EPA Announces Final Amendments to the Oil Spill Prevention, Control,
and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule
On November 5, 2009, the EPA Administrator signed a notice amending
certain requirements of the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure
(SPCC) rule in order to address additional areas of regulatory reform that
have been raised by the regulated community. The
November 2009 amendments revise the December 2008 amendments as a
result of EPA's review of comments and consideration of all relevant
facts. EPA is either taking no action or providing minor technical
corrections on the majority of the December 2008 provisions. However, this
action modifies the December 2008 rule by removing the provisions to:
exclude farms and oil production facilities from the loading/unloading
rack requirements; exempt produced water containers at an oil production
facility; and provide alternative qualified facilities eligibility
criteria for an oil production facility.
Additionally, because of the uncertainty surrounding the final
amendments to the December 5, 2008, rule and the delay of the effective
date, EPA will propose to extend the compliance date.
This rule is effective January 14, 2010.
Regulation:
Oil Pollution Prevention; Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure
Rule - Final Amendments
SPCC Compliance Date AmendmentOn
June 19, 2009, EPA published in the Federal Register a SPCC
compliance date extension for all facilities until November
10, 2010. Facilities must amend or prepare, and implement SPCC
Plans by the compliance date in accordance with revisions to the SPCC rule
promulgated since 2002. Farms must also amend or prepare their SPCC
Plans, and implement those Plans by the same date.
Regulation:
Oil Pollution Prevention; Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure
Rule - Compliance Date Amendment
The Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule includes
requirements for oil spill prevention, preparedness, and response to prevent
oil discharges to navigable waters and adjoining shorelines. The rule
requires specific facilities to prepare, amend, and implement SPCC Plans.
The SPCC rule is part of the
Oil
Pollution Prevention regulation, which also includes the
Facility
Response Plan (FRP) rule