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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | May 9, 2023 02:29 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Carol Hill-Evans |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | MASTER/ EMERGENCY SHUT OFF LEGISLATION |
| I plan to introduce legislation amending Pennsylvania’s Combustible and Flammable Liquids Act to increase the maximum distance between master control emergency shut-off devices and fuel dispensers from 200 feet to 350 feet. The convenience store and fuel industries have changed and grown significantly since the Combustible and Flammable Liquids Act was enacted in 1998. Convenience stores, specifically, have grown exponentially in size over the last twenty-five years. As a result, the 200-foot maximum distance requirement is no longer practical or safe in today’s industry. In order to comply with the 200-foot maximum distance requirement, fuel retailers are forced to place fuel canopies in close proximity to stores, which creates safety concerns for pedestrians and vehicles. This requirement limits the number of fuel dispensers that can be placed on a site, resulting in stacking of vehicles and increased vehicle congestion. It also impacts alignment of fuel canopies, which can impact line of sight. Increasing the maximum distance from 200 feet to 350 feet will resolve these issues now and for the foreseeable future. By making this incremental change to the Combustible and Flammable Liquids Act, fuel dispensers can be placed farther from convenience stores, and therefore, farther from pedestrians. It will create safer vehicle circulation around the site and separate the traffic flows of commercial and passenger vehicles. This amendment is a common-sense update to an outdated regulatory requirement. Please join me in cosponsoring this important piece of legislation. |
Introduced as HB1171