The Challenge

Regulatory bodies across North America have growing awareness of the environmental risks associated with the management of petroleum systems. To this end, current regulations are being enforced to more stringent standards and in many cases new legislation and regulations are being introduced. Compliance to a wide range of regulations, at all levels of government, is becoming commonplace and adds to the complexity of operating a petroleum system. It is also a method of minimizing expensive remedial clean-ups and the loss of time due to failed or degrading tank systems.

As an example, the Canadian federal government intends to amend the Storage Tank Systems for Petroleum Products and Allied Petroleum Products Regulations. The consultative process has been ongoing since 2003, and the framework for a proposed regulation has reached maturity. Compliance with the proposed regulations is a commitment they have made for petroleum systems under the control of all federal departments, federal works and undertakings, Crown Corporations, First Nations communities and any other systems operated on government controlled land.

Many federal departments and agencies have been evaluating their state of compliance to existing Codes of Practice, standards, and regulations in support of their Due Diligence. Furthermore, an assessment of the compliance status of existing inventories to proposed regulations is advantageous for the development of plans to comply.

A similar situation exists in other jurisdictions throughout
North America as awareness of existing regulations and a growing demand to document compliance is being experienced.

The Solution

Jacques Whitford’s Petroleum Engineering Group has developed and trained a team of professionals, across the company, in the completion of petroleum system audits. Using sophisticated hand-held technology, our team can complete field audits in a timely, efficient and cost-effective manner. Audit data are evaluated by our senior petroleum engineers and scientists in order to compare observed conditions with federal, state/provincial, municipal and industry “best practice” regulations and standards.

The resulting information is stored in a highly flexible database with the ability to customize reports for our clients including, but not limited to, cost estimates and recommendations to correct non-compliant circumstances. These reports can be made available on a secure web site for real time monitoring of larger projects. Whether a client has a limited number of tanks or is responsible for a wide network of facilities across the country, Jacques Whitford has pulled together a team of specialists who are able to respond to the client’s specific needs.