Political Quotes

“In addition to the confusion created by the patchwork of laws regulating these aboveground petroleum tanks, a far graver problem exists with respect to the frequency with which these tanks and their pipes are currently leaking, releasing petroleum into the environment. Two GAO studies, one in 1989 and the other in 1995, found a significant number of tanks were leaking between 43 and 54 million gallons of oil per year. More recently, there have been countless news reports on tank releases, leaks, failures and fires. Unfortunately, current Federal law only requires tank owners to report releases that contaminate surface water. There is no similar reporting requirement for underground leaks, and EPA does not have the authority to respond to leaks that contaminate ground water. Just last month, lightening struck an AST at a Shell gasoline facility in Woodbridge, NJ, igniting a fire that seriously injured 2 people and forced the evacuation of 200 nearby residents. Although this fire was started by an act of nature, it's instructive because it highlights the serious dangers associated with AST fires, which pose complex challenges to firefighters, jeopardize nearby communities, and threaten ground water contamination. From Anchorage, AK, to the Everglades in Florida, damage from leaking tanks has been incurred, and some areas permanently spoiled from millions of gallons of leaked oil. This problem poses a critical threat to our country's ground, surface, and drinking water.”