North Carolina legislators are considering easing the rules on leaking underground gas storage tanks that represent a half-billion-dollar problem.
A state Senate committee on Thursday backed a bill that cuts back on environmental rules intended to protect neighbors and eases the costs on gas station owners and other businesses.
Lawmakers don't yet know the cost of the proposed changes to a state storage tank cleanup fund that uses money from gasoline taxes and fees on operators.
The Legislature's evaluation division reported that the generation-long state program to clean leaking gasoline and oil tanks could take another 25 years and cost another half-billion dollars before the pollution is collected.
North Carolina has spent the past quarter-century cleaning up nearly 11,000 commercial tank leaks, but more than 6,000 remain.
Comments
What a great idea! I just
Thu, 06/02/2011 - 16:26 — outhousecatWhat a great idea! I just love the taste of gasoline mixed in with my drinking water. My well is pretty shallow so it shouldn't take much of that left-over from the 60's ethyl to taint it right good. And just to be neighborly, I'll take a barrel of it down to Jones Street and insist that my elected officials share it with me.
This is a bad idea,
Thu, 06/02/2011 - 12:39 — johnjdavisThis is a bad idea, underground water tables are being contaminated. What about the people that get their water from wells? Is the state going to buy them bottled water?
ust'S
Thu, 06/02/2011 - 12:34 — redwingswinWHY DO POLITICIANS THINK THEY KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT UNDERGROUND POLLUTION, PATHWAYS OF EGRESS, AND POTENTIAL IMPACTS TO OTHER PROPERTIES FROM USTS? IF THEY ARE ALLOWED TO CHANGE THIS REGULATORY SETUP THEN PEOPLE LIVING IN THE VICINITY OF GAS STATIONS - BOTH OPEN AND CLOSED- WILL HAVE CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER. KEEP THESE IDIOTS OUT OF SOMETHING THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT - EXCEPT WHAT LOBBYISTS TELL THEM AS THEY PAY THEM.