CCGGA Pushes Back on Aboveground Tank Mandate in Kern County

CCGGA President/CEO Roger Isom joined forces with California Citrus Mutual, the Nisei Farmers League and the California Independent Oil Marketers Association in meetings with Kern County Supervisors this past week to oppose a Kern County mandate to replace all aboveground storage tanks immediately.  Multiple farmers have already received notices of violation and been told to replace all gravity fed aboveground storage tanks and single wall aboveground storage tanks “immediately”.  This is being done in response to a change in State Fire Code that the Association has been fighting for the past year.  The Association is also leading an effort to introduce legislation to ensure that this mandate is spread over time, instead of immediately.  The group met with Supervisors Maggard and Scrivner, and staff from Supervisors Gleason and Perez.  The primary purpose was to inform the Supervisors how Kern County was going beyond the law and was the only county in the state doing this at this time.  Additional meetings will occur in the coming weeks as we work to find a more reasonable solution.