House panel holds W.Va. hearing on chemical spill
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A federal safety official says tanks at the facility that spilled chemicals into a major water supply in West Virginia were not necessarily in compliance with standards months before the leak.
U.S. Chemical Safety Board Chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso told a congressional panel Monday that Freedom Industries ordered its own review of its tanks last October.
Environmental consultants found storage units at the Charleston location were "not necessarily" in full compliance with Environmental Protection Agency and industry standards.
Moure-Eraso also says the tank that spilled was rested on porous gravel and soil. A last resort containment wall wasn't lined and provided little protection.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is holding a hearing on the spill in Charleston.
The chemicals that spilled were deemed "non-hazardous" and aren't regulated under federal law.
