Newsletter

On April 17, ILTA attended a conference convened by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), International Association of Fire Fighters, and the United States Chamber of Commerce to discuss aqueous film forming foams (AFFF), commonly referred to as PFAS-based firefighting foams. Additional stakeholders in attendance included the firefighting communities, airports, petrochemical industries, farming stakeholders, chemical producers, and liquid storage and terminaling industry.

DoD shared its perspective on compliance with the AFFF transition, indicating extensions would be needed. Specifically, DoD said the military was unlikely to meet the target transition dates and would likely exercise two of the 1-year extensions under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The primary reason for anticipating the needed extensions is the various Air Force facilities and vehicles and officials indicated that foam producers’ supplies are of concern, too, given the massive quantity needed by DoD to address foam needs for all DoD facilities.

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.  

On December 14, ILTA hosted an Energy Transition Briefing to discuss how liquid fuels and liquids commodities would play a significant role in the transition and diversification of energy sources from fossil fuels to other fuel sources. The purpose of the briefing was to help ILTA members better understand the business and strategic relevance of the liquid storage and logistics industry’s role in long-term transition and diversification of energy sources. A copy of presentation slides is attached below.

The Environmental Protection Agency continues its efforts to reduce climate-changing emissions related to fossil fuels industry, particularly around the oil and gas sector. In November 2022, EPA issued a proposed rule to strengthening its previous proposals to reduce harmful emissions such as methane and other harmful emissions. On November 15, EPA issued this supplemental proposal to update, strengthen, and expand previous proposed standards intended to significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Reader Rule (TWIC Reader Rule) will have at least a three-year delay. In June 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, acting through the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), issued a notice in the federal government’s Spring Unified Agenda, that the TWIC Reader Rule would likely be delayed for another three years until approximately May 2026. The USCG informed ILTA and its members at ILTA’s Fall EHS&S meeting that a forthcoming Federal Register Notice would be issued requesting comments as to whether the TWIC Reader Rule should be delayed.