WINNIPEG – Anhydrous ammonia dealers are angry they weren’t consulted on a new government regulation that requires them to test their trail tanks and applicators for leaks every five years.
Garth Rowswell, a dealer in Vermilion, Alta., who is on the executive of the Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers, said the hydrostatic test is too expensive and won’t improve safety.
“No one’s been able to prove that we’re going to gain anything here, other than satisfy legislators,” said Rowswell.
He said it costs from $300 to $600 to test a tank, which could add up to $40 million over the next 10 years for the 600 members of his organization. He said this cost would likely be passed on to farmers in the form of higher prices.
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The regulation is part of the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act. John Monteith of Tran-sport Canada said it has been on the books since 1987 as a voluntary standard, but as of July 1, it will be a regulation on trail tanks, which are the smaller types used on most farms.
Monteith said a Canadian Standards Association committee originally developed the standard.
Stress test performed
The test involves pumping water into a tank and pressuring it to 1.5 times its rating. Monteith said it detects tiny stress-corrosion cracks.
He challenged the dealers’ $40-million cost estimate. He said if there are 15,000 tanks in Western Canada, it would cost dealers $6 million to $12 million over the next five years.
He said the government is willing to certify dealers to allow them to do their own testing, which would reduce the cost and time required. The government is also willing to extend the compliance period for a year to allow dealers to become familiar with the new rules.
But Rowswell said the government would be putting more people at risk by allowing dealers to conduct the tests themselves.
“It’s dangerous like crazy. To me, exposing dealers to the risk of doing the hydrostatic tests without being trained, we’re actually going backwards in regards to safety.”
Monteith said the test is standard and not dangerous, but he agreed that it’s rare for a tank to split.
“The problem is that you’ve got to weigh the risk of the human consequence with a gas like this against the cost of the testing. All you would need would be one (incident) and people would be calling for very stringent regulations.”
