the dismantling process by March 15.

The Jan. 9 spill of a chemical used to clean coal at Freedom Industries contaminated the water supply for 300,000 West Virginians, some of whom couldn't use their tap water for a week.

The order to dismantle and properly dispose of the tanks also includes associated piping and machinery. The facility currently has 17 tanks. The governor's statement said crude MCHM leaked from one of three now-empty tanks containing the chemical at the plant.

All 17 tanks "are located within inadequate secondary containment areas," the statement said.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/wva-company-ordered-remove-tanks-after-spill

[Herself]

1. the corp secondary site had problems too.

How many other tank storage sites are there in W. VA?
What is the Governor doing about them?

The rest of the states need to do the same thing, but will wait until the same thing happens.

[theHandpuppet]

14. Travel up the Kanawha from Charleston to the Ohio River

Banks on both sides thick with storage tanks.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Good. I hope they don't muck everything up with appeals.

[modrepub]

3. Isn't the company going through bankruptcy?

If so I would think that tank removal would be the lastthing on the company's to-do list. Anyone want to bet the taxpayers are going to pay for this enterprise?

[Wounded Bear]

4. Yeah, bury them...

That way it's harder to trace the leaks.

[hollysmom]

6. I was going to say that,

shouldn't they have them above ground and have moats around them so they can see if there are leaks?

[csziggy]

9. Make them put in monitors

For several years there was a station in the parking lot where my husband works. Some gasoline station tanks had leaked and the state EPA was monitoring to make sure the leakage was not going to travel to local water sources. Every so often when I visited my husband at work, a state truck would be there checking the readings.

The companies should be required to pay for monitoring like that on over or underground tanks as a routine precaution. In addition, all tanks should have to be replaced periodically, just like gasoline storage tanks are now required to be replaced. If gas stations can do it every so many years, chemical companies can, too!

[Wounded Bear]

13. That's a liberal solution...

evil government regulations costing poor corporations money.

Do I need:

[madrchsod]

5. to cheap to replace riveted tanks with welded ones

gotta love unregulated capitalism!

[ladym55]

7. This is a bit like locking the gate after all the cows have headed down the road

We still don't know the extent of the damage of that spill.

[theHandpuppet]

15. And we never will.

Bet on it.

[Kelvin Mace]

8. Company will sue

nothing will happen.

[csziggy]

10. They've already declared bankruptcy.

It was in another thread here on DU. Their assets are supposed to be transferred to a new corporation just formed that has the same guy as the CEO. Of course, if the judge allows this, that means that the assets may not be accessible for damage suit judgements.

[jtuck004]

12. Should have made him take out a student loan. Then it would follow him to the grave. n/t

[bvar22]

11. Oh YES! That will FIX the problem.

The PROBLEM is that everybody could SEE the above ground tanks leaking,
and knew exactly who to blame.
Burying those tanks will solve THAT problem.


Reminds me of how Rumsfeld solved the problem of torture at Abu Ghraib.
He took away everybody's cameras.
NOW, no more photos of torture!
Problem Solved.

Life in These United States




You will know them by their WORKS.

[calimary]

16. Good post, bvar22!

Wish I could recommend it on its own!

[ReRe]

17. First, they were unregulated...

... then they receive a get-out-of-jail-card free with the bankruptcy. And now the state agency that's supposed to be investigating the accident is agreeing to dismantling the tanks. This takes the place of a fire. They've come up with a way, within the state government, to destroy the evidence. And the state Environmental Agency is in on it. That's my take.