CUC must empty the tank without spilling its content in the ocean in case of severe weather and is now finding ways to get rid of the 2,800 sealed barrels of used oil from its power plants as mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Four of CUC’s oil tanks have structural defects and one of them, Tank 104, must be emptied of used oil to avoid spillage to the Pacific Ocean in case it breaks or leaks from the pressure of a strong typhoon.
“CUC has determined that its Tank 104 used oil facility is structurally unsound and must be emptied of its used oil in advance of severe weather, particularly a serious typhoon, to avoid any potential harm to the commonwealth’s waters, including the lagoon,” Gov. Benigno R. Fitial said in his latest executive order declaring the CNMI under a state of disaster emergency, which essentially allows the executive branch to continue controlling CUC and exempt it from certain procurement rules.
The EPA already cited Tank 104 as in critical state of repair as early as 2005.
Back then, experts recommended the tank’s waste oil, heavy fuel and about 50,000 gallons of water must be removed because it may not be able to withstand up to 150 miles per hour of strong winds in case of a typhoon.
Over the past four years, Tank 104’s situation had worsened, according to authorities.
In all, the four tanks in question have a total capacity of holding 466,000 gallons of used oil from CUC’s power plants.
“The oil removal must comply with federal environmental law. CUC lacks the internal capability to carry out the removal and must contract for these services. A related concern is the effect of the structural integrity of Tank 104 which drawing down its contents will create; suggesting that the proper plan and contractor are critical,” the governor said.
Aside from the tanks, CUC is holding 2,800 barrels of used oil which must be disposed.
The governor, who is currently in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, where the latest Micronesian Executives Summit is being held, said CUC is slowly getting rid of the barrels using incineration.
But he said the incineration method is tedious and takes time.
“[CUC] has been incinerating oil stored in drums and has provided drums to island businesses which can properly burn the oil to make power. It is developing plans for ‘secondary containment,’ typically berms, for the oil drums,” he said.
The federal court approved two stipulated orders in March to address the EPA’s environmental concerns on different facilities of the corporation, particularly at the Agingan wastewater treatment plant.
Fitial said CUC has appointed a manager and hired expert firms to meet the tight and complex federal deadlines.
“The key objectives are to reduce generation of used oil at the source, the engines and transformers and replace equipment that contributes to the problems…. Disposal [of used oil] is a challenge, requiring multiple strategies. These include: recycling, through outside vendors and burning directly to make electricity; incinerating at the plant; developing a CUC-private sector partnership to reprocess the sell; recycling internally; and disposing outside of the CNMI,” he said.
