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  • Criteria for significant and substantial harm facility designation

    How do I know if my facility is a significant and substantial harm facility? Your facility may be a significant and substantial harm facility if it meets the over water transfer criterion, has a total oil storage capacity of one million gallons or more, and meets one or more of…

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  • When is a mobile refueler subject to SPCC requirements?

    According to a 1971 Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA regulates non-transportation-related facilities and DOT regulates transportation-related facilities: • Mobile refuelers that operate solely within the confines of a non-transportation-related facility subject to the SPCC rule must comply with the general…

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  • How might determining impracticability under §112.7(d) affect a facility's FRP requirements under Part 112 Subpart D?

    Pursuant to 40 CFR §112.7(d), if a facility owner or operator finds that secondary containment methods are not practicable, the SPCC Rule allows for alternative modes of protection to prevent and contain oil discharges if additional requirements are met. How might determining impracticability under §112.7(d) affect a facility’s FRP requirements…

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  • Products authorized for use on oil discharges

    Does EPA maintain a list of products that are authorized for use on oil discharges? If so, how can a manufacturer have their product included on the list? Section 311(d)(2)(G) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) directs EPA to prepare a schedule of dispersants, other chemicals, and oil spill mitigating…

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  • Why are credits and allotments expressed in ppm-gallons and not in ppmbarrels, since barrels or thousand barrels are the commercial units used by refiners?

    See More Frequent Questions about Fuels Registration, Reporting, and Compliance Help . Consistent with the requirements under the RFG program, § 80.195(a)(2) provides that, for purposes of sulfur compliance and reporting, volumes are expressed in gallons. Accordingly, credits and allotments are required to be calculated and reported in units of…

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  • What test requirements exist for determination of the sulfur content of denatured ethanol? What test method must be used to determine the sulfur content of ethanol? In the absence of an approved test method, what guidance can the Agency provide fuel ethan

    See More Frequent Questions about Fuels Registration, Reporting, and Compliance Help . The regulations do not require an ethanol blender, producer or supplier to test ethanol for sulfur content. The regulations do prohibit blending denatured ethanol into gasoline if the sulfur content of the denatured ethanol exceeds 30 ppm. See…

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  • FRP Availability

    Are Facility Response Plans (FRPs) available to the public? FRPs are submitted to the appropriate EPA Region dependent on the location of the facility. Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) and State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) may request a copy of the FRP from an owner or operator. FRPs are generally…

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  • What milk and milk products are covered by the Milk and Milk Product Containers, Associated Piping and Appurtenances Exemption?

    The exemption will cover all containers, piping and appurtenances of milk and milk products. For example, milk products include cheeses, yogurts and ice cream. Additionally, transfers and milk handling associated with these containers and appurtenances are exempt from the SPCC requirements.

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  • Can a containment wall be constructed out of concrete blocks?

    Yes. SPCC regulations do not mandate design specifications, rather, they are performance based. Therefore, a containment wall may be of any construction type, material, or design, assuming it meets the performance standards and requirements of Part 112. Regional offices can help determine whether individual containment equipment meets the performance standards…

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  • Qualifying criterion for qualified oil-filled operational equipment

    What is the qualifying criterion for the option for qualified oil-filled operational equipment? Equipment is eligible if the facility did not discharge from any oil-filled operational equipment (1) more than 1,000 U.S. gallons of oil in a single discharge to navigable waters, or (2) discharge more than 42 U.S. gallons…

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  • For SPCC training purposes, who is considered oil-handling personnel?

    Pursuant to 112.7(f)(1), the owner or operator of a facility subject to the SPCC regulations must train oil-handling personnel in the operation and maintenance of equipment, discharge procedure protocols, applicable pollution control laws, rules and regulations, general facility operations and the contents of the facility SPCC Plan. For the purposes…

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  • Tier I qualified facility template use under Part 112

    In the 2008 Amendments to the SPCC Rule, EPA provided a template for the owner or operator of a Tier I qualified facility to create an SPCC Plan. Does EPA require a Tier I qualified facility to use the template in 40 CFR Part 112, Appendix G? Does EPA allow…

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  • Are facilities required to use the option for qualified oil-filled operational equipment?

    No. This is an alternative way to comply with the SPCC requirements. An owner or operator can choose to comply with the general requirements to provide secondary containment for each piece of oil-filled operational equipment.

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  • What is a complex?

    Some facilities must meet the requirements of two or more federal agencies, because they engage in activities that fall under the jurisdiction of those agencies. These agencies include the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Office of Pipeline Safety, and EPA. A 1971 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between…

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  • Does a product or substance have to create a sheen to be subject to SPCC?

    The SPCC general applicability in 40 CFR §112.1(b) refers to a discharge of oil in quantities that may be harmful, as described in Part 110. Part 110 is often referred to as the sheen rule. Does a product or substance have to create a sheen to be subject to SPCC…

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