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 Acronyms and Glossary of Terms - February 1998 ------- 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. Acronyms and Glossary of Terms - February 1998 ------- 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 ------- 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 ------- 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. Acronyms and Glossary of Terms - February 1998 ------- 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: Acronyms and Glossary of Terms - February 1998 ------- 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 Acronyms and Glossary of Terms - February 1998 ------- |