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FOREWORD

In 1970 Congress enacted the Water Quality Improvement Act which stated that the policy of the United States is that there shall be no discharges of oil into the navigable waters of the United States. The discharge of harmful quantities of oil into navigable waters of the United States is prohibited. The current definition of what has been determined to be a "harmful quantity" includes in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 110 (40 CFR Part 110)*, "Protection of Environment--Discharge of Oil", those discharges which will cause a sheen or discoloration of the surface of the water or a sludge or emulsion to be deposited beneath the surface of the water. Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 112 (40 CFR Part 112)*, "Oil Pollution Prevention--Non-transportation Related Onshore and Offshore Facilities", was promulgated December 11, 1973 pursuant to Section 311 (j)(l)(C) of the Federal Water Polution Control Act Amendments of 1972 which requires the establishment of procedures, methods, and equipment to prevent and contain discharges of oil.

This bulletin has been developed by the American Petroleum Institute, Production Department, to assist oil and gas producing operators in their efforts to comply with the regulations in 40 CFR Part 112. These regulations became effective on January 10, 1974, and are applicable to non-transportation related onshore and offshore facilities which have discharged or, due to their location, could reasonably be expected to discharge oil into or upon the navigable waters of the united states or adjoining shorelines. As pertaining to offshore facilities, the regulations are limited to those facilities that lie within, on, or under any of the navigable waters of the United States. Facilities located beyond the territorial seas are not covered by 40 CFR Part 112.

These regulations require that operators of applicable facilities prepare a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan for each production facility (which may include a portion or all of the producing facilities of each individual operator within an oilfield) by July 10, 1974 unless an extension is granted because compliance is not possible due to the nonavailability of qualified personnel or if there are delays in construction or equipment delivery beyond the control and without the fault of the operator. Implementation of the individual SPCC Plans is to be accomplished by January 10, 1976 unless qualified personnel are not available or if there are delays in construction or equipment delivery beyond the control and without the fault of the operator. Attached are suggested forms, Part I and Part I1 (Alternates A, B, and C), which may be utilized and/or copied as necessary in the preparation of either single or multiple facility SPCC Plans.

Regardless of the size or location of an oil producer's operation, it is necessary that an assessment be made of those operations to determine whether or not the provisions of the oil pollution prevention regulations are applicable. Basically, the criteria is that if it can be reasonably expected that a discharge of oil at a production facility, including a gasoline plant, will enter the navigable waters of the United States or adjoining shorelines that facility is subject to the regulations. The attached regulations and discussion will assist the operator in making the proper assessment.

As is indicated by the title of the regulations their purpose is to prevent oil discharges from getting into navigable waters. The first line of defense is to urge the use of pollution prevention equipment and to train and educate operating personnel to reduce human errors so that accidental discharges may be reduced to a minimum. The second line of defense is secondary containment, where appropriate, to prevent any accidental discharge from reaching navigable waters. Where secondary containment is not practicable, the operator must show that he has prepared an adequate oil spill contingency plan and that management is in full support of the contingency plan with a commitment of necessary manpower and materials.

This Second Edition supersedes and replaces the First Edition, March 1974 (Reissued February 1976).

Attention Users: Portions of this publication have been changed from the previous edition. The location of changes have been marked with a bar in the margin, as shown to the left of this paragraph. In some cases the changes may be significant, while in other cases the changes reflect minor editorial adjustments. The bar notations in the margins are provided as an aid to users as to those parts of this publication that have been changed from the previous edition, but API makes no warranty as to the accuracy of such bar notations.