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www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | OCTOBER 2016 39 I n t h i s a g e o f " B i g D a t a " t h e Canadian Oil Heat Association is working to promote consistent, detailed reporting of leaks and spills, to be followed by prompt remediation. Development of a so-called informa- tion hub "so everybody's working off the same information," was one of six goals that COHA's presi- dent, Stephen Koch, enumerated about a year ago, all of them linked in some way to reducing risk of leaks and spills, and to improving remediation response. The association's other goals are to: expand COHA's GreenTech program by adding a "best practice" certificate; eliminate conflicts of interest in spill remediation; improve fuel oil system education and information for home- owners; and adopt B139, an installation standard for oil-burning equipment. Progress has been made in some respects over the past year, particularly in adoption of B139, Koch reported. The risk-reduction protocol created by the Canadian Standards Authority covers tanks, secondary containment within tanks, and connector pipes. It has been adopted in many key oil heat provinces, Koch said. Of those, "the only one that hasn't adopted it yet, but will, is Nova Scotia," probably within the next few months, Koch said. "That allows for the technicians and the installers of the equipment to follow a consistent path that should reduce leaks and spills," Koch said of B139. Another of the goals—a campaign to educate consumers—is in its formative phase after some months of discussion with the national government agency Environment and Climate Change Canada. At the behest of that agency, the consumer education effort is focusing initially on the role that consumers can play in reporting a leak or spill. "Environment Canada is stressing consistent messaging so that consumers in conversations w i t h i n s u r a n c e c o m p a - nies, insurance brokers and r e g u l a t o r s g e t t h e s a m e information as they would from their distributor," Koch said. About $35,000 in startup funding has been allocated initially to launch the information and educa- tion campaign. Ministers of environment in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and the Technical Safety and Standards Authority in Ontario, are also expected to contribute funding and in-kind support, Koch said. But the need to collect information and provide it in a readily understood and useful format is a priority, Koch said. Stephen Koch COHA Wants Data Reliable information about leaks and spills is hard to get. COHA is working on that BY STEPHEN BENNETT