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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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  • 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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  • Mobile fuel tanker as a facility

    Is a non-transportation related mobile fuel tanker with more than 55 gallons located near a 55 gallon drum storage area considered a facility? Perhaps. "Facility" is defined in Part 112 to mean "any mobile or fixed, onshore or offshore building, structure, installation, equipment, pipe, or pipeline (other than a vessel…

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  • What sources make up the Tier 1 categories used in the emissions trends?

    Tier 1 categories are assigned by source classification codes (SCCs) that are the most specific processes available in the NEI. The latest SCC list with the Tier 1 assignments can be downloaded from the EPA SCC website in Comma Separate Values (CSV) format.

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  • What is the cause of the large decrease in electric utility emissions, particularly sulfur dioxide, starting in 1995?

    SO2 emissions reductions from utilities during this time are primarily attributed to the impacts of the acid rain program. As described on EPA’s Acid Rain Program web page, Phase 1 of this program began in 1995 and affected 263 units at 110 most coal-burning electric utility plants in 21 eastern…

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  • What is a field-constructed container?

    What are the types of containers or equipment containing oil reservoirs that would be considered field-constructed containers and thus subject to the brittle fracture evaluation of 40 CFR §112.7(i)? As found in the Preamble language provided on page 47112 of the July 17, 2002 SPCC final rule, EPA provides a…

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  • What is oil-filled operational equipment?

    Oil-filled operational equipment is equipment that includes an oil storage container (or multiple containers and associated piping intrinsic to the operation of the equipment) in which the oil is present solely to support the function of the apparatus or the device. It is not considered a bulk storage container, and…

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  • What is a mobile refueler?

    A mobile refueler is a bulk storage container onboard a vehicle or being towed that is designed or used solely to store and transport fuel for transfer into or from an aircraft, motor vehicle, locomotive, vessel, ground service equipment, or other oil storage container. Mobile refuelers may be found at…

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  • What changes did EPA finalize to the SPCC Rule in December 2006?

    The revised rule modifies requirements for facilities with smaller oil storage capacity and specific types of oil-filled operating equipment. If a facility has 10,000 gallons or less in aggregate aboveground oil storage capacity and the facility meets the oil discharge history criteria, then an owner/operator of a facility may prepare…

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  • Are generator sets considered oil-filled operational equipment?

    No. Generator sets (gen sets) are a combination of oil-filled operational equipment and a bulk storage container. Lubrication systems on gen sets may be oil-filled operational equipment, but bulk storage tanks providing fuel for the generator typically are not oil-filled operational equipment.

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  • SPCC change in ownership

    If there is a change in ownership at a facility, can the facility operate under the same SPCC Plan without the certification from a professional engineer (PE)? If no change in procedures has been made, it may still be feasible to operate under the existing SPCC Plan. The information in…

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  • SPCC Rule regulated oil types

    What types of oil does the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule address? The term oil means oil of any kind or in any form, including, but not limited to: petroleum; fuel oil; sludge; oil refuse; oil mixed with wastes other than dredged spoil; fats, oils or greases of…

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  • Liability of oil retailers at SPCC regulated farm

    If a farm is out of compliance of Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations and is checked by EPA and/or has a spill, is the retailer that filled the tank liable? No, EPA considers the oil tank owner responsible for lack of compliance.

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  • What types of oil does the SPCC Rule address?

    The term oil means oil of any kind or in any form, including, but not limited to: petroleum; fuel oil; sludge; oil refuse; oil mixed with wastes other than dredged spoil; fats, oils or greases of animal, fish, or marine mammal origin; vegetable oils, including oil from seeds, nuts, fruits…

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