MID-COUNTY ENERGY
Page 2
Keeping fuel tanks clean
Quay Zander Petroleum Operations( 952) 466-3727
quayz @ midcountyCo-op. com
Clogged filters, inefficiencies, and pollution... a dirty fuel tank can lead to all sorts of unpleasant problems.
A n d, because of fuel changes, the risk of a contaminated fuel tank is greater than in the past. A few years ago, for example, the Environmental Protection Agency phased in Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel( ULSD) for highway diesel fuel, to reduce exhaust emissions from these engines.
The new fuel is better for the environment, but it doesn’ t kill microbes, these organisms sometimes will grow inside tanks. Older fuels had sulfur in them that would prevent microbes.
Proper tank maintenance, such as checking for water and sediment at www. midcountyCoop. com
the bottom of the tank, can help reduce the risk of contamination. Tanks that have been unused for long periods of time are more likely to develop an issue.
Using a high quality fuel is also important.
As of April 1, 2011, all of Mid- County’ s premium diesel fuels contain a biocide to prevent microbial growth.
If a tank is contaminated, the best course of action is to find a reputable tank cleaning company. At Mid- County, we work with CamVacUSA in Burnsville, which utilizes fuel-safe camera and filtration technology.
To learn more about proper tank maintenance, call Mid-County Energy at( 952) 466-3720.
Petroleum spill prevention – It’ s time to prepare a plan
As part of the Environmental Protection Agency’ s petroleum spill prevention, control, and countermeasure( SPCC) program, many farmers are required to prepare and implement an SPCC plan.
Farms in operation before Aug. 16, 2002 that do not have a plan, need to prepare one immediately, according to the SPCC rule amendments overview.
Farms that started operation after Aug. 16, 2002 must prepare and use a plan before May 10, 2013.
Under SPCC, a farm is“ a facility on a tract of land devoted to the production of crops or raising of animals, including fish, which produced and sold or normally would have produced and sold, $ 1,000 or more of agricultural products during a year.”
SPCC only applies to farms that meet all of the following criteria:
• stores, transfers, uses, or consumes petroleum or petroleum products, such as diesel fuel, gasoline, lube petroleum, hydraulic petroleum, adjuvant petroleum, crop petroleum,
vegetable petroleum, or animal fat; and
• stores more than 1,320 US gallons in above-ground containers, or more than 42,000 US gallons in completely buried containers; and
• could reasonably be expected to discharge petroleum to waters of the US or adjoining shorelines, such as interstate waters, and intrastate lakes, rivers, and streams.
To determine SPCC applicability, farmers only need to count containers of petroleum that have a storage capacity of 55 US gallons or more. Also, adjacent or non-adjacent parcels may be considered separate facilities for SPCC purposes.
All farms that meet SPCC criteria must develop an SPCC plan. Many farms will be able to self-certify their plans. However, farms that have a storage capacity of more than 10,000 gallons of petroleum, or have had a petroleum spill, may need to prepare an SPCC plan certified by a professional engineer( PE).
All SPCC plans need to include a detailed list of the farm’ s petroleum containers, as well as a description of the procedures one would use to prevent petroleum spills, measures that have been installed to prevent petroleum from reaching water, measures one would use to contain and clean a petroleum spill to water, and a list of emergency contacts and first responders.
A few spill prevention measures that should be included in a farm’ s SPCC plan include using containers suitable for the petroleum stored, periodically inspecting and testing pipes and containers, and providing secondary containment for bulk storage containers.
Plans should be updated as changes are made to the farm, or at least every five years. According to the SPCC fact sheet, the goal of the program is to prevent petroleum spills into water. Please contact us for more information at( 952) 466-3720.