"Bill Would Exempt Thousands of Tanks From Post-Spill Safety Law"

"Thousands of chemical storage tanks across West Virginia would be exempt from the law passed in the wake of the Freedom Industries spill, under legislation introduced Tuesday in the House of Delegates.

The bill (HB2574) would rewrite the definition of 'above-ground storage tank' so that only tanks located within 'zones of critical concern' near public drinking water intakes would be subject to new state safety standards and inspection requirements.

'The bill is an extreme gutting of the protections the Legislature passed unanimously last year,' said Angie Rosser, executive director of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition. 'It makes us question if anything was learned at all from the water crisis, as this essentially returns us to where we were with underregulated above-ground storage tanks threatening our water.'"

Ken Ward Jr. reports for the Charleston Gazette February 3, 2015.

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"Villains Behind W.Va. Toxic Spill Are Back Spilling Again" (Grist)