What is a SPCC Plan? In 2011, that was my first question after being approached by an acquaintance about this service. I had been involved in various
phases of the oil and gas business for 20 years before moving to other endeavors in more recent years.

To my surprise, the Spill Control and Countermeasure Plan had been a requirement by the Environmental Protection Agency Clean Water Act since 1973. It is applicable to any facility that stores more than 1,320 gallons of oil products where a spill could migrate to and contaminate navigable waters. The federal regulation that mandates a SPCC Plan is specifically described in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 112.7 titled Oil Pollution Prevention.

I discovered that while most large major companies had brought their oil storage tank facilities into compliance, there were many smaller producers that were either not aware of this regulation or more importantly, could not afford the cost that most sources were charging for a Professional Engineering Certified SPCC Plan.

In addition to oil production and storage facilities, the regulation applies to any oil product storage tanks over 1,320 gallons, including emergency generators, electrical transformers, marinas, gas stations with above ground storage, farm’s fuel storage, and any bulk oil storage facility.

I became intrigued that there was a place for a company that provided this compliance service at a reasonable cost. Being familiar with oil tank batteries embarked on a learning venture and with the support of independent professional engineers, I embarked on a learning venture that resulted in the formation of Spillco.

The requirements for SPCC Plan development services reached much further than I had originally anticipated. The next phase of my blog will encompass more diversification discussions about SPCC Plans.