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  • Criteria for oil production facilities to be qualified facilities

    Qualified facilities are eligible for streamlined regulatory requirements in 40 CFR §112.6, which include self-certification of SPCC Plans. What criteria do oil production facilities have to meet in order to be considered qualified facilities? Oil production facilities, like all other facilities, must meet the criteria in §112.3(g)(1) or (2) to…

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  • Underground Storage Tanks in SPCC Plans

    If a gas station that has less than 42,000 gallons completely buried oil storage capacity and no aboveground oil storage capacity installs a new aboveground tank with a capacity greater than 1,320 gallons, must the facility’s Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan address the underground storage tanks (USTs) in…

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  • Container capacity less than 55 gallons

    Do facilities need to consider containers that are less than 55 gallons for applicability under 40 CFR Part 112? No. The third column of page 47066 of the July 17, 2002 Preamble states that "You need only count containers of 55 gallons or greater in the calculation of the regulatory…

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  • What is a farm for purposes of the SPCC Rule?

    In the December 2006 amendments to the SPCC Rule, EPA defined a farm as "a facility on a tract of land devoted to the production of crops or raising of animals, including fish, which produced and sold, or normally would have produced and sold, 1,000 or more of agricultural products…

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  • Examples of an agent of a Professional Engineer

    Except as provided in 40 CFR §112.6 for qualified facilities, a Professional Engineer (PE) or an agent of the PE must visit and examine the facility before the PE certifies an SPCC Plan (40 CFR §112.3(d)). What are some examples of an agent of a PE? An agent of a…

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  • Oil-filled equipment capacity

    When counting against the 1,320 aboveground storage capacity threshold, would operational storage of oil (such as in a hydraulic press) be used? Oil which is contained in equipment is required to be factored into the storage capacity for the facility even though the oil may be only used for ancillary…

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  • If your farm does not have fuel storage that will flow into US waters by a ditch, river, stream, or lake, do you have to prepare a SPCC Plan?

    No. EPA suggests you use a common sense approach. If one of your oil storage tanks leaks, and the spilled oil would not flow into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines, you do not have to prepare a Plan. Remember that you still have the responsibility to clean up any spilled…

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  • How do the changes in the 2006 Amendments apply to mobile refuelers?

    Mobile refuelers are now exempt from the following sized secondary containment provisions that still apply to all other bulk storage containers and mobile/portable bulk storage containers: • Sections 112.8(c)(2) and (11) for petroleum oils • Sections 112.12(c)(2) and (11) for animal fats and vegetable oils These provisions previously required sized…

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  • Purpose of Oil Pollution Prevention regulation

    What is the purpose of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation? When oil spills into navigable waters or onto adjoining shorelines, it can have harmful impacts on the environment, human health, and economic activity. EPA issued the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation to prevent oil spills and to assure that oil facility…

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  • What is considered bulk oil storage capacity?

    The revised rule recognizes that oil is sometimes stored in bulk and sometimes used operationally. A bulk storage container is any container storing oil at a facility. Bulk oil storage containers may include, but are not limited to tanks, containers, drums, and mobile or portable totes. Operational use includes oil-filled…

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  • Ground water pathways related to reasonably expected to discharge

    The SPCC Rule applies to facilities that could reasonably be expected to discharge into navigable waters (40 CFR §112.2(a)). Does a facility need to consider ground water pathways when determining if a discharge of oil could reasonably be expected to reach navigable waters? Owners and operators should consider whether on-site…

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  • Visit and examination requirements for SPCC self-certification

    Pursuant to 40 CFR §112.6, the owner or operator of a facility that meets the criteria in §112.3(g) for either a Tier I or Tier II qualified facility may self-certify the facility's SPCC Plan. As part of the self-certification, the owner or operator must certify that he or she has…

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  • Secondary containment for oil-filled operation equipment under SPCC

    On December 26, 2006, EPA provided an optional alternative to the general secondary containment requirements in 40 CFR §112.7(c) for qualified oil-filled operational equipment ( 71 FR 77266 ). Because the alternative is optional, an owner or operator could choose to comply with the existing SPCC requirements to provide general…

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  • Is it required that the professional engineer conducting the engineering review must be licensed in the state in which the renewable fuel facility is located?

    See More Frequent Questions about Fuels Registration, Reporting, and Compliance Help . The licensed professional engineer should comply with the state laws where the renewable fuel facility is located to determine whether or not their license allows them to conduct business in that state.

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  • I have not seen a reference to the EPA CDX system. Is the CDX system already established or can we submit reports in our choice of electronic formats?

    See More Frequent Questions about Fuels Registration, Reporting, and Compliance Help . The Central Data Exchange (CDX) is an established portal through which electronic data are submitted. All registered parties will have to first register with CDX in order to receive a CDX registration number. More information may be found…

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