Oil Pollution Prevention and Response; Non-Transportation-Related Onshore and Offshore Facilities

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA or we) is today extending by eighteen months certain upcoming compliance dates for the July 2002 Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC or Plan) amendments. The dates affected by today's final rule are the date for a facility to amend its Plan and the date for a facility to implement that amended Plan in a manner that complies with the newly amended requirements (or, in the case of facilities becoming operational after August 16, 2002, prepare and implement a Plan that complies with the newly amended requirements). We are also amending the compliance deadline for onshore and offshore mobile facilities. In light of a recent partial settlement of litigation involving the July 2002 amendments, we are extending the compliance dates to, among other things, provide sufficient time for the regulated community to undertake the actions necessary to update (or prepare) their Plans. The final rule is also intended to alleviate the need for individual extension requests.