Oil Spills Prevention and Preparedness Regulations

One of EPA’s top priorities is to prevent, prepare for, and respond to oil spills that occur in and around inland waters of the United States. EPA is the lead federal response agency for oil spills occurring in inland waters. The U.S. Coast Guard is the lead response agency for spills in coastal waters and deepwater ports.

EPA’s oil spill prevention program includes the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) and the Facility Response Plan (FRP) rules. The SPCC rule helps facilities prevent a discharge of oil into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. The FRP rule requires certain facilities to submit a response plan and prepare to respond to a worst case oil discharge or threat of a discharge.

Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule

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Facility Response Plans (FRP)

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Guidance and References

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Webinars and Training

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National Contingency Plan (NCP)

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What's New

EPA conducted a Quality and Consistency Review of SPCC and FRP Plans. For more information, please view the summary of findings fact sheet and outreach presentation materials.

Wildfire Guide

EPA developed a wildfire guide as a resource for underground storage tank (UST) and oil aboveground storage tank (AST) owners and operators in the event of a wildfire. For more information, please view Wildfire Guide: Preparation and Recovery for Underground and Aboveground Storage Tank Systems.