ILTA’s Board of Directors and Staff Held an Advocacy Filled Day on Capitol Hill.
ILTA’s Board of Directors and staff held an advocacy-filled day on Capitol Hill on March 1. The Hill Day (or Fly-in) focused on three main objectives: (1) Raising ILTA’s profile with elected officials; (2) Discussing the impact of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in firefighting foams at liquid terminals; and (3) urging Congress to support final action on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) 2016 Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) gasoline mixture guidance.
Regarding PFAS policy development, ILTA met with the Republican and Democratic Committee staff for the powerful United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW). EPW has authority and influence over any PFAS policy development, which will impact liquid terminals. The meetings were focused on the historic use of PFAS-based firefighting foams at liquid terminals and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) requirements for using PFAS-based foams for storing flammable liquids. ILTA’s advocacy efforts continue to advance the importance and significance to liquid terminals of any future PFAS transition policymaking.
In addition to meeting with Senate EPW, the ILTA Board met with the staff of Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH). ILTA highlighted member facilities located in each state and how those facilities have been, and will be, impacted by future PFAS policy changes. ILTA also continued to illustrate for staff how liquid terminals are like airports in the regulatory requirement to use PFAS-based firefighting foams.
With respect to the House of Representatives, ILTA started its day meeting with Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC), who sits on the powerful United States House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy & Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment. Representative Hudson’s office is critical as ILTA members have several facilities in the Congressman’s district. ILTA also met with Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME) who sits on the powerful Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, which has authority and control over EPA’s budget and how the agency spends its government funding, including on such programs as PFAS reform.
On the CFATS gasoline mixture issue, ILTA continues to press for predictability for its members. As we know, the issue of including reportable chemicals of interest in gasoline mixtures is temporarily fixed. But ILTA knows its members want predictability in final regulations that will help ILTA members understand their obligations under the CFATS program regarding gasoline. ILTA’s Fly-in focused on Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee. ILTA met with Senate Homeland Committee staff to discuss the uncertainty of the 2016 action by DHS on gasoline mixtures and the need for a final rule to address this issue. ILTA also met with Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS-2) who is the senior Democrat on the Committee and one of the original architects of the CFATS program. ILTA also met with Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28), who is the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Appropriations Committee, which is responsible for controlling DHS’ budget.
ILTA will continue urging offices to meet with ILTA and understand its advocacy goals, especially around PFAS policy which will impact all liquid terminals. Please watch for future opportunities to engage with policymakers on these and other critical topics to ILTA members.