Fuel is a central component to any agriculture operation, and delivery and storage of that fuel requires important safety measures be in place.

The Nebraska Ethanol Board recently partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Engineering’s Partners in Pollution Prevention program to develop a Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures plan for agriculture producers who maintain their own fuel storage.

According to the U.S. EPA, fuels are hazardous materials, and as such, handling or storing them improperly can pose a risk to health and the environment. It is vitally important that measures are taken to prevent even a small amount of fuel spilling and affecting the environment.

“The main benefit of the project is bringing agriculture producers in compliance with EPA regulations, so if a spill were to occur, the producer can mitigate any environmental damage and also reduce costly fines and associated cleanup,” said Todd Sneller, Nebraska Ethanol Board administrator. “If agriculture producers are not in compliance with EPA regulations, they run the risk of halting fuel deliveries to their operation.”

To assist producers in becoming compliant with the regulations, multiple tools and documents were developed to simply the process. Producers can find the information at the Nebraska Ethanol Board website.