EPA
EPA Issues Spill Regulations
After a year-long delay, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued new spill prevention regulations that should ease the paperwork burden on many distribution co-ops.
Effective Jan. 14, utilities and companies that operate small “qualified facilities” can use a standard reporting template and certify it themselves, instead of having to hire an outside engineer to develop a site-specific oil spill control plan.
“This will save money and save headaches for a lot of people,” said Jim F. Stine, senior principal for environmental policy at NRECA. “All across the membership, I think it will add up in terms of time, fees and effort.”
The Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure amendments, known as the Phase II Rules, were initially issued in November 2008, but had been on hold for a year pending additional regulatory review.
They are now an important part of the SPCC program, which is intended to prevent oil spills that could reach navigable waters by requiring facilities to put containment and countermeasures into place.
NRECA has favored the amendments to a 2002 SPCC rule that held any facilities with transformers and capacitors that “use” oil should be subjected to sweeping requirements.
Among other favorable changes in the new language, facilities that have total oil storage capacity of less than 10,000 gallons and no single container larger than 5,000 gallons can use a standard form for their SPCC plans. Small substations fall under the provision, for example.
Stine said discussions with EPA and the Small Business Administration helped the agency tailor the program to the needs of low-risk facilities like co-ops, which have a good record on spill control.
Co-ops have until Nov. 10, 2010, to amend or prepare SPCC plans to bring them into agreement with the 2002 rules and the Phase II amendments.
“They will have plenty of time to look at the form, get their information together and modify their plans, starting in January and then complete that by November,” Stine said.