Newsletter

On August 26, 2022, EPA proposed designating PFOA and PFOS, including their salts and structural isomers, as hazardous substances under section 102(a) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). Such designation, if finalized, would result in a CERCLA default Reportable Quantity (RQ) of one pound of PFOA or PFOS.  CERCLA – also known as Superfund -- requires any person in charge of a vessel or facility, as soon as they have knowledge of any release (other than a federally permitted release) of a hazardous substance from such vessel or facility in quantities equal to or greater than the RQ or more in a 24-hour period, to immediately notify the National Response Center (NRC) of such a release.  Given the historical use of PFOA and PFOS in firefighting foams used at liquid terminal facilities, nearly all ILTA member sites could be categorized as CERCLA or Superfund sites, if the rule is finalized.

ILTA prepared and submitted comments to EPA opposing the CERCLA designation. ILTA provided general information on the nearly 80 terminal companies in its membership. ILTA specified how its member facilities provide critical infrastructure services, including storage, and transportation logistics for bulk liquid products at over 1,500 facilities in locations across all 50 states.  ILTA provided historical information and context about how and why ILTA member facilities have used PFOA and PFOS-based firefighting foams, especially given the storage and movement of flammable liquids, including crude oil, gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethanol, industrial chemicals, fertilizers, and agricultural oils. 

While the fuels of the future may be different than those that drive our economy today, our most likely energy future will require liquid fuels for many applications. As the world undergoes an energy transition to low and no-carbon fuels, liquid terminals will continue to play an essential role in the storage, logistics, and transport of these products. Terminal companies are uniquely positioned to apply their expertise and physical assets to these new supply chains.

During this briefing, our partners at the consulting firm AJW will provide an overview of energy transition, drivers and market trends, and opportunities for the liquid terminal industry. There will also be time to discuss what additional information and support is needed to help the industry take full advantage of the opportunities this transition presents.

The webinar will be held at 1:00 p.m. on December 14. Please register here to receive instructions to join the webinar.

ILTA is excited to announce that attendees at our next annual conference (May 22-24, 2023) will hear from Captain Scott Kelly, the first astronaut to complete a full year in space mission. Captain Kelly will speak to our conference attendees about the leadership lessons he has learned throughout his remarkable career, and how they apply down here on Earth just as well as they served him aboard the International Space Station. 

Scott Kelly is a retired United States Navy Captain, U.S. spaceflight record holder, and an experienced test pilot who logged more than 15,000 hours of flight time in more than 40 different aircraft and spacecraft.  

Captain Kelly has traveled more than 200 million miles, more than twice the distance to the Sun, and orbited the Earth more than 8,300 times. During his yearlong mission, known worldwide as the “Year in Space,” he conducted three spacewalks before returning home in March 2016. His Year in Space Mission was chronicled in a Time Magazine documentary series and an Emmy Award-winning PBS special.  

ILTA is working in partnership with the American Waterways Operators (AWO) on a new joint initiative to identify ways to continually improve the safety of workers in both of our industries. ILTA is seeking volunteer leaders to join our joint working group composed of representatives of both AWO and ILTA member companies.

The American Waterways Operators is the national advocate for the U.S. tugboat, towboat, and barge industry, which serves the nation as the safest, most environmentally friendly, and most economical mode of freight transportation. AWO members operate on the rivers, coasts, Great Lakes, and harbors of the United States.

If you or a colleague at your company are interested in contributing to worker safety by being a part of the working group, please contact Michael Stroud at mstroud@ilta.org.

Throughout the Biden administration, federal agencies have maintained a sustained focus on the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.   Led by the White House, federal agencies have released updated cybersecurity guidelines and requirements, with previous announcements of public-private initiatives to advance the resilience of the electric, pipeline, and water sectors to threats in the cyber realm. 

ILTA continues to work to educate policymakers that terminal companies must have the flexibility and autonomy to innovate and respond with individualize approaches that best serve their facilities and employees. Overly prescriptive regulations will only hamper efforts by cybersecurity professionals to respond to a constantly evolving threat landscape. Restrictive policies could have adverse impacts not only for terminal companies, but for the industries and consumers that depend upon the products they handle and store.