SPCC Plan

SPCC Program

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

Ag producers who have large fuel containment tanks on their farm or ranch may need to have an Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure or SPCC plan in place.

Greg Weigel, a regional SPCC Coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reminds farmers and ranchers if they have more than 1,320 gallons of fuel stored above ground and there is a possibility that a spill could get into surface water, a SPCC plan must be written.

Weigel: “But the most important is that they have this plan that addresses how to they are going to prevent a spill at their facility from being an environment threat to particularly surface water.”

Weigel wants to dispel a misconception of some farmers and ranchers that this SPCC rule is new regulation.

Weigel: “SPCC rule and requirements for the spill prevention plan and containment, have been in place since the Clean Water Act of the 1970s and have applied to farm facilities as well as bulk storage facilities or distributors. I think what has changed is there is a lot more interest now because a lot more farmers are storing fuel onsite and the new rule revision since 2002 has created a lot of interest and brought a lot of awareness including this deadline of 2013.”

Weigel will speak at a public meeting in Ritzville, Wash. at the Washington Association of Wheat Growers office on Tuesday, May 15th at 9 a.m. and will answers farmers’ questions about the program.

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.