Islanders planning to have a new oil tank installed are advised to make sure an identification tag with the tank replacement date is attached.
Provincial regulations on the installation of home heat oil tanks were recently amended to require installers to attach a "PEI Aboveground Oil Tank I.D. Tag" to the vent pipe at the time of installation.
By September 2006, all tanks must be inspected and have an I.D. tag permanently affixed to the vent pipe. Minister of Environment Chester Gillan said the recent change in regulations will ensure that homeowners who get new tanks installed before that date do not end up paying a second service fee to have the I.D. tag attached. "We want to save Island homeowners any unnecessary expense and, at the same time, encourage them to replace old oil tanks that pose a threat to the environment as soon as possible, rather than wait until the 2006 deadline," the Minister said.
Changes affecting oil tank installation and replacement are being phased in over several years. As of last September, a person must have a valid home heat tank installer's licence to install, alter or remove a home heat oil tank; by September 2006, all home heat tanks must be inspected by a licensed home heat tank installer or inspector and have an I.D. tag permanently affixed to the vent pipe; and by September 2007, fuel oil cannot be delivered to a tank which does not have a valid I.D. tag.
The changes are aimed at reducing the number of oil spills from home heat tanks. And, Minister Gillan said there is already evidence that the changes are working. The 2002 home heat tank survey of 400 Island homes showed a dramatic decline in the number of tanks that failed to meet provincial installation standards – from 61 per cent in 2001 to 40 per cent in 2002. In turn, 2002 saw the lowest number of domestic oil spills since the province started keeping statistics in 1990 – 162 in comparison to 262 in 2001.
"That is no coincidence," said Minister Gillan. "We know that the most common preventable causes of spills are improper tank installation and internal corrosion on tanks that are simply too old. When we address those issues, which the regulation changes are doing, we dramatically reduce the chances of an oil spill."
For more information on the home heat tank regulations, call the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Environment at (902) 368-5042.