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Preventing Oil Spills
We can best avoid the environmental and economic effects of oil spills by
preventing and containing them in the first place. For more than two decades, EPA's
Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasures, or SPCC program, has worked at
several hundred thousand oil storage facilities to prevent the discharge of all
kinds of oil into the waters of the United States. EPA's approach to preventing oil
spills combines planning and enforcement measures. To prevent oil
spills, EPA requires owners or operators of certain oil storage facilities to
prepare and implement
SPCC Plans that detail
the facility's spill prevention and control measures. EPA also enforces
the oil spill liability and penalty provisions
under the Oil
Pollution Act
of 1990, which provide incentives to facility owners/operators to
take the necessary steps to prevent oil spills. EPA also conducts on-site
facility inspections to
ensure that facilities take adequate measures to prevent an accidental
discharge.
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