Public Hearing Will Address General Permit for Petroleum-Related Corrective Actions

6/1/16
PUBLIC INTEREST CENTER, (614) 644-2160
MEDIA CONTACT: Lindey Amer
CITIZEN CONTACT: Mary McCarron

Public Hearing Will Address General Permit for Petroleum-Related Corrective Actions

Ohio EPA is accepting comments from the public on a draft general permit to regulate wastewater discharges associated with petroleum-related corrective actions. Qualifying general permit applications would apply to incidents that minimally impact water quality.

A public hearing to discuss proposed changes to the permit will begin at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, June 14, 2016, at Ohio EPA’s Central Office, conference room A, 50 West Town Street, Columbus. All attending will be given the opportunity to verbally testify about the draft general permit, or submit written comments. Those attending should bring photo I.D.

The general permit would cover wastewater discharges that result from petroleum-related releases that require an environmental response for a corrective action to protect waters of the state. The discharge can be a preemptive action due to an expected discharge from removing a petroleum storage tank, or a way to quickly put a permit in place to protect waters of the state when an unexpected discharge occurs. The applicable discharges would result from a petroleum-related environmental response action that involves above-ground or underground storage tanks used to store gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, jet fuel or heating oil, or the transport of these materials. Discharges not meeting the conditions of the general permit may require an individual permit.

Statewide general permits are in place for five years and are reviewed and revised as needed at the end of that period. A general permit consists of one permit covering many locations that have similar discharges. General permits are used to allow discharges that will have a minimal effect on the environment.

For more information about the draft general permit or to receive a copy of the draft action, check Ohio EPA’s website or contact Phoebe Low at (614) 644-2134 or email Phoebe.Low@epa.ohio.gov.

Written comments can be mailed to Ohio EPA-DSW permits processing unit, P.O. Box 1049, Columbus, 43216, or email dswcomments@epa.ohio.gov by June 14, 2016. Requests to be added to the interested parties mailing list may be sent to the same address.

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The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.

Public Hearing Will Address General Permit for Petroleum-Related Corrective Actions
Source: Ohio Environmental News