SPCC Plans

What is an SPCC Plan?

An SPCC Plan is a detailed, facility-specific, written description of how a facility's operations comply with the prevention guidelines in the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation. These guidelines include such measures as secondary containment, facility drainage, dikes or barriers, sump and collection systems, retention ponds, curbing, tank corrosion protection systems, and liquid level devices.

When a facility consists of several operations, such as wells, oil/water separators, collection systems, tank batteries, etc., does each operation require a separate SPCC Plan?

No. One SPCC Plan may include all operations within a single geographical area; however, each operation must be addressed in the SPCC Plan.

Does a state spill plan meet the requirements of a Federal SPCC Plan?

Not necessarily. If the state spill plan is intended to be used as the Federal SPCC Plan, it must meet or exceed all the requirements of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation. The state spill Plan must express clearly that it addresses both the state and Federal regulations.

What are the requirements for certifying the SPCC Plan?

A registered professional engineer must certify the SPCC Plan. The certifying engineer must be registered by the state, must be familiar with the provisions of the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations, and must have examined the facility. The engineer's name, registration number, and state of registration must be included as part of the SPCC Plan. In addition, the engineer's seal must be affixed to the SPCC Plan as part of the certification.