Unfortunately there is no simple solution to meeting Kern County aboveground tank regulations right now. You may have heard about regulations being enforced to a greater degree starting in 2015, requiring all aboveground fuel tanks to meet the very strong UL 2085 standard. This necessitates a double wall tank, a concrete pad, guard posts around the tank and much higher installation costs. There is a similar situation for oil tanks, which require the less durable UL 142 standard.
If you’ve looked into pricing on a fuel tank that meets the Kern County Fire Department permit requirements (which include UL 2085), you likely found the cost 6-10 times as much (or more) than what you are used to. Not to mention the unit would be very immobile. For these reasons, many farms and other businesses that require aboveground fuel tanks have a difficult decision at hand: eat the huge cost and inconvenience of replacing all affected tanks, run the risk of fines and penalties from the Kern County Fire Department, or somewhere in between. The cost of a new oil tank that meets UL 142 is less daunting, but replacing all existing tanks can obviously be very costly.
The good news is, associations such as CIOMA, of which Greg’s Petroleum is a member, are currently promoting a more reasonable approach with the appropriate government regulators. There is progress being made, as the cost impact is now better understood by the Kern County Board of Supervisors, and a public hearing about the issue is being organized. This approach of involving affected parties and accurately assessing risk and cost should lead to a more favorable outcome in the coming months.
For right now, we recommend holding off on purchasing new fuel tanks until there is a more firm resolution to the situation. One way to do this is by increasing cardlock usage to handle new fuel needs without an additional tank. Be careful resorting to tank wagons in the field, as those may be cited as well. For oil tanks, it is more likely to be feasible to move forward with new tanks that meet the requirements.
This is a developing situation, and we know it can be confusing. If you have any questions, please give Greg’s Petroleum a call at 661-725-2078. We would be happy to provide an update on the proceedings and our opinion on how to best handle your situation.