Unused tanks remain on this property on the northeast corner of Conser and Old Salem roads in Millersburg.
On Oct. 25 I leaned the bike against a gate in Millersburg and wondered about the unused fuel tanks behind it. The tanks — 15 of them as shown on Google satellite view — won’t be there much longer, it turns out.
Kinder Morgan, the Houston-based energy company that owns the property, intends to remove the tanks by the end of the year, Millersburg City Manager Kevin Kreitman told me Wednesday.
The tanks apparently have been decommissioned since before Kinder Morgan bought the property from Southern Pacific Pipelines in 1997. Their removal will be the culmination of years of efforts by Millersburg city councils to have the company do something about the unused tanks.
I had asked Kreitman about the status of the tank farm after I went to Millersburg on an unrelated errand last week. He told me city councils had been concerned about the tanks for more than 20 years.
While the tanks have sat there unused, a pumping station on the property remains active, serving the fuel pipeline that runs from Portland through the Albany area to a terminal in Eugene.
“Over the years, the city had discussions with Kinder Morgan requesting they do something with the tanks,” Kreitman said via email. “In 2021 the city once again reached out to Kinder Morgan regarding the tanks, and in August of 2021 we made them aware of the city’s intention to pass a new ordinance that would impact their abandoned tanks.”
The council passed the ordinance in September 2022, and it took effect a month later. It says abandoned above-ground tanks must be removed within a year, and penalties of $1,000 a day are possible after that.
City and company staff met in Millersburg this Sept. 19. “Kinder Morgan personnel shared with us that if things go as planned their goal is to have the tanks removed by the end of this year,” Kreitman said.
No fines are being levied. Kreitman explained:Â “Given the complexity of removing the tanks at the tank farm and the ongoing conversations with executive staff from Kinder Morgan, the city at this point has elected not to assess fines, but it remains an available tool should it become necessary.”
On Wednesday the city manager had another call with the company. “And it appears,” he said, “they are still on track for removal this year.” (hh)
2 months seems like an awfully tight timeline
Maybe they can be replaced by an inter-modal operation…we could really use one of those! Wait…that’s been done; it just does not get used!
Yet another example of Korporate Amerika business refusing to do something, anything, until threatened by legal process.
Most of us don’t do things because of threat by legal process. DUH!
Why does Millersburg want the tanks removed?? Just because they look too industrial? Do they have a plan to replace the tanks with some industrial facility or housing? Does the ground have contaminants needing testing/removal?
Because they have been decommisioned and are unusable. Why would we want them to stay?