I hope you and your family are staying safe and well during this unprecedented time. I have some important news to share: ILTA announced in mid-September that its board of directors has voted to cancel its 40th Annual Operating Conference and Trade Show, initially scheduled for June 2020 and moved to November 16-18, 2020, because of the continued spread of COVID-19.

As a result of continued ILTA advocacy, the Environmental Protection Agency will soon propose a new rule that would allow operators of tanks regulated under the New Source Performance Standards of Subpart Kb to use the in-service inspection requirements of Subpart WW to conduct periodic inspections of internal floating roof rim seals. 

API in September released an update to API Standard 2350, Overfill Prevention for Storage Tanks in Petroleum Facilities, designed to help owners and operators of oil storage tanks implement a comprehensive overfill prevention system which ensures that oil and other petroleum products are safely transferred to storage tanks. The new edition increases efforts on reaction times to alarms and emphasis on prevention programs, management systems and more. API Standard 2350, 5th Ed. is available for purchase on the API Webstore. 

The bombshell announcement that President Trump had contracted COVID-19 – and the implications for the upcoming presidential election – took the air out of Washington last week, leaving little room for legislative action. On top of the that news, Congress was already reeling when it was announced that the president and Senate Republicans would rush to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court after her unexpected death in September.

California state lawmakers approved a measure on August 30 that directs the phasing out of both the sale and use of firefighting foams containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substances.   

ILTA submitted comments to the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation expressing support for the agency’s proposal to retain the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone without change. The 2015 regulations set the lower primary and secondary ozone standards at 70 ppb, down from 75 ppb, to better safeguard public health with an adequate margin of safety. 

 

 

 

 

ILTA welcomed two new supplier members in September: DirecTank Environmental Products LLC and Setpoint Integrated Solutions.

Professional Mariner, Sept. 14, 2020
Johan Sperling has been named as new vice president and chief operating officer for Tidewater Transportation and Terminals. Sperling will oversee the maintenance and engineering department, vessel operations, and dispatch and terminal operations.

Market Screener, Sept. 16, 2020
To aid in relief efforts to natural disasters, Philips 66 reached out to organizations and local agencies nationwide. Donations include $750,000 to the American Red Cross to support assistance in local communities affected by Hurricane Laura; $200,000 to aid communities impacted by wildfires; and an additional $50,00 to aid relief efforts in South Texas after Hurricane Hanna.

CStore Decisions, Sept. 11, 2020
Marathon Petroleum Corp employees donated more than 402,000 pounds of food to the children of Skagit County during a recent Stuff the Bus Food Drive. The workers efforts garnered the Anacortes refiner the title of C.H.O.W. Champion by the Helping Hands Food Bank.

Fox 40, Sept. 24, 2020
Motiva Enterprises announced the appointment of Kimberly M. Green as Executive Vice President of Human Resources and a member of Motiva's Executive Leadership Team. Green's responsibilities include organizational development, industrial relations, recruitment, benefits and compensation.

 

Over the week of September 21, ILTA held its semi-annual fall committee meetings and its Terminal Operating Practices Symposium. These meetings were all conducted virtually on the Zoom platform, attracting nearly 100 participants.

Nearly 100 participants joined ILTA for the Third Annual Terminal Operating Practices Symposium on September 24 via the Zoom virtual meeting platform. TOPS is an educational series designed to provide terminal company employees a forum to exchange lessons learned from facility incidents and near hits and discuss effective operating practices with their peers. 

The ILTA Operations Council met September 25. The first order of business was to discuss follow-up activities that the council could address on behalf of the terminal industry identified through the TOPS presentations.

 More than 40 terminal members joined ILTA for its monthly terminal member call on September 17, at which Chief Adam Thiel, Fire Commissioner, Philadelphia Fire Department, discussed HAZMAT response and preparation for incidents.

Terminal members eager to minimize costs and disruptions from the Coast Guard’s recently finalized TWIC reader rule should register today for a free October 21 workshop, the first of three that are jointly presented by ILTA, the American Chemistry Council and the American Fuel & Petrochemical Marketers.

ILTA will host a terminal member webinar on Thursday, October 15 at 4 pm ET. The terminal member calls, which began about eight months ago with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, allow terminal operators to discuss challenges, lessons learned and solutions for safe and efficient terminal operations. We have also had a series of special guests, offering insights on regulatory and other developments. Terminal members: If you haven’t been participating on the calls and want to, please reach out to membership@ilta.org.