Propane vapors near a landfill in southern Ohio caught the attention of the state’s Department of Natural Resources last year.  Investigators looked at a nearby propane storage facility in a cavern. They found no link to the leak. They also found no applicable state regulations for the underground storage. 

This week, ODNR chief James Zehringer wrote to Washington to see if there is any federal oversight of such operations.
In an e-mail he told us: “We have reached out to the federal government to clarify what regulatory authority exists because we believe it is important for this industry to be properly regulated. If the federal government does not have in place a regulatory program, then the state of Ohio is prepared to aggressively pursue legislative language that would clarify Ohio's authority.”

Zehringer wrote to the federal Transportation Department because it regulates pipelines, trucks, trains and other methods of moving propane and hazardous fuels to market.The storage caverns currently in use in Ohio are in southern and western areas of the state.