The Petroleum Marketers Association of America (PMAA) has filed comments with the EPA requesting that cargo tank vehicles parked overnight at bulk facilities or other company facilities be exempted from sized secondary containment requirements under SPCC regulations, according to information in PMAA's April 4 Weekly Review.
Under current Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations, filled or partially filled cargo tank vehicles that are parked overnight must be placed within a secondary containment area sufficient to contain a spill from the single largest compartment of a truck. This requirement, known as the sized secondary containment rule, has proved challenging to implement for petroleum marketers and heating oil dealers due to site-specific limitations and cost, according to the PMAA information.
In a 2006 rulemaking, the EPA exempted mobile airport refuelers from the sized secondary containment requirements. PMAA argued that cargo tank vehicles are essentially identical to airport refuelers, face the same safety and security challenges, and deserve the same exemption from the sized secondary containment rule. EPA is expected to issue a final rule on mobile refuels in the fall.
See the PMAA Web site at pmaa.org for more information.