Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule

A PowerPoint presentation on the November 2009 Rule Amendments is now available.

Presentation: SPCC Rule Amendments: November 5, 2009, 74 FR 58783 (PPT) (63 pp, 2.4MB)

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

On 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