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ARTICLE · 19 NOVEMBER 2009

EPA Finalizes Spill Prevention, Control, And Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule With Few Revisions

Barnes & Thornburg LLP
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On Nov. 9, 2009, EPA issued final Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations, concluding a 17-year rulemaking process. Following a 1991 proposed rulemaking, EPA issued rule changes in July 2002, December 2006, and December 2008.

United StatesEnvironment
Barnes & Thornburg Climate Change And Environmental Law Practice Group
Barnes & Thornburg Climate Change And Environmental Law Practice Group
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On Nov. 9, 2009, EPA issued final Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations, concluding a 17-year rulemaking process. Following a 1991 proposed rulemaking, EPA issued rule changes in July 2002, December 2006, and December 2008. However, the requirement to comply with these rule changes has been on hold and the December 2008 rule did not go into effect before the change in Administration. In February 2009, EPA reopened the December 2008 rule and since then the regulated community has not known the actual set of SPCC requirements for which they should be planning. Fortunately, the November 9th final rule retains much of the December 2008 rule, deleting only three provisions, and the regulated community can now take action to update their SPCC plans to meet the current Nov. 10, 2010 compliance deadline.

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