The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will be fining a compounds and chemicals facility in Pittsburgh for an inadequate spill prevention plan.  The EPA found that Koppers Inc. did not have proper procedures in place to contain leaks or spills.  The company has over 18 million gallons of oil at any given time that could leak or spill.  Furthermore, the facility is about 50 yards from the Ohio River, which is a large source of drinking water.

The EPA has yet to determine a penalty amount but in the meantime Koppers has agreed to do the following:

• Develop an EPA-approved plan that addresses worst-case discharges or leaks,
• Improve secondary containment around tanks, and
• Inspect all storage tanks.

A Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures plan is designed to help prevent oil spills from certain aboveground and underground storage tanks. In particular, the regulation applies to non-transportation-related facilities that:

• Have an aggregate storage capacity greater than 1,320 gallons or a completely buried storage capacity greater than 42,000 gallons; and could reasonably be expected to discharge oil or hazardous chemicals in harmful quantities into navigable waters of the United States.
• The regulation requires each owner or operator of a regulated facility to prepare an SPCC Plan. The Plan is required to address the facility’s design, operation, and maintenance procedures established to prevent spills from occurring, as well as countermeasures to control, contain, clean up, and mitigate the effects of an oil spill that could affect navigable waters.

Have more questions? Contact SRP Environmental to help ensure that your SPCC plan is in compliance. Call us at (318) 222-2364.