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MEET THE STANDARDS STORAGE TANKS • THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF STORAGE TANKS IN TEXAS; ITS SENATE HAS DECIDED IT IS HIGH TIME THERE WERE SOME CLEAR RULES AND SAFETY STANDARDS IN PLACE
immense number of storage tanks at processing plants and storage terminals, such a programme seems to be long-overdue. Furthermore, it is an illustration of the seriousness with which the authorities are taking the rule that TCEQ has been provided with funding for 50 additional personnel specifically for the programme.
THE GOVERNOR OF Texas signed into effect the bipartisan Texas Senate Bill 900 (SB 900) this past 8 June and it went into effect on 1 September. The Bill directs the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to establish a programme to set and monitor standards for bulk storage tanks and, as it amends parts of the Water Code, to create and enforce safety requirements to protect ground and surface water, mitigate potential safety hazards and minimise catastrophic incidents in the event of an accident or natural disaster. SB 900 was developed in the wake of the
burned for a week, producing harmful air pollution, ground and surface water contamination and millions of gallons of hazardous waste; it also led to a temporary closure of the Houston Ship Channel and was investigated by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB). Industry is now widely referring to SB 900 as the ‘ITC rule’. The Bill’s sponsors stated: “The ITC fire and several additional fires at similar facilities underscore the insufficiency of state safety measures. This incident in particular highlights the existing regulatory scheme’s
INSPECT AND VERIFY On closer inspection, the impact on tank operators ought to be limited. The rule will require compliance with industry best practice and established standards, a level of safety oversight that all operators should already be achieving. These include, for example, API 650 and 653 and NFPA 30. The rule will in effect provide TCEQ with the jurisdiction to investigate those rules and standards that already apply. There will, though, certainly be an additional burden on tank operators in terms of reporting, inspections, certifications and fees. The level of those fees will be set at
March 2019 fire at the Intercontinental Terminals (ITC) terminal in Deer Park that
failure to protect public health and safety, ground and surface water, and the environment. Currently, the state lacks a comprehensive program to oversee these complex facilities.” Given the extent of the oil and chemical industry in the state of Texas and the
an amount sufficient to cover the reasonable costs of the programme. TCEQ is charged with publishing its initial rule under the Bill by 1 September 2023 and industry will have until 1 September 2027 to meet its requirements, register with TCEQ and report to TCEQ its current compliance status
THE MARCH 2019 FIRE AT THE ITC TERMINAL IN DEER PARK HAS GENERATED A LOT OF TALK AND PAPER, WITH A LOT MORE PAPERWORK TO COME FOR OPERATORS
HCB MONTHLY | SEPTEMBER 2021
