PRACTICAL TIPS ON PREPARING AN SPCC PLAN.

The article presents information on preparing an SPCC plan, an oil program that has been supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. According to the Clean Water Act, owners of all onshore and/or offshore facilities to prepare an SPCC plan if they have more than 1,320 gallons aggregate above ground storage or in case more than 42,000 gallons below ground of any kind of oil and these oils have the potential to impact navigable waters. The first step is to make sure that one includes only oil for which he has responsibility as an owner or operator. It has been noted that in most cases one is neither the owner nor operator of the station because only utilities have access to the transformer stations. EPA made a number of changes to SPCC regulations. One of the most significant changes is that containers less than 55 gallons in capacity no longer need to be counted towards the 1,320-gallon aggregate threshold. The SPCC regulations state that a plan must to be a carefully thought-out plan and has the approval of management at a level with authority to commit the necessary resources.