EPA Revises SPCC Guidance to Promote National Consistency
U.S. EPA recently revised its oil spill prevention, control, and countermeasure (SPCC) program guidance to help promote consistency in the way SPCC rules are administered by different EPA regions. The SPCC rules mandate the implementation of professionally-developed, facility-wide spill prevention plans, and apply to facilities that meet all of the following: (1) store, transfer, use or consume oil or oil products; (2) store more than 1,320 gallons in above-ground containers or more than 42,000 gallons in buried containers; and (3) have a reasonable potential to discharge oil or oil products to waterbodies or adjoining shorelines. EPA revised the program guidance in response to criticism from EPA’s inspector general. Earlier this year, the inspector general found that EPA regions lacked guidance or direction on coordinating regional responses to oil spills. The regulated community may comment on the revised guidance. Additional information is available here.