I ACRONYMS AND GLOSSARY OF TERMS
y RELATING TO OIL POLLUTION PREVENTION
This guide has been developed to provide owners and operators of facilities that must comply
with the Oil Pollution Prevention regulations, under Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
Part 112, with a reference for the acronyms and terms associated with the regulation. Some of
these terms are also defined under 40 CFR Part 112.2 Definitions. The definitions in this guide
apply specifically to the EPA Oil Pollution Prevention Program and may not be applicable to other
EPA or other agency programs.
ACRONYMS
ACP: Area Contingency Plan
ANSI: American National Standards Institute
API: American Petroleum Institute
ASME: American Society of Mechanical
Engineers
AST: Aboveground storage tank
CFR: Code of Federal Regulations
CWA: Clean Water Act (also FWPCA)
DOT: Department of Transportation
EPA: United States Environmental
Protection Agency
ERAP: Emergency Response Action Plan
ERNS: Emergency Response Notification
System
FRP: Facility Response Plan
FWPCA: Federal Water Pollution Control Act
(also CWA)
ICP: Integrated Contingency Plan
MOU: Memorandum of Understanding
NCP: National Contingency Plan
NFPA: National Fire Protection Association
NPDES: National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System
NRC: National Response Center
OPA or OPA90: Oil Pollution Act of 1990
OSC: On Scene Coordinator
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health
Administration
OSRO: Oil Spill Removal Organization
PE: Professional Engineer
PREP: (National) Preparedness for
Response Exercise Program
RA: Regional Administrator
RCP: Regional Contingency Plan
RSPA: Research and Special Programs
Administration (of DOT)
RQ: Reportable quantity
SOP: Standard operating procedure
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SPCC: Spill Prevention Control and
Countermeasure
UL: Underwriters Laboratories
USCG: United States Coast Guard
UST: Underground storage tank
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Aboveground storage tank: any tank or
other container that is aboveground, partially
buried, bunkered, or in a subterranean vault.
This includes floating fuel systems.
Barrel: 42 U.S. gallons at 60 degrees
Fahrenheit.
Belowground storage unit: a tank or other
container located completely below the
natural grade of the earth.
Berms: either dirt, concrete or other
constructed embankments that are
commonly employed for secondary
containment or drainage diversion purposes
at oil storage or related operations.
Boom: a temporary floating barrier used to
contain an oil spill.
Bulk storage tank: any container used to
store oil. These tanks are used for purposes
including, but not limited to, the storage of oil
prior to use, while being used, or prior to
further distribution in commerce.
Bunkered tank: a storage tank constructed
or placed in the ground by cutting the earth
and re-covering it such that the tank breaks
the natural grade of the land, or an
abovegrade tank covered with earth. A
bunkered tank is considered to be an AST
and must have secondary containment.
Catch basin: a depression, trench, or pit,
which is a collection point for drainage,
either water or spilled oil, that provides a
means of containment for and prevents the
uncontrolled discharge of the collected liquid
from a facility or oil storage area.
Cathodie protection: any one of several
methods for protecting underground tanks
and pipelines from corrosion. Corrosion
results from an electric current which is
caused by contact between metal surfaces,
water, and the chemicals present in soils
and water cathodic protection counteracts
this current.
Dike: an embankment or wall that contains
drainage water or spilled oil inside the walled
area.
Discharge: any emission (other than
natural seepage), intentional or
unintentional, and includes, but is not limited
to, spilling, leaking, pumping, pouring,
emitting, emptying or dumping. For
purposes of this part, the term "discharge-
shall not include any discharge of oil which
is authorized by a permit issued pursuant to
Section 13 of the River and Harbor Act of
1899 (30 Stat. 1121, 33 U.S.C. 407), or
Sections 402 or 405 of the FWPCA
Amendments of 1972 (86 Stat. 816 et seq.,
33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.).
Emulsification: the formation of a mixture of
two liquids, such as oil and water, in which
one of the liquids is in the form of fine
droplets and is dispersed in the other.
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Evaporation: the physical change by which
any substance is converted from a liquid to a
vapor or gas.
Facility: any mobile or fixed onshore or
offshore building, structure, installation,
equipment, pipe, or pipeline used in oil well
drilling operations, oil production, oil refining,
oil storage, and waste treatment. The
boundaries of a facility may depend on
several site-specific factors, including, but
not limited to, the ownership or operation of
buildings, structures, and equipment on the
same site and the types of activities at the
site.
Facility Response Plan: a detailed plan
which must be prepared in accordance with
40 CFR 112.20 by facilities which may cause
"substantial harm" to the environment or
exclusive economic zone. The plan must
contain an emergency response action plan
(ERAP) and demonstrate that a facility has
the resources to respond to a worst case
scenario discharge.
Hydrocarbons: a large class of organic
compounds containing only carbon and
hydrogen, common in petroleum products.
Impervious: incapable of being penetrated.
Secondary containment structures must be
sufficiently impervious to the types of
products stored within the area of
containment.
Incineration: the destruction of wastes by
burning at high temperatures.
Inland waters of the United States: those
waters of the United States lying inside the
baseline from which the territorial sea is
measured and those waters outside such
baseline which are a part of the Gulf
Intracoastal Waterway.
Level gauging systems and alarms: any
engineering control that indicates the level of
liquid inside the tank and that is installed on
tanks to prevent overfilling and spilling of
liquid and damage to the tank(s).
Mobile or portable storage tank: any
container used to store oil and that is
capable of being easily moved. For
example, a 55-gallon drum or a 3000-gallon
tank on wheels would both be considered
mobile storage. These storage containers
require secondary containment, which must
be addressed in the facility's SPCC Plan.
Mousse: a thick, foamy oil and water
mixture formed when petroleum products
are subjected to mixing with water by the
action of waves and wind.
Natural resources: land, fish, wildlife,
biota, air, water, groundwater, drinking water
supplies, and other such resources
(including the resources of the exclusive
economic zone) belonging to, managed by,
held in trust by, appertaining to, or otherwise
controlled by, the United States, any state or
local government or Indian tribe, or any
foreign government.
Navigable waters: the waters of the United
States including the territorial seas. This
covers:
• All waters that are currently used, were
used in the past, or may be susceptible
to use in interstate or foreign commerce,
including all waters subject to the ebb
and flow of the tide.
• All interstate waters, including interstate
wetlands.
• All other waters such as intrastate lakes,
rivers, streams (including intermittent
streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands,
sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows,
playa lakes, or natural ponds, the use,
degradation, or destruction of which
Acronyms and Glossary of Terms - February 1998
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could affect interstate or foreign
commerce including any waters that
could be used for recreational purposes,
or from which fish or shellfish could be
taken and sold in interstate or foreign
commerce; or that are used or could be
used for industrial purposes by industries
in interstate commerce.
• All impoundments of waters otherwise
defined as waters of the United States
under this section.
• Tributaries of waters identified above
and wetlands adjacent to waters
identified above (other than waters that
are themselves wetlands).
• Waste treatment systems, including
treatment ponds or lagoons designed to
meet the requirements of the CWA
(other than cooling ponds as defined in
40 CFR 123.11(m), which also meet the
criteria of this definition) are not waters
of the United States.
Offshore facility: any facility located in, on,
or under any of the navigable waters of the
United States, which is not a transportation-
related facility.
Offshore oil drilling, production, or
workover facilities: may include all drilling
or workover equipment, wells, flowlines,
gathering lines, platforms, and auxiliary non-
transportation-related equipment and
facilities in a single geographical oil or gas
field operated by a single operator.
Oil: defined under several statutes including
the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Oil
Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA). As a result,
overlapping regulatory interpretations exist.
For this reason, the U.S. EPA and the U.S.
Coast Guard are currently developing a
nationally consistent program policy and
methodology for facilities to determine
whether a given substance is considered an
oil under the existing CWA.
Under the CWA, the definition of oil includes
oil of any kind and any form, such as
petroleum and nonpetroleum oils.
Generally, oils fall into the following
categories: crude oil and refined petroleum
products, edible animal and vegetable oil,
other oils of animal or vegetable origin, and
other nonpetroleum oils.
Many substances are easily recognizable as
oils (e.g., gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, kerosene,
and crude oil). Under the CWA definition,
many other substances are considered oils
that may not be easily recognizable by
industry, including mineral oil, the oils of
vegetable and animal origin and other
nonpetroleum oils. Therefore, facilities
should work closely with the EPA and USCG
(if applicable) to make determinations for the
substances they store, transfer, and refine.
Oil Removal Contingency Plan: when it is
determined that the installation of
diversionary structures and equipment listed
in 40 CFR 112.7(c) is not practicable, the
owner must demonstrate this and provide a
strong oil removal contingency plan which
follows 40 CFR Part 109. This plan is
developed by state, local, or regional
government agencies consulting with private
interests. An OPA response plan or a
response plan prepared in the Integrated
Contigency Plan format will meet this
requirement.
Onshore facility: any facility located in, on,
or under any land within the United States,
other than submerged lands, which is not a
transportation-related facility.
Onshore oil production facilities: may
include all drilling or workover equipment,
wells, flowlines, separation equipment,
storage facilities, gathering lines, and
auxiliary equipment and facilities in a single
.4.
Acronyms and Glossary of Terms - February 1998
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geographical oil or gas field operated by a
single operator.
Otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of
the United States: subject to the
jurisdiction of the United States by virtue of
United States Citizenship, United States
vessel documentation or numbering, or as
provided for by international agreement to
which the United States is a party.
Owner or operator: any person owning or
operating an onshore facility or an offshore
facility, and, in the case of any abandoned
offshore facility, the person who owned or
operated such facility immediately prior to
such abandonment.
Oxidation: a chemical reaction that occurs
when a substance is combined with oxygen
and that may lead to degradation or
deterioration of the substance.
Partially buried tank: a storage tank that is
partially inserted or constructed in the
ground but not fully covered with earth. See
"Underground Storage Tank" and
"Aboveground Storage Tank."
Permanently closed: any tank or facility
that has been closed in the following
manner:
(1) all liquid and sludge have been removed
from each tank and connecting lines. Any
waste products removed were disposed of in
accordance with applicable state and federal
requirements.
(2) All connecting lines have been blanked
off, and valves are closed and locked.
Conspicuous signs are posted on the tank
warning that it is a permanently closed tank
and that vapors above the LEL are not
present.
Permittee: a person holding an
authorization, license, or permit for
geological exploration issued under Section
11 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act
(43 U.S.C. 1340) or applicable state law.
Person: an individual, firm, corporation,
association, or a partnership.
Pond: a natural depression, which acts as a
collection point for drainage.
Regional Administrator the Regional
Administrator (RA) of the Environmental
Protection Agency or his/her designee in and
for the Region in which the facility is located.
Removal costs: the costs incurred to
contain, remove, and dispose of a discharge
of oil.
Remove or removal: refers to containment
and removal of the contaminants, such as oil
or hazardous substances, from the water,
shorelines, or the taking of such other
actions as may be necessary to minimize or
mitigate damage to the public health or
welfare, including, but not limited to, fish,
shellfish, wildlife, and public and private
property, shorelines, and beaches.
Responsible party: means the following:
(A) Vessels. In the case of a vessel, any
person owning, operating, or demise
chartering the vessel.
(B) Onshore facilities. In the case of an
onshore facility (other than a pipeline), any
person owning or operating the facility,
except a federal agency, state, municipality,
commission, or political subdivision of a
state, or any interstate body, that, as the
owner, transfers possession and right to use
the property to another person by lease,
assignment, or permit.
Sheen: an iridescent appearance on the
surface of the water.
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Skimmers: devices used to remove oil from
the water's surface.
Slick: a thin film of oil on the water's
surface.
Sludge: an aggregate of oil or oil plus other
matter of any kind in any form other than
dredged spoil having a combined specific
gravity equivalent to or greater than water.
Sorbents: substances that take up and hold
water or oil.
Solidifiers: substances that can be added
to liquid oil to make the oil 'harden' into solid
substances that can either be picked up
from the water's surface or left to sink to the
bottom.
SPCC Plan: the document required by 40
CFR Part 112.3 that details the equipment,
manpower, procedures, and steps to
prevent, control, and provide adequate
countermeasures to an oil spill. This plan is
a written description of the facility's
compliance with the measures in 40 CFR
Part 112.7.
Specific gravity: the ratio of the density of
a substance to the density of water.
Spill event: a discharge of oil into or upon
the navigable waters of the United States or
adjoining shorelines in harmful quantities,
such that applicable water quality standards
are violated or that causes a film or sheen
upon the water.
Spill history: if a facility has experienced
one or more spill events, the SPCC Plan
must include a written description of each
such spill, corrective actions taken, and
plans for preventing its recurrence.
Storage capacity: the volume of a tank or
container, for purposes of determining the
applicability of 40 CFR Part 112, means the
total capacity of the tank or container,
whether the tank or container is filled with
oil, or a mixture of oil and other substances,
or is empty and not permanently closed.
Sump: a depression or trench constructed
to collect drainage of water or spilled oil from
storage, transfer or unloading areas.
Tank appurtenances: in addition to the
tank itself, the additional pieces of
equipment necessary to bring the tank into
service. Examples of tank appurtenances
include, but are not limited to:
• Ladder and gaugers platform.
• Shell manholes.
• Inlet - outlet connections.
• Drawoffs (condensate, water and
product).
• Gauge hatch.
• Vent connections.
• Liquid gauges and alarms.
Tar balls: dense, black, sticky spheres of
hydrocarbons formed from weathered oil.
Transportation-related: interstate and
intrastate onshore and offshore pipeline
systems, including pumps and related
appurtenances, and in-line or breakout
storage tanks needed for the continuous
operation of a pipeline system.
Underground storage tank: a tank that is
completely covered with soil, situated below
the natural grade of the land.
United States: the States, the District of
Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the Canal Zone, Guam, American
Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the Trust
Territory of the Pacific Islands:
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Valve: a movable mechanism that opens
and closes to control the flow of liquid
through a pipe or other passageway.
Examples of valves include check, ball, and
gate.
Vessel: every description of watercraft or
other artificial contrivance used, or capable
of being used, as a means of transportation
on water, other than a public vessel.
Viscosity: the internal properties of a liquid
that offer resistance to flow. Substances
that are extremely viscous do not flow
readily.
Weathering: action of the elements on a
substance, such as oil, that leads to
disintegration or deterioration of the
substance.
Wetlands: those areas that are inundated
or saturated by surface or ground water at a
frequency or duration sufficient to support,
and that under normal circumstances do
support, a prevalence of vegetation typically
adapted for life in saturated soil conditions.
Wetlands generally include playa lakes,
swamps, marshes, bogs, prairie potholes,
wet meadows, prairie river overflows,
mudflats, and natural ponds.
Workoven any of several remedial
operations performed on a producing well in
an attempt to restore or increase production.
Sand or liner removal, casing repair,
acidizing, fracture stimulation, cementing,
deeper drilling, recompletion to a different
producing zone or stratum, and sidetracking
are some examples of workover operations.
NOTICE
The statements in this document are intended solely as guidance. This document is not
intended and cannot be relied upon to create rights, substantive or procedural, enforceable by
any party in litigation with the United States.
OILPRl
Library
US EPA Region 3
1650 Arch St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
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