On behalf of OMEGA and WVTA members, Jan Vineyard met with Governor Tomblin late last week to convey the concerns members have with SB 373 and the aboveground storage tank (AST) portion of the bill.  Jan told Governor Tomblin that members are having difficulty getting tanks registered by October 1st and stressed that they were trying their best.  Jan further stated that members did not see any way possible to have required tank inspections done by January 1, 2015.  The Governor also has concerns and has been speaking daily with DEP regarding the issues surrounding the AST portion of the bill. He stated that he thought the easiest solution at this time would to be to call a Special Session in November to delay the inspection date until January 1, 2016.  We applaud Governor Tomblin, as well as DEP Secretary Randy Huffman and staff, President Kessler and Speaker Miley who all agree this is the best course of action.  This also will allow for technical fixes to the bill as well.  Anytime an important piece of legislation is drafted and passed in only sixty days there is always a need for corrections.  The intent of the legislation will stay intact, but some changes will be necessary when the session begins in January 2016.

We are hoping to have “draft” rules to review in the near future.  Governor Tomblin and Secretary Huffman want our input and are willing to work with us to keep the environment protected while minimizing the impact on businesses when possible.

We will continue to work closely with DEP on this issue and will keep you updated with any new developments.