SPCC Compliance Manager™

Our 2-Day SPCC training course prepares you to effectively develop Spill Prevention, Control & Countermeasure (SPCC) plans and manage compliance for your facility.

Manage SPCC compliance with confidence.

Facilities subject to SPCC regulations must develop and effectively implement SPCC plans. Those challenged with achieving compliance with this regulatory program must understand applicable requirements well beyond the basic regulatory language of 40 CFR 112. Because facilities differ in terms of oil storage and site configuration, SPCC planning is intentionally flexible, but that flexibility also presents risks of improper oil discharge prevention planning and regulatory compliance. Current interpretations, agency guidance, and practical on-the-ground applications pose a challenge to both new and experienced environmental professionals.

Prepare plans, implement plans, monitor compliance, prepare for inspections.

Re-developed for 2021, this course has guided students through their SPCC regulations for nearly 20 years. Participants immerse themselves in requirements applicable to oil storage, including tank features and design; tank integrity inspections; secondary containment design, condition, and inspection; required facility features; plan contents and updates; and all other provisions of this important and actively enforced regulatory program.

Who should attend this course?

The SPCC Compliance Manager™ course is deigned for those responsible for developing an SPCC plan, reviewing or approving a plan, or managing compliance with an existing plan.

  • Licensed profession engineers (PEs) who will review and certify SPCC plans must attest that they are “familiar with the requirements” of the SPCC regulations per 40 CFR 112.3(d)(1)(i). This course satisfies that requirement for engineers new to these regulations or that require a refresher.
  • Preparers of self-certifying Qualified Facility SPCC plans must certify that they are familiar with the applicable SPCC requirements per 40 CFR 112.6(a)(1). This course satisfies that requirements for Qualified Facility plan preparers.
  • All oil-handling personnel at SPCC facilities are required to receive annual training in applicable pollution control laws, rules and regulations per 40 CFR 112.7(f)(1). This course supports this annual training requirement.
  • Anyone responsible for implementing an SPCC plan or maintaining overall SPCC compliance will also benefit from this course.

What is the course format?

SPCC Compliance Manager™ is presented as a series of topical modules in a logical sequence. Each module is designed to foster open class discussion to explore the finer points of these requirements. Class exercises are used to break up the day and apply new information to real-life scenarios, including evaluations and critiques of facility SPCC plans.

Relevant handouts, including SPCC inspection checklists, are provided to help you understand what  inspectors are looking for and how you can evaluate facility compliance.

Students are encouraged to bring copies of SPCC plans to class, if available, so the plans can be reviewed by classmates and the instructor as part of the class. The result is a valuable action plan for improving the plan or simplifying plan implementation.

What does this course deliver?

You will leave the course prepared to take on the preparation of SPCC plans and management of SPCC compliance programs. You will understand the practical application of these regulations at a facility level and be prepared for agency compliance inspections. Course binder and handout materials form useful references for your continued use, and you will have the instructor’s contact information for any future questions.

At completion of the course, you will receive a certificate for your records.

What’s covered in the course?

This course will leave you well-qualified to lead SPCC compliance programs at your organization.

Topics Covered Include:

  • Oil and its impacts on the environment
  • Clean Water Act overview
  • Navigable water definition
  • Focus of SPCC laws
  • DOT/EPA Memorandum of Understanding
  • History of SPCC law development
  • Facilities required to prepare an SPCC plan
  • Regulation-specific definitions
  • Types of regulated containers
  • Exemptions from SPCC
  • Overfill Prevention
  • Container and equipment inspections
  • Loading/unloading racks and other transfer operations
  • Personnel training
  • Spills and oil discharges
  • Security requirements
  • Impracticability statements and deviations from SPCC regulation
  • In-depth look at secondary containment
  • Exercise – review 40 CFR 112
  • Regional inspector guidance document
  • Aboveground storage tanks regulations and required features
  • Common oil container deficiencies
  • Benefits of developing a SPCC plan
  • SPCC Plan requirements
  • How to address amendments to your plan
  • Exercise – plan review
  • Inspector’s Guidance SPCC Plan review checklist
  • Contingency plans – Oil Spill Contingency Plans, Facility Response Plans, and Integrated Contingency Plans
  • Exercise (Plan Critique) – Attendees evaluate both example and student-provided plans to find any compliance deficiencies and discuss practical opportunities for improvement

Course Agendas are subject to change

Day 1: 8:15 am – 4:15 pm

  • Welcome & Introduction
  • Oil Management Background
  • Regulatory Development
  • Applicability
  • Lunch
  • SPCC Facility Requirements
  • Secondary Containment
  • Exercise 1 Inspectors Guide

Day 2: 8:15 am – 3:00 pm

  • Aboveground Storage Tanks
  • SPCC Plan Requirements
  • Contingency Plans
  • Lunch
  • Exercise - Plan Review
  • Exercise - Plan Critique – Evaluation of example and student plans
  • Review

 

Craig J. Schwartz, CHMM, CPEA, CIT, is an environmental regulatory compliance expert, with more than 25 years hands on experience assisting clients achieve and maintain compliance nationwide. He is a Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) and a Certified Professional Environmental Auditor (CPEA) who formerly served as technical manager for the (contractor operated) US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Wetlands Information Hotline, led an EPA CERCLA Enforcement contract, served as project manager for the development of comprehensive environmental compliance audit protocols, and directed hundreds of facility environmental plans and permit applications. Craig has prepared approximately 50 SPCC plans and has evaluated the compliance status of approximately 750 SPCC plans and regulated facilities. He has provided environmental compliance support to more than 400 private companies and Federal agencies, ranging from steel mills to the US Army, and has led environmental compliance assistance audits for more than 350 facilities in 42 states, and has been approved by multiple EPA regions, the Department of Justice, and several state environmental departments as a third-party compliance evaluator. Craig has served as Aarcher Institute instructor since 2005 and has delivered training to more than 900 students. He has been awarded a Certified Instructional Trainer for Environmental, Health, and Safety (CIT) certification based on this experience and knowledge of adult education methods.


Amber Moore, CEA, CESCO, REP, CCR, is an environmental professional with more than 20 years of experience in NPDES stormwater/wastewater permitting, compliance auditing and air permitting. She has a wealth of experience primarily focused on environmental compliance, for a wide array of industrial sectors, including petroleum and chemical industries, asphalt manufacturers, concrete manufacturers, poultry processing, automotive salvage, scrap recyclers, and railroad and trucking transportation, and others. Ms. Moore's experience includes performing audits, preparing compliance plans, and developing environmental training programs. More recently, she has focused on developing and implementing programs as required by NPDES MS4 permitting programs. Ms. Moore is knowledgeable in a number of federal (EPA, DOT) and state regulations. In particular, she has demonstrated proficiency with the following programs: SDWA, CWA, SPCC/OPA90, CAA, SPCC, RCRA, TSCA, NPDES, Hazardous Waste, and Storage Tank regulations.


Bill Decker, PE, is a registered professional engineer in 32 States and is an expert in SPCC regulations and compliance strategies. He has more than 25 years experience of facility environmental compliance experience and has authored, evaluated, and approved SPCC plans for facilities in nearly every state. Bill is an energetic instructor who has successfully delivered Aarcher Institute courses to more than 500 students since 2015.