Learn the Issues
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Documents Related to Diaperville Stabilization Lagoon NPDES Permit WI-0036544-5
EPA has made a tentative decision to re-issue a NPDES Permit for the Diaperville Stabilization Lagoon in Ashland County, Wisconsin
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Detroit Riverwalk Great Lakes Legacy Act Project in the Detroit River AOC
The Detroit River - Riverwalk project will result in the remediation of about 13,000 cubic yards of polluted sediment (mud).
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St. Clair River Habitat Restoration
Fact Sheet on St. Clair River Habitat Restoration
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Zephyr Sediment Cleanup at Refinery Site Fact Sheet
A fact sheet on the cleanup at Zephyr refinery.
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Will LEPCs impose significant requirements on small businesses?
Will the local emergency planning committees impose significant requirements on small businesses? Will EPA clarify the information requirements in the emergency planning guidance and in the rulemaking? The Agency's small business analysis does not indicate that emergency planning requirements will cause a significant burden to small facilities. Small facilities are…
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What is a field-constructed container?
What are the types of containers or equipment containing oil reservoirs that would be considered field-constructed containers and thus subject to the brittle fracture evaluation of 40 CFR §112.7(i)? As found in the Preamble language provided on page 47112 of the July 17, 2002 SPCC final rule, EPA provides a…
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What is a harmful quantity of discharged oil?
A harmful quantity is any quantity of discharged oil that violates state water quality standards, causes a film or sheen on the water's surface, or leaves sludge or emulsion beneath the surface. For this reason, the Discharge of Oil regulation is commonly known as the "sheen" rule. Note that a…
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What is the purpose of a Facility Response Plan?
The FRP helps an owner or operator develop a response organization and ensure the availability of response resources (i.e., response equipment, trained personnel) needed to respond to an oil discharge. The FRP should also demonstrate that the response resources are available in a timely manner, thereby reducing a discharge’s impact…
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What is a Facility Response Plan?
According to the Clean Water Act (CWA), as amended by the Oil Pollution Act (OPA), certain facilities that store and use oil are required to prepare and submit plans to respond to a worst case discharge of oil and to a substantial threat of such a discharge. EPA has established…
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Eligibility for qualified oil-filled operational equipment in event of a discharge
Does a facility automatically lose eligibility for the option for qualified oil-filled operational equipment if the equipment has an oil discharge? No. Facilities that choose this alternative and later have a reportable oil discharge from qualified oil-filled operational equipment do not automatically lose eligibility. However, the spill reporting requirements would…
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Examples of an agent of a Professional Engineer
Except as provided in 40 CFR §112.6 for qualified facilities, a Professional Engineer (PE) or an agent of the PE must visit and examine the facility before the PE certifies an SPCC Plan (40 CFR §112.3(d)). What are some examples of an agent of a PE? An agent of a…
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What types of oil does the SPCC Rule address?
The term oil means oil of any kind or in any form, including, but not limited to: petroleum; fuel oil; sludge; oil refuse; oil mixed with wastes other than dredged spoil; fats, oils or greases of animal, fish, or marine mammal origin; vegetable oils, including oil from seeds, nuts, fruits…
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FRP certification for SPCC facilities
Does a facility need to fill out Attachment C-II in 40 CFR Part 112, Appendix C if the facility is only subject to the SPCC regulations and is not subject to the Facility Response Plan (FRP) requirements? If the owner or operator of a facility determines that the facility is…
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How often does a facility need to complete an oil spill response training under the FRP requirements?
Facilities subject to the Facility Response Plan (FRP) regulations in 40 CFR Part 112, Subpart D are required to develop a facility response training program to train those personnel involved in oil spill response activities (§112.21(b)). How often does a facility need to complete an oil spill response training under…
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What is a farm for purposes of the SPCC Rule?
In the December 2006 amendments to the SPCC Rule, EPA defined a farm as "a facility on a tract of land devoted to the production of crops or raising of animals, including fish, which produced and sold, or normally would have produced and sold, 1,000 or more of agricultural products…
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Can qualified facilities also use the alternative requirements for qualified oil-filled operational equipment?
Yes. Facilities that meet the criteria for qualified facilities and qualified oil-filled operational equipment may benefit from both of the alternative approaches. Since an impracticability determination is not necessary for qualified oil-filled operational equipment, the owner/operator can self-certify the SPCC Plan and is not required to have a PE develop…
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Are mobile refuelers exempt from integrity testing requirements?
Pursuant to 40 CFR §112.8(c)(2), mobile refuelers are exempt from the secondary containment requirements for bulk storage containers. Are mobile refuelers also exempt from the requirements for integrity testing in §112.8(c)(6)? Since mobile refuelers are mobile or portable bulk storage containers, the other provisions of §112.8(c) still apply. Therefore, mobile…
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What do I need to submit to EPA if I have an oil discharge?
The owner/operator must provide the following: Name and location of the facility Owner/operator name Maximum storage/handling capacity of the facility and normal daily throughput Corrective actions and countermeasures taken, including descriptions of equipment repairs and replacements Adequate description of the facility, including maps, flow diagrams, and topographical maps, as necessary…
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Does a product or substance have to create a sheen to be subject to SPCC?
The SPCC general applicability in 40 CFR §112.1(b) refers to a discharge of oil in quantities that may be harmful, as described in Part 110. Part 110 is often referred to as the sheen rule. Does a product or substance have to create a sheen to be subject to SPCC…
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Oil-filled equipment capacity
When counting against the 1,320 aboveground storage capacity threshold, would operational storage of oil (such as in a hydraulic press) be used? Oil which is contained in equipment is required to be factored into the storage capacity for the facility even though the oil may be only used for ancillary…