Fuel/oil storage regulations deadline May 10

The May 10, 2013 deadline for the EPA Spill Prevention Control and Containment (SPCC) regulation is rapidly approaching. Facilities that have capacity to store more than 1320 gallons of diesel, fuel oil, gasoline, crop oil, used oil, and/or animal fat in 55 gallon containers or larger need to complete a SPCC plan and install secondary containment for these containers.

Producers who have total storage of less than 10,000 gallons can self-certify or employ a professional engineer to complete their plan and design their secondary containment system. Those with storage of 10,000 gallons or more must hire a professional engineer.

If you have storage capacity for more than 1320 gallons of petroleum products, and do not have secondary containment for those containers in place, it is not likely that you will be able to do so by the May 10, 2013 deadline. It is recommended that you proceed as soon as possible to install secondary containment, but in the meantime, go ahead and complete an SPCC plan.

If you choose to self-certify, you can download a Tier 1 Qualified Facility SPCC Plan Template from the EPA website: http://1.usa.gov/rkCiAD. A Tier 1 facility must meet the following criteria: total aboveground oil storage capacity of 10,000 U.S. gallons or less, no aboveground oil storage containers with capacity greater than 5,000 U.S. gallons, and no discharges of oil in the 3 years before the SPCC plan is certified involving a single discharge greater than 1,000 gallons or 2 discharges of oil each greater than 42 gallons within any 12-month period.

If your facility has total oil storage capacity of less than 10,000 gallons and either have a storage container with a capacity greater than 5,000 gallons or have had one or more discharges of oil as outlined above, it is classified as a Tier 2 facility and must comply with those criteria. Tier 2 reporting requirements and procedures are outlined at: http://

1.usa.gov/1gQJAp.

Your SPCC plan does not need to be sent to anyone, but must be complete, updated if you make changes to your oil storage facility, maintained in terms of scheduled inspections, and on file, readily accessible if an inspector asks for it.

Storage containers with a capacity of 55 gallons or more must be included in the total storage capacity, even if they are not being used. Storage containers can be taken out of service if specific procedures are carried out. This can be helpful for operations that no longer use these containers, and may allow them to drop to the Tier 2 category and not need to hire a professional engineer, qualify as a Tier 1 facility if putting a 5,000 gallon tank out of service, or even drop below the 1,320 capacity level and not need to complete an SPCC plan.

For more information, an EPA fact sheet with complete information is available at: http://1.usa.gov/4azvsR.