Planning commission gives conditional‑use recommendation for Pilot Thomas Logistics fuel‑and‑lubricant storage site amid neighbor concerns
Loading...
Summary
The commission voted to recommend approval of a conditional use permit for Pilot Thomas Logistics to install above‑ground storage tanks and a loading lane for bulk lubricants and coolants; neighbors expressed concerns about road wear, past spraying and long‑term liability; the recommendation advances to the BOCC for final action.
The Natrona County Planning and Zoning Commission recommended approval June 10 of a conditional‑use permit (CUP25‑01) for Pilot Thomas Logistics to install above‑ground storage tanks and a loading lane for bulk lubricant and coolant distribution on a light‑industrial parcel near Delta Drive south of the airport.
Staff described the request as a conditional use under the county zoning rules for storage of flammable or combustible liquids above thresholds requiring CUP review. Sean Gustafson explained the applicant must comply with SPCC (spill prevention, control and countermeasures) requirements administered under federal EPA regulation and that the proposed containment was sized to hold 110% of the largest tank plus the site’s design for a 100‑year, 24‑hour rainfall event. Gustafson told the commission staff received no written public comments in the packet but had outstanding technical review items; the submitted set of plans included containment calculations that staff said meet the expected thresholds.
Applicant manager Derek Randall told the commission the company will install UL‑listed, double‑walled tanks and a containment system that meets EPA/SPCC requirements; he said the company reduced the originally proposed number and configuration of tanks to three — one 10,000‑gallon tank and two 15,000‑gallon tanks — and that the containment design will meet 110% of the largest tank plus the required rainfall volume. "The tanks are UL listed... they are double walled tanks," Randall said when asked about tank integrity.
Several neighbors spoke in public comment, citing property‑value, road‑wear and environmental concerns. Resident Dan McClanahan described prior spraying, dead trees adjacent to his property and lingering concerns about site cleanup liability; other neighbors cited heavy truck traffic on local roads and some visible corrosion on tanks currently stored at the site. Commissioners discussed bonding and cleanup responsibility in the event of a release; staff said they would follow up on regulatory and bonding requirements for BOCC packet materials.
After discussion the commission voted in favor of recommending approval to the Board of County Commissioners. The BOCC will consider the CUP at its next meeting; the applicant will need to secure required SPCC approval and any other federal/state permits before tanks may be filled and operations begin.
