Technical Alert: Failures of Overfill Prevention at Substantial Harm Oil Facilities
EPA is issuing this Technical Alert as part of its ongoing effort to protect human health and the environment. EPA strives to continually address the causes and contributing factors associated with significant oil discharge incidents in order to prevent their recurrence. The technical alert provides an overview of relevant guidance and standards, reviews oil spill prevention and preparedness regulatory requirements, and highlights the importance of well-designed over-fill prevention plans to protect human health and the environment from accidental discharges of oil.
The alert features six main sections:
- Introduction
- EPA’s oil pollution prevention regulations
- Significant oil discharge incidents involving overfill prevention failures
- Regulatory requirements and associated industry codes, standards, recommended practices, and guidelines
- Technical considerations to reduce risks posed by aboveground storage tank overfills
- Conclusions
It is important that owners and operators of SPCC-regulated facilities review this information and consider whether additional action is needed to address these requirements at their substantial harm, high-volume oil storage facility. The statements in this document are intended solely as a technical advisory. This document does not substitute for or change any applicable statutory provisions or regulations, nor is it a regulation itself.