CHAPTER 241
An Act to examine approaches to ensure that chemical storage is conducted in a manner that protects human health and the environment.
Approved March 17, 2015
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. The Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, the State Health Commissioner, and the State Coordinator of Emergency Management shall evaluate existing statutory and regulatory tools for ensuring that chemical storage in the Commonwealth is conducted in a manner that is protective of human health, public safety, drinking water resources, and the environment of the Commonwealth. This evaluation may include (i) an examination of Virginia's existing programs to protect drinking water resources from contamination from chemical storage; (ii) identification of any existing gaps or inadequacy in drinking water protections related to chemical storage; (iii) identification of any existing gaps or inadequacy in chemical storage standards; (iv) any recommendations on chemical storage in the Commonwealth to address protection of human health, public safety, drinking water resources, the environment, and the economy of the Commonwealth; and (v) other policies and procedures that the Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, the State Health Commissioner, and the State Coordinator of Emergency Management determine may enhance the protection of Virginia's drinking water resources and the safe storage of chemicals in Virginia.
The Director of the Department of Environmental Quality, the State Health Commissioner, and the State Coordinator of Emergency Management shall report the findings of the evaluation to the State Water Commission, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources no later than December 1, 2016.
For purposes of this section, "chemical storage" means those chemicals identified by the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA) that provides for hazardous chemical storage reporting requirements in Section 312 of the SARA and are stored in excess of 10,000 gallons.
2. That the provisions of this act shall expire on January 1, 2017.