THE SPCC RULE AND RECENT AMENDMENTS

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Emergency Management November 2010
 

Presentation Overview

1.    SPCC Rule and 2008/2009 Amendments Overview
2.    Compliance Date Extension
3.    Proposed and Final Amendments
A.    Amended/Clarified Definitions
B.    Tier I Qualified Facilities
C.    Other Revisions
D.    Preamble Clarifications
4.    Additional Information

What are the SPCC criteria?

•  Facilities that store > 1,320 gallons of oil
•  Start counting at 55 gallons (typically drums and totes)
•  Facilities that have a “reasonable expectation of an oil discharge” to water

Key SPCC Elements

• Prepare and implement an SPCC plan that outlines equipment and procedures to prevent and respond to an oil spill.
–    Prior to 2006, all plans required a Professional Engineer (PE) to certify.
–    Now allow facilities up to 10,000 gallons to self-certify their plans.
• Containers (tanks, drums, totes) required to have sized secondary containment and overfill prevention.
• Other areas required to have general secondary containment, such as loading/unloading areas and mobile refuelers.

LEAKWISE TECHNOLOGY

•    Exempted pesticide application equipment and related mix containers
•    Exempted heating oil containers at single-family residences
•    Clarified that farm nurse tanks are mobile refuelers
•    Amended the definition of “facility”
•    Modified secondary containment requirement language at    112.7(c) to provide more clarity
•    Simplified security requirements
•    Amended tank integrity testing requirements to allow greater flexibility

SPCC Amendments

Compliance Dates
 

SPCC Rule Compliance Dates

•  On October 7, 2010, EPA extended the compliance date to most facilities to November 10, 2011.
•  This compliance date extension applies to all facilities.
• Does not apply to facilities located offshore or with an offshore component or an onshore facility that is required to have and submit Facility Response Plans (FRPs)

Section 3.

2009 Proposed and Final Amendments – more details
 

Amended Definition of “Facility”

•    Clarifies that the definition of facility alone determines SPCC applicability.
•    Clarifies that containers can be separated or
aggregated, based on various factors in defining “facility”
–    The owner or operator has discretion in identifying which contiguous or non-contiguous buildings, properties, parcels, leases, structures, installations, pipes, or pipelines make up the facility.
•    Adds the terms “property,” “parcel,” and “lease” to the list of example terms that can be considered in determining facility boundaries.
•    Clarifies that the term “waste treatment” refers to oil waste treatment.

Tier I Requirements

•  Option to complete a self-certified SPCC Plan template instead of a full SPCC Plan
–   A Tier I qualified facility owner/operator can choose to comply with either Tier I or Tier II requirements or prepare a PE-certified Plan in accordance with all applicable requirements of §112.7 and subparts B and C.
•  Template is found in Appendix G to the SPCC rule.
•  Template is designed to be a simple SPCC Plan.

Summary: Qualified Facilities Applicability

•  Option to complete a self-certified SPCC Plan template instead of a full SPCC Plan
–   A Tier I qualified facility owner/operator can choose to comply with either Tier I or Tier II requirements or prepare a PE-certified Plan in accordance with all applicable requirements of §112.7 and subparts B and C.
•  Template is found in Appendix G to the SPCC rule.
•  Template is designed to be a simple SPCC Plan.

Revision to General Secondary Containment Requirement

•  Clarified that the general secondary containment requirement is intended to address the most likely oil discharge from any part of a facility
• Use of active and passive secondary containment, such as spill kits, allowed
•  Modifies §112.7(c) to expand the list of example prevention systems for onshore facilities
–    Additional examples: drip pans, sumps, and collection systems

Integrity Testing

•    Provides flexibility in complying with bulk storage container (tanks, drums and totes) inspection and integrity testing requirements.
–    Allows an owner or operator to consult and rely on industry standards to determine the appropriate qualifications for tank inspectors/testing personnel and the type/frequency of integrity testing required for a particular container size and configuration.
–    Enables facilities to easily adjust Plans to reflect changes in industry standards.

Definition of “Permanently Closed”: Preamble Clarification

•   SPCC rule exempts any oil storage container that is permanently closed.
•   Permanently closed means any container or facility for which:
–   (1) All liquid and sludge has been removed from each container and connecting line; and
–   (2) All connecting lines and piping have been disconnected from the container and blanked off, all valves (except for ventilation valves) have been closed and locked, and conspicuous signs have been posted on each container stating that it is a permanently closed container and noting the date of closure.
•  Definition of “permanently closed” does not require a container to be removed from a facility.
•   New tanks that are brought on site with out any oil added are not counted towards the 1,320-gallon threshold.

SPCC Bluebook

•    Available at: http://www.epa.gov/oem/docs/oil/spcc/spccblueb roch.pdf

National Response Center (NRC)

•  Report all oil discharges to waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines to NRC at 1-800-424-8802.
•  Federal government’s centralized reporting center, which is staffed 24 hours a day by U.S. Coast Guard personnel
•  Any person in charge of a vessel or an onshore or offshore facility must notify NRC immediately after he or she has knowledge of the discharge.
• NRC relays information to EPA or U.S. Coast Guard depending on the location of the incident.
•  An On-Scene Coordinator evaluates the situation and decides if federal emergency response action is necessary.

For More Information

•    2008 and 2009 SPCC rule amendment Federal Register notices (73 FR 74236; Dec. 5, 2008 and 74 FR 58784, Nov. 13, 2009 )
–    http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/
–    http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/spcc/
•    Complete Oil Pollution Prevention regulation (40 CFR part 112)
–    http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/
–    http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/lawsregs.htm
•    EPA Emergency Management Websites
–    www.epa.gov/emergencies
–    www.epa.gov/oilspill
•    HOTLINE:    Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP, and Oil Information Center
–    (800) 424-9346 or (703) 412-9810
–    TDD (800) 553-7672 or (703) 412-3323
–    www.epa.gov/superfund/resources/infocenter

Section 1.

SPCC Rule and Amendments Overview
Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule Overview
•  Oil Pollution Prevention regulation (40 CFR part 112)
–    Originally promulgated in 1973
–    Specifies requirements for prevention of, preparedness for, and response to oil discharges
•  Requirements help prevent oil discharges from reaching navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.
• Certain facilities, are required to develop SPCC Plans that describe equipment, workforce, procedures, and training to prevent, control, and provide adequate countermeasures to a discharge of oil.

What is a “Reasonable Expectation of an Oil Discharge”?

• Determination by the owner/operator based on geographical and location aspects of the facility
•   Consider proximity to water, land contour, drainage
• Exclude secondary containment, such as dikes around tanks and impoundments, in determination
•   Good idea to document determination, although not a rule requirement

2009 SPCC Rule Amendments

•   Finalized certain December 2008 amendments without change
•   Removed certain provisions from the December 2008 final rule
•  Provided technical corrections to certain provisions of the December 2008 amendments

SPCC Amendments

•    Clarified definition of “permanently closed” tanks and status of new tanks with no fuel added
•    Clarified applicability of the rule to man-made structures

2008/2009 Amendments & Compliance Date Timeline

*The November 10, 2010, compliance date applies to drilling, production or workover facilities, including mobile or portable facilities, located
offshore or with an offshore component or an onshore facility that is
required to have and submit FRPs
**The November 10, 2011, compliance date applies to all other facilities

Self-Certification under Qualified Facilities Option

•    “Qualified facilities” option was added in the 2006 SPCC Amendments for facilities storing up to 10,000 gallons of oil
•    Now “Tier I” qualified facilities have an additional option to complete and implement a streamlined, self-certified SPCC Plan template (Appendix G to the rule)
•    All other qualified facilities are designated “Tier II” qualified facilities

Tier I Eligibility Criteria

•    10,000 gallons or less in aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity; and
•    For the 3 years prior to Plan certification, or since becoming subject to the rule if it has operated for less than 3 years, the facility must not have had:
–    A single discharge of oil to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines exceeding 1,000 U.S. gallons, or
–    Two discharges of oil to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines each exceeding 42 U.S. gallons within any 12- month period; and
•    Maximum individual aboveground oil storage container capacity of 5,000 U.S. gallons.

Tier I Template

•    Available at:
http://www.epa.gov/osweroe1/content/spcc/tier1 temp.htm
 

Security Requirements

A facility owner/operator is required to describe in the SPCC Plan how he will:
–    Secure and control access to all oil handling, processing and storage areas;
–    Secure master flow and drain valves;
–    Prevent unauthorized access to starter controls on oil pumps;
–    Secure out-of-service and loading/unloading connections of oil pipelines; and
–    Address the appropriateness of security lighting to both prevent acts of vandalism and assist in the discovery of oil discharges.

Section 4.

Additional Information
 

Outreach Tools

•    SPCC for the Upstream Sector Website
•    Blank Tier 1 template on EPA’s oil Website
•    General SPCC Bluebook on Website also
•    HOTLINE:    Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP, and Oil Information Center
–    (800) 424-9346
 

SPCC Reporting Requirements

•   Some discharges must also be reported to EPA
–    Requirements found in §112.4(a)
–    Applies to facilities subject to the SPCC rule
•   Report to the EPA Regional Administrator (RA) when there is a discharge of:
–    More than 1,000 U.S. gallons of oil in a single discharge to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines
–    More than 42 U.S. gallons of oil in each of two discharges to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines within a 12-month period
–    When making this determination it is the amount of the discharge in gallons that reaches navigable waters or adjoining shorelines (EPA considers the entire volume of the discharge to be oil for the purposes of these reporting requirements)
–    An owner/operator must report the discharge(s) to the EPA Regional Administrator within 60 days

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