Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Act

Learn what the SPCC rule means for your facility, what materials are regulated, and how to stay compliant with EPA spill prevention standards.

What Is the SPCC Rule?

The Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule, established by the EPA's Federal Water Pollution Control Act under the Clean Water Act, aims to prevent oil and oil-related material discharges from reaching navigable waters or shorelines. It outlines requirements for facilities to develop and implement spill-prevention strategies.

Background of the SPCC Rule

The SPCC rule took effect on January 10, 1974, and was revised in July 2002. The revision clarified gray areas, such as container size thresholds, and made compliance more practical, especially for small businesses that previously required certification by a Professional Engineer (PE).

SPCC Compliance Requirements

Which Materials Are Regulated?

Any material defined as “oil” by the EPA falls under the SPCC rule, including:

• Animal fats and greases

• Vegetable oils (from nuts, seeds, fruits, or kernels)

• Crude oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, jet fuel, heating oil, motor oil

• Hydraulic oil, lubricating oil, synthetic oils, and used oil

• Oily wastes, oil refuse, Stoddard solvent, mineral spirits, residual fuels

• Tall oil, turpentine, bunker fuel, dielectric fluid, and asphalt

• Cutting oils, coolants, and more

For this document, all of these are referred to as “oil.”

Who Must Comply with SPCC?

You must comply with SPCC if your facility:

• Has an above-ground oil storage capacity of over 1,320 gallons (storage containers that are 55 gallons or greater are used to calculate total capacity), or

• Has a below-ground storage capacity of over 42,000 gallons.

Facilities that meet these criteria must develop a written SPCC Plan. Certain businesses, such as convenience stores, may be exempt from the current law. The EPA has granted compliance extensions in four problem areas, including:

• Qualified oil-filled equipment

• Motive power containers

• Mobile refuelers

• Animal fats and vegetable oils that are used at onshore/offshore production sites and drilling facilities.

SPCC Plan Basics

An SPCC Plan must outline your facility’s spill prevention, control, and countermeasure strategies to minimize the potential for oil discharge. SPCC plan requirements include:

• Secondary containment and/or diversionary structures (e.g., dikes, berms, or retaining walls)

• A means of secondary containment sufficient to contain the capacity of the largest single compartment or container

• Products that seal drains or divert spills from drains, and sorbents, which are considered control or countermeasures.

When Is Compliance Required?

Compliance dates for facilities (other than farms) are as follows:

A Facility Starting Operation......	Must....
On or before August 16, 2002	Maintain the existing Plan and amend/implement it by July 1, 2009. Facilities in this group that currently have an SPCC Plan are out of compliance and are subject to regulatory action.
Between August 16, 2002-July 1, 2009	Prepare and implement a Plan no later than July 1, 2009.
After July 1, 2009	Prepare and implement a Plan before beginning operations.

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