W
ith the help of advisors from inside and out-
side the fuel oil industry, the Canadian Oil
Heat Association has identified six goals and
is working toward them.
"The biggest thing that is limiting us in
Canada is the challenge of insurance for not only our members
but our customers," said Stephen Koch, president of the associa-
tion. Part and parcel of that challenge is better management of
"our environmental responsibilities," Koch said.
COHA some 18 months ago assembled an advisory council
comprising insurers, remediation companies, brokers, edu-
cators, lawyers, oil distributors, consumers and provincial
regulators. They were charged with answering key questions,
especially:
What can be done to help understand risk of spills and leaks?
How can risk of spills and leaks be reduced?
At the same time, the members of the Advisory Council
looked at existing remediation practices and put forward recom-
mendations that could reduce costs.
The six initiatives that the Canadian Oil Heat Association
is supporting include four on risk reduction of spills and leaks,
and two on the remediation process that "we think [are] causing
some of the costs to skyrocket," Koch said.
The six goals are: expand COHA's GreenTech program and
create a "best practice" certificate; improve fuel oil system educa-
tion and information for homeowners; adoption of an installation
standard for oil-burning equipment; establish an information hub
BUSINESS OPERATIONS
BY STEPHEN BENNETT
COHA's Action Agenda
The Canadian Oil Heat Association aims to tackle some long-standing
challenges with insurance and remediation
www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | OCTOBER 2015 37
Stephen Koch
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IMAGE
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