House Committee Advances Bill Deregulating Storage Tanks to House

The House Health and Human Services Committee on Friday, March 4 sent a bill exempting above-ground storage tanks from regulation even though located on the banks of rivers and streams close to public water intakes. The vote by 13 Republicans on the Committee overruled the vote of 6 Democrats and the objections of the Department of Environmental Protection. The legislation would effectively repeal the Above Ground Storage Tank Act that was enacted after the 2014 water crisis that left 300,000 people without safe drinking water.  The bill, known as HB 2598, has been fiercely opposed by environmental groups around the state.

Read the Charleston Gazette-Mail coverage here.

Read analysis by West Virginia Rivers Coalition here.