Is My Facility a "Qualified Facility" under the SPCC Rule?
The Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule has streamlined requirements for "qualified facilities" -- that is, facilities:
- with smaller oil storage capacity,
- and that have not had oil spills.
The owner or operator of a "qualified facility" can prepare and self-certify an SPCC Plan rather than have a Professional Engineer (PE) review and certify the Plan.
There are two types of qualified facilities, Tier I and II. To determine if you have a qualified facility, you need to:
- know the total capacity of aboveground oil storage containers at the facility, and
- information on oil spills from the facility for the past three years.
Qualified Facility Applicability
| If the facility total aboveground oil storage capacity is 10,000 gallons or less… | ||
|---|---|---|
| And… | And the facility has… | Then the facility is a: |
In the three years before the SPCC Plan is certified, the facility has had no discharges to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines as described below:
|
No individual aboveground oil containers greater than 5,000 gallons; | Tier I Qualified Facility: Complete and self-certify Plan template (Appendix G to 40 CFR part 112) in lieu of a full PE-certified Plan or other self-certified SPCC Plan. |
| Any individual aboveground oil container greater than 5,000 gallons; | Tier II Qualified Facility: Prepare a self-certified Plan in accordance with all applicable requirements of §112.7 and subparts B or C of the rule, in lieu of a PE-certified Plan. |
|
Please note: This does not include discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or terrorism. When determining the applicability of this SPCC reporting requirement, the gallon amount(s) specified (either 1,000 or 42) refers to the amount of oil that actually reaches navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. It is not the total amount of oil spilled. EPA considers the entire volume of the discharge to be oil for the purposes of these reporting requirements.
For more information, please see: Fact Sheet: Is My Facility a "Qualified Facility" under the SPCC Rule? This fact sheet:
- guides you through SPCC qualified facility applicability;
- explains how to certify your Plan;
- helps you determine if you are eligible to use the SPCC Plan template; and
- summarizes the spill prevention measures to include in your Plan.
If you have a Tier I Qualified Facility, copies of the SPCC Plan template and examples of completed Plan templates are available to assist you in developing your Plan.
Self-certification is an optional alternative to PE certification of the Plan. However, please note that some states do not allow self-certification. You should consult with your state to ensure that SPCC Plan certification is not limited to PEs. A list of State Professional Engineer (PE) licensing board contacts is available.