Oil spills endanger public health, impact drinking water, devastate natural resources, and disrupt the economy. In the U.S. we use vast quantities of oils to heat our homes, provide fuel for automobiles, and operate various pieces of equipment. During storage, transport, or as the result of energy exploration and production activities, oil and other oil-based products are sometimes spilled onto land or into waterways. When this occurs, human health and environmental quality are put at risk. Every effort must be made to prevent oil spills and to clean them up promptly once they occur. As the old adage states, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
Due to the danger oil spills cause to public health and the environment, EPA regulates the discharge of oil to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines, waters of the contiguous zone, and in connection with activities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act or Deepwater Port Act of 1974, and discharges of oil which may affect natural resources under exclusive U.S. authority. These requirements are found in two EPA regulations:
Per 40 CFR 110, any person in charge of a vessel or of an onshore or offshore facility is subject to the reporting requirements of the Discharge of Oil regulation if it discharges a harmful quantity of oil to U.S. navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the contiguous zone, or in connection with activities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act or Deepwater Port Act of 1974, or which may affect natural resources under exclusive U.S. authority. See the definition of “Discharges of oil in quantities that may be harmful to public health or the environment” for details and exemptions.
Per 40 CFR 112, any facility owner or operator who is subject to the SPCC regulation must comply with the reporting requirements found in 40 CFR 112.4, should the facility experience an oil discharge that meets the reporting criteria. See the Summary of Requirements section for the reporting criteria.
If your facility discharges oil to navigable waters or adjoining shorelines, you are required to follow certain federal and state reporting requirements:
40 CFR 110 and state reporting.