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United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of
Emergency Management
(5104A)
EPA-550-F-06-007
December 2006
www.epa.gov/emergencies
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Streamlined Requirements for Mobile Refuelers
In December 2006, EPA amended the SPCC rule to streamline some of the requirements for facilities
with smaller oil storage capacity and specific types of equipment, including those for sized secondary
containment for mobile refuelers. Owners and operators of mobile refuelers at a non-transportation-
related facility will no longer need to provide sized secondary containment systems, which are systems
large enough to contain the capacity of the largest single compartment or container on a mobile refueler
along with enough room to contain precipitation. Providing sized secondary containment for vehicles
that move frequently within a facility to perform refueling operations can raise safety and security
concerns. However, the SPCC rule's general secondary containment requirements still apply to mobile
refuelers as well as containment requirements associated with oil transfers.
What is a mobile refueler?
A mobile refueler is a bulk storage container
onboard a vehicle or being towed that is
designed or used solely to store and transport
fuel for transfer into or from an aircraft, motor
vehicle, locomotive, vessel, ground service
equipment, or other oil storage container.
Mobile refuelers may be found at the following
non-transportation-related locations: industrial
sites, airports, military bases, construction sites,
chemical complexes, mining sites, seaport
terminals, and tank truck home bases.
How do the new changes apply to
mobile refuelers?
Mobile refuelers are now exempt from the
following sized secondary containment
provisions that still apply to all other bulk
storage containers and mobile/portable bulk
storage containers:
• Sections 112.8(c)(2) and (11) for
petroleum oils
• Sections 112.12(c)(2) and (11) for
animal fats and vegetable oils
These provisions previously required sized
secondary containment for mobile refuelers,
such as a dike or catchment basin, of sufficient
size to contain the capacity of the largest
compartment or container on a mobile refueler
along with enough room to contain precipitation.
The exemption does not apply to refuelers used
primarily for the bulk storage of oil in a fixed
location in place of stationary containers (e.g., a
refueler that no longer can move or conduct
transfers and is left only to serve as a bulk
storage container).
What secondary containment
requirements continue to apply?
General secondary containment requirements
in §112.7(c) still apply to mobile refuelers at
SPCC regulated facilities.
General secondary containment should be
designed to address the most likely discharge
from the container and from oil transfers into or
from the mobile refueler. The general
secondary containment requirements:
• Do not prescribe a size for a secondary
containment structure but require that
the containment system prevent the
spilled oil from escaping the system
prior to clean up occurring
• Require appropriate containment and/or
diversionary structures or equipment to
prevent a discharge to navigable waters
or adjoining shorelines
SPCC Rule Amendment Fact Sheet
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• Allow for the use of certain types of
active containment measures that
prevent a discharge to navigable waters
or adjoining shorelines.
When could active containment
measures be appropriate?
Active containment measures require
deployment or other specific action by the
owner or operator. For discharges that occur
only during manned activities, such as
transfers, an active measure may be
appropriate, as long as the measure can
contain the volume and rate of oil, is properly
constructed, and is deployed in a timely
manner.
These active measures could also be applied to
other situations, as deemed appropriate by a
Professional Engineer (or owner/operator of a
qualified facility).
Do sized secondary containment
requirements still apply to other
mobile or portable bulk storage
containers?
Yes. When mobile or portable bulk storage
containers (such as drums, skids, railcars and
totes) are in a stationary, unattended mode and
not under the direct oversight or control of
facility personnel, the sized secondary
requirements apply. When mobile or portable
bulk storage containers (other than mobile
refuelers) are involved in on-site movement,
e.g., being towed by vehicles (including
locomotives) or moved to/from a designated
operational area, then the general secondary
containment requirements apply.
When is a mobile refueler subject to
SPCC requirements?
According to a 1971 Memorandum of
Understanding between the Department of
Transportation (DOT) and the Environmental
Protection Agency, EPA regulates non-
transportation-related facilities and DOT
regulates transportation-related facilities:
• Mobile refuelers that operate solely
within the confines of a non-
transportation-related facility subject to
the SPCC rule must comply with the
general secondary containment
requirements during all periods of
operation.
• Other mobile refuelers (i.e.,
transportation-related) involved in a
transfer operation at an SPCC-
regulated facility would be subject to the
loading/unloading rack requirements
when the transfer occurs at a rack or
the general secondary containment
requirements for all other transfers.
For more information on EPA's jurisdiction,
please see Appendix A to 40 CFR part 112.
For More Information
Read the SPCC rule amendment
www.epa.gov/oilspill
Review the Oil Pollution Prevention regulation
(40 CFR part 112)
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/
Visit the EPA Office of Emergency
Management Web site
www.epa.gov/emergencies
Call the Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP, and Oil
Information Center
(800) 424-9346 or (703) 412-9810
TDD (800) 553-7672 or (703) 412-3323
www.epa.gov/superfund/resources/infocenter
To Report an Oil or Chemical Spill
Call the National Response Center
(800) 424-8802 or (202) 267-2675
TDD (202) 267-4477
SPCC Rule Amendment Fact Sheet
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