James Wesley:
Scott’s article was a good one but he neglected to mention that if you have 10,000 pounds of fuel (or most other chemicals) that all State Homeland Security Agencies require a Tier II filing to report this large quantity of material. This reporting form lets the state, local fire marshal and local emergency management coordinator know that you have that much fuel on your place. It’s nice if you have a fire (for instance) that the firefighters know where all the dangerous stuff is and usually someone on scene has a PDA with all this info on board, searchable by address. Having that much fuel without reporting it is either a violation of the law with serious fines involved or a violation of your OPSEC so quantities are something to watch.
Reportable chemicals include propane, gasoline, diesel, methanol, most fertilizers, and most other household/farm chemicals as well as industrial ones. It is interesting that explosives and radioactive substances do not fall under this particular reporting requirement because they are covered by their own rules and regulations. This Tier II information is on file at the local emergency management office for anyone to come look at if they want to. This has to do with the Community Right to Know Act. Even a potential terrorist could go and ask for a look see. “Hi, we’re from the government and we’re here to help.” Yikes!
Sincerely, – F.B. (14 miles from Asphalt)