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Oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures Plans
The Office of Compliance Fact Sheet Series
Updated January 1998 - Doc. No.: 1350
Rules are still under revision
What Is an SPCC Plan? Under EPA's Oil Pollution Prevention regulation (40 CFR 112), certain facilities are required to develop and implement oil spill prevention, control and countermeasures (SPCC) plans. An SPCC plan is designed to ensure that a facility puts in place containment and other control measures that will prevent oil spills from reaching navigable U.S. waters. Is My Facility Required to Have an SPCC Plan?
The regulation (40 CFR 112) applies to non-transportation-related fixed facilities (see below) that could reasonably be expected to discharge oil into or upon navigable waters of the U.S. or adjoining shorelines, and that have: (1) a total underground buried storage capacity of more than 42,000 gallons; or (2) a total oil storage capacity of more than 1,320 gallons; or (3) an aboveground oil storage capacity of more than 660 gallons in a single container. Some transportation-related facilities or activities may have components considered to be "fixed" under 40 CFR Part 112 (e.g., tanks at a pipeline facility, trucks containing product stationed within a fixed facility).
| What is an Oil? Under the Clean Water Act, "oil" means any oil of any kind or in any form. Generally oils fall into the following categories: crude oil and refined petroleum products, edible animal and vegetable oil, other oils of animal and vegetable origin, and other nonpetroleum oils. Because some substances may not be easily recognizable as oils, your facility should check with EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard to make determinations for the substances you store, transfer, and refine. |
Non-transportation-related facilities are all fixed facilities, including support equipment and mobile or portable facilities (such as drilling or workover rigs, production facilities, and portable fueling facilities while in a fixed, operating mode), that drill, produce, gather, store, process, refine, transfer, distribute, or consume oil. The term does not refer to certain pipelines, railroad tank cars en route, transport trucks en route and equipment associated with the transfer of bulk oil to or from water transportation vessels. Other facility may not be regulated if, due to their location, they could not reasonably be expected to discharge oil into or upon navigable waters of the U.S. or adjoining shorelines. This determination is made without consideration of man-made structures. SPCC-regulated facilities must also comply with other federal, state, or locals laws, some of which may be more stringent. What Must The SPCC Plan Include? Your SPCC plan must clearly addresses the following three areas: Operating procedures that prevent oil spills Control measures installed to prevent a spill from reaching navigable waters Countermeasures to contain, cleanup, and mitigate the effects of an oil spill that reaches navigable waters. Specifically, your SPCC plan must include the following elements in sequence (40 CFR 112.7): Written descriptions of any spills occurring within the past year, corrective actions taken, and plans for preventing their reoccurrence A prediction of the direction, rate of flow, and total quantity of oil that could potentially be discharged where experience indicates a potential for equipment failure A description of containment and/or diversionary structures to prevent oil from reaching navigable waters. If containment and/or diversionary structures are not practical, a strong oil spill contingency plan (40 CFR 109) and a written commitment of manpower, equipment, and materials to quickly control and remove discharges of oil. Documentation that the facility design, construction, operation, and maintenance conforms with the requirements of 40 CFR 112.7 (e). Certification by a Professional Engineer (PE) and appropriate management tools. How Do I Maintain My SPCC Plan? Your facility must keep a certified copy of the SPCC plan available for EPA onsite review, either onsite (if your facility is attended at least eight hours per day), or at the nearest company office. Your facility's owner/operator must perform a documented SPCC plan review at least once every three years. If no changes are required, the plan must be recertified by a registered professional engineer. If changes are made, they must be certified by a registered professional engineer. When Do I Have To Amend My SPCC Plan? Your SPCC plan must be amended for one or more of the following reasons: To incorporate more effective control and prevention technology (within six months following the triennial review) if: (1) the technology will significantly reduce the likelihood of a release; and (2) the technology has been field-proven at the time of the review When there is a change in the facility design, construction, operation or maintenance that materially affects the facility's potential for discharge into navigable waters When an EPA Regional Administrator requires amendments following a single discharge in excess of 1,000 gallons, or two discharges within any twelve-month period. All amendments must be fully implemented no later than six months from when the change occurs, and must be certified by a registered professional engineer. Additional Information
For the full text of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation, see 40 CFR 112.7. Call the Oil Program Information Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802. Access information about SPCC plans from http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/index.htm
Copyright @August,2004 Prepared by Transportation Environmental Resource Center (TERC)