FACT SHEET
Proposed Amendments to the Standards of Performance for Volatile Organic
Liquid Storage Vessels (Including Petroleum Liquid Storage Vessels)
ACTION
•	On October 7, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed amendments
to the 1987 Standards of Performance for Volatile Organic Liquid Storage Vessels (Including
Petroleum Liquid Storage Vessels) for which Construction, Reconstruction, or Modification
Commenced after July 23, 1984 (NSPS Kb).
•	The 1987 NSPS set emission standards for volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted from
storage vessels containing volatile organic liquids. It also set storage vessel inspection
procedures that, in certain circumstances, require storage vessels to be emptied and
degassed to be inspected.
o For some storage vessels (tanks) in certain circumstances, the standards require the
owner or operator to empty and degas the tank so that an inspection can be
conducted from inside the tank (required at least once every 10 years or when the
contents of the tank changes, whichever was sooner),
o The owner or operator would enter the tank and conduct visual inspections for
holes, tears, or other openings,
o Emptying and degassing events are undesirable primarily because owners or
operators must take the storage vessel completely out-of-service; extra storage
capacity is needed and air emissions are created during these events.
•	On June 29, 1999, EPA finalized the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air
Pollutants (NESHAP) for storage vessels that, in certain circumstances, allow for less
cumbersome in-service inspections, without emptying and degassing the storage tank.
•	Today's proposal would allow owners or operators of storage vessels, subject to the 1987
NSPS and equipped with either an external floating roof (EFR) or internal floating roof (IFR),
to elect to comply with the requirements specified in the 1999 NESHAP in lieu of the 1987
standards subject to certain caveats and exceptions for monitoring, recordkeeping, and
reporting.
•	This proposed action provides owners or operators with the flexibility to choose the
appropriate standard. This proposal does not change the underlying compliance dates under
the 1987 NSPS.
BACKGROUND
•	The 1987 Standards of Performance for Volatile Organic Liquid Storage Vessels (including
Petroleum Liquid Storage Vessels) for which Construction, Reconstruction, or Modification
Commenced after July 23, 1984, is applicable to large storage tanks, which store volatile
organic liquids across a variety of industries, such as petroleum refineries, chemical plants
and portions of the oil and gas industry.
1

-------
•	Since 2018, EPA has received a significant uptick in the number of owners or operators
requesting alternatives to conducting out-of-service inspections of storage tanks subject to
the 1987 NSPS.
•	EPA has received more than 300 requests from facilities seeking permission to conduct in-
service inspections to demonstrate compliance with the 1987 NSPS Kb. These one-off
requests are time consuming and burdensome.
HOW TO COMMENT
•	EPA will accept comments for 45 days after the proposal is published in the Federal
Register.
•	Comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2020-0372 may be submitted by one
of the following methods:
o Go to https://www.regulations.gov/ and follow the on-line instructions for submitting
comments.
o Send comments by email to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov. Attention Docket ID No. EPA-
HQ- OAR-2020-0372.
•	Out of an abundance of caution for members of the public and our staff, the EPA Docket
Center and Reading Room are closed to the public, with limited exceptions, to reduce the
risk of transmitting COVID-19. Our Docket Center staff will continue to provide remote
customer service via email, phone, and webform.
o We encourage the public to submit comments via https://www.regulations.gov/ or
email, as there may be a delay in processing mail and faxes. Hand deliveries and
couriers may be received by scheduled appointment only,
o For further information on EPA Docket Center services and the current status, please
visit us online at https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
o For additional information, including the full EPA public comment policy, please visit
https://www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets
•	To request a public hearing on this proposal, please contact Neil Feinberg at
feinberg.stephen@epa.gov.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
•	Interested parties can download a copy of the proposed rule notice from EPA's website at
the following address: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/volatile-
organic-liquid-storage-vessels-including-petroleum-storage.
•	Today's action and other background information are also available electronically at
https://www.regulations.gov/. EPA's electronic public docket and comment system.
2

-------