40 CFR 112.7: General requirements for Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plans
The official text is on the eCFR. Below: how the section is organized, the paragraphs our ASP, CSP questions are built on, and free questions to try.
Quoted from the eCFR, current as of 2026-10-14; last amended 2016-12-28.
How 40 CFR 112.7 is organized
- (a)11 paragraphs
- (b)1 paragraph
- (c)13 paragraphs
- (d)3 paragraphs
- (e) Inspections, tests, and records1 paragraph
- (f) Personnel, training, and discharge prevention procedures3 paragraphs
- (g) Security (excluding oil production facilities)1 paragraph
- (h)4 paragraphs
- (i)1 paragraph
- (j)1 paragraph
- (k) Qualified Oil-filled Operational Equipment7 paragraphs
Paragraphs our practice questions cite most
Counted across the 39 live PassCited questions on this section: our bank, not the real exam.
“If you are the owner or operator of a facility subject to this part you must prepare a Plan in accordance with good engineering practices. The Plan must have the full approval of management at a level of authority to commit the necessary resources to fully implement the Plan. You must prepare the Plan in writing. If you do not follow the sequence specified in this section for the Plan, you must prepare an equivalent Plan acceptable to the Regional Administrator that meets all of the applicable requirements listed in this part, and you must supplement it with a section cross-referencing the loc…”
“(c) Provide appropriate containment and/or diversionary structures or equipment to prevent a discharge as described in § 112.1(b), except as provided in paragraph (k) of this section for qualified oil-filled operational equipment, and except as provided in § 112.9(d)(3) for flowlines and intra-facility gathering lines at an oil production facility. The entire containment system, including walls and floor, must be capable of containing oil and must be constructed so that any discharge from a primary containment system, such as a tank, will not escape the containment system before cleanup occurs…”
“(b) Where experience indicates a reasonable potential for equipment failure (such as loading or unloading equipment, tank overflow, rupture, or leakage, or any other equipment known to be a source of a discharge), include in your Plan a prediction of the direction, rate of flow, and total quantity of oil which could be discharged from the facility as a result of each type of major equipment failure.”
“(f) Personnel, training, and discharge prevention procedures. (1) At a minimum, train your oil-handling personnel in the operation and maintenance of equipment to prevent discharges; discharge procedure protocols; applicable pollution control laws, rules, and regulations; general facility operations; and, the contents of the facility SPCC Plan.”
“(2) Comply with all applicable requirements listed in this part. Except as provided in § 112.6, your Plan may deviate from the requirements in paragraphs (g), (h)(2) and (3), and (i) of this section and the requirements in subparts B and C of this part, except the secondary containment requirements in paragraphs (c) and (h)(1) of this section, and §§ 112.8(c)(2), 112.8(c)(11), 112.9(c)(2), 112.9(d)(3), 112.10(c), 112.12(c)(2), and 112.12(c)(11), where applicable to a specific facility, if you provide equivalent environmental protection by some other means of spill prevention, control, or count…”
Free practice questions on 40 CFR 112.7
Question 1
A bulk oil storage facility documents its tank and valve inspections on the checklist forms used in its normal maintenance program. Each completed checklist is signed by the inspector. The checklists and the written inspection procedures developed by the certifying engineer are filed with the SPCC Plan, and both are kept for three years. During an audit, a reviewer says the facility must recreate all of these records on a separate SPCC-specific log format before they can be accepted. How should the facility respond?
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Answer: C. The current records are acceptable, because signed records kept under usual and customary business practices, together with the written procedures, satisfy the requirement when kept with the Plan for three years.
Section 112.7(e) of the general requirements for Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans accepts inspection records kept under usual and customary business practices. The records must be signed by the inspector or supervisor and kept, with the written procedures, alongside the Plan for three years. The rule does not require a separate SPCC log, retention beyond three years, or a Professional Engineer's countersignature on each checklist.
Answer C rests on
40 CFR 112.7(e)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“You must keep these written procedures and a record of the inspections and tests, signed by the appropriate supervisor or inspector, with the SPCC Plan for a period of three years. Records of inspections and tests kept under usual and customary business practices will suffice for purposes of this paragraph.”
Question 2
A company already has a corporate spill prevention plan for its oil facility. The plan covers the SPCC topics but follows a different order than the SPCC rule. The facility wants to use it as its SPCC Plan instead of rewriting it. What must the facility do to make this acceptable?
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Answer: C. Prepare an equivalent Plan acceptable to the Regional Administrator and add a section cross-referencing SPCC requirements to where the corporate plan covers them
The SPCC rule allows a different sequence only if the Plan is equivalent, meets all applicable requirements, is acceptable to the Regional Administrator, and has a cross-reference section. Using the plan as is skips the cross-reference. Dropping topics would leave requirements unmet. Management approval is required but does not replace the cross-reference.
Answer C rests on
40 CFR 112.7(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“If you do not follow the sequence specified in this section for the Plan, you must prepare an equivalent Plan acceptable to the Regional Administrator that meets all of the applicable requirements listed in this part, and you must supplement it with a section cross-referencing the location of requirements listed in this part and the equivalent requirements in the other prevention plan.”
Question 3
A facility has a field-constructed aboveground oil tank. Last month the owner changed the tank's service to store a different product, which might affect the risk of failure due to brittle fracture. No discharge has occurred. What does the SPCC rule require?
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Answer: A. Evaluate the tank for risk of discharge or failure due to brittle fracture or other catastrophe, and take appropriate action as necessary
The SPCC rule requires evaluation of a field-constructed aboveground container after a repair, alteration, reconstruction, or change in service that might affect brittle fracture or catastrophe risk, even without a discharge. Waiting for a discharge is wrong. Replacement is not automatic; action is taken as necessary. Field-constructed tanks are the ones covered.
Answer A rests on
40 CFR 112.7(i)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“If a field-constructed aboveground container undergoes a repair, alteration, reconstruction, or a change in service that might affect the risk of a discharge or failure due to brittle fracture or other catastrophe, or has discharged oil or failed due to brittle fracture failure or other catastrophe, evaluate the container for risk of discharge or failure due to brittle fracture or other catastrophe, and as necessary, take appropriate action.”
Question 4
A facility's oil-handling staff last attended a discharge prevention briefing 15 months ago. Since then a pump seal failed and caused a small known discharge, and the site adopted a new precautionary measure. The designated accountable person is planning the next briefing. Which plan meets the SPCC requirement?
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Answer: B. Hold the briefing now, and cover the known discharge, the failed component, and the new precautionary measure
EPA's SPCC rule requires discharge prevention briefings for oil-handling personnel at least once a year, and they must highlight known discharges, failures, malfunctioning components, and recently developed precautionary measures. Fifteen months is overdue. Waiting for a Plan review ignores the annual schedule. Leaving out the discharge or briefing only the manager does not meet the rule.
Answer B rests on
40 CFR 112.7(f)(3)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“Schedule and conduct discharge prevention briefings for your oil-handling personnel at least once a year to assure adequate understanding of the SPCC Plan for that facility. Such briefings must highlight and describe known discharges as described in § 112.1(b) or failures, malfunctioning components, and any recently developed precautionary measures.”
Question 5
A utility skips secondary containment for qualified oil-filled circuit breakers and relies on the alternative requirements. A reviewer asks what the utility must establish to detect equipment failure or a discharge, since there is no containment to catch leaks. Which response meets the rule?
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Answer: C. Documented facility procedures for inspections or a monitoring program to detect equipment failure and/or a discharge
The alternative to general secondary containment requires the owner to establish and document inspection procedures or a monitoring program to detect equipment failure or a discharge. Informal verbal instructions are not documented, a boom does not detect failures, and a letter to the regional office is not the required program.
Answer C rests on
40 CFR 112.7(k)(2)(i)(opens ecfr.gov in a new tab)“(i) Establish and document the facility procedures for inspections or a monitoring program to detect equipment failure and/or a discharge; and”
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A study aid, not legal advice or an official interpretation. Always check the current eCFR text.