This subpart establishes oil spill response plan requirements for all marine transportation-related (MTR) facilities (hereafter also referred to as facilities) that could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm or significant and substantial harm to the environment by discharging oil into or on the navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or exclusive economic zone. The development of a response plan prepares the facility owner or operator to respond to an oil spill. These requirements specify criteria to be used during the planning process to determine the appropriate response resources. The specific criteria for response resources and their arrival times are not performance standards. The criteria are based on a set of assumptions that may not exist during an actual oil spill incident.

(a) This subpart applies to all MTR facilities that because of their location could reasonably be expected to cause at least substantial harm to the environment by discharging oil into or on the navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or exclusive economic zone.

(b) The following MTR facilities that handle, store, or transport oil, in bulk, could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the environment by discharging oil into or on the navigable waters or adjoining shorelines and are classified as substantial harm MTR facilities:

(1) Fixed MTR onshore facilities capable of transferring oil to or from a vessel with a capacity of 250 barrels or more and deepwater ports;

(2) Mobile MTR facilities used or intended to be used to transfer oil to or from a vessel with a capacity of 250 barrels or more; and

(3) Those MTR facilities specifically designated as substantial harm facilities by the COTP under § 154.1016.

(c) The following MTR facilities that handle, store, or transport oil in bulk could not only reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm, but also significant and substantial harm, to the environment by discharging oil into or on the navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or exclusive economic zone and are classified as significant and substantial harm MTR facilities:

(1) Deepwater ports, and fixed MTR onshore facilities capable of transferring oil to or from a vessel with a capacity of 250 barrels or more except for facilities that are part of a non-transportation-related fixed onshore facility with a storage capacity of less than 42,000 gallons; and

(2) Those MTR facilities specifically designated as significant and substantial harm facilities by the COTP under § 154.1016.

(d) An MTR facility owner or operator who believes the facility is improperly classified may request review and reclassification in accordance with § 154.1075.

(a) The COTP may upgrade the classification of:

(1) An MTR facility not specified in § 154.1015 (b) or (c) to a facility that could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the environment; or

(2) An MTR facility specified in § 154.1015(b) to a facility that could reasonably be expected to cause significant and substantial harm to the environment.

(b) The COTP may downgrade, the classification of:

(1) An MTR facility specified in § 154.1015(c) to a facility that could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the environment; or

(2) An MTR facility specified in § 154.1015(b) to a facility that could not reasonably be expected to cause substantial, or significant and substantial harm to the environment.

(3) The COTP will consider downgrading an MTR facility's classification only upon receiving a written request for a downgrade of classification from the facility's owner or operator.

(c) When changing a facility classification the COTP may, as appropriate, consider all relevant factors including, but not limited to: Type and quantity of oils handled in bulk; facility spill history; age of facility; proximity to public and commercial water supply intakes; proximity to navigable waters based on the definition of navigable waters in 33 CFR 2.36; and proximity to fish and wildlife and sensitive environments.

(a) The owner or operator of an MTR facility identified only in § 154.1015(b), or designated by the COTP as a substantial harm facility, shall prepare and submit to the cognizant COTP a response plan that meets the requirements of § 154.1030, § 154.1040, § 154.1045, or § 154.1047, as appropriate. This applies to:

(1) A mobile MTR facility used or intended to be used to transfer oil to or from a vessel with a capacity of 250 barrels or more; and

(2) A fixed MTR facility specifically designated as a substantial harm facility by the COTP under § 154.1016.

(b) The owner or operator of an MTR facility identified in § 154.1015(c) or designated by the COTP as a significant and substantial harm facility shall prepare and submit for review and approval of the cognizant COTP a response plan that meets the requirements of § 154.1030, § 154.1035, § 154.1045, or § 154.1047, as appropriate. This applies to:

(1) A fixed MTR facility capable of transferring oil, in bulk, to or from a vessel with a capacity of 250 barrels or more; and

(2) An MTR facility specifically designated as a significant and substantial harm facility by the COTP under § 154.1016.

(c) In addition to the requirements in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section, the response plan for a mobile MTR facility must meet the requirements of § 154.1041 subpart F.

Except as otherwise defined in this section, the definition in 33 CFR 154.105 apply to this subpart and subparts H and I.

Adverse weather means the weather conditions that will be considered when identifying response systems and equipment in a response plan for the applicable operating environment. Factors to consider include, but are not limited to, significant wave height as specified in § 154.1045, § 154.1047, § 154.1225, or § 154.1325, as appropriate; ice conditions, temperatures, weather-related visibility, and currents within the COTP zone in which the systems or equipment are intended to function.

Animal fat means a non-petroleum oil, fat, or grease derived from animals, and not specifically identified elsewhere in this part.

Average most probable discharge means a discharge of the lesser of 50 barrels or 1 percent of the volume of the worst case discharge.

Captain of the Port (COTP) Zone means a zone specified in 33 CFR part 3 and, where applicable, the seaward extension of that zone to the outer boundary of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Complex means a facility possessing a combination of marine-transportation related and non-transportation-related components that is subject to the jurisdiction of more than one Federal agency under section 311(j) of the Clean Water Act.

Dispersant-application platform means the vessel or aircraft outfitted with the dispersant-application equipment acting as the delivery system for the dispersant onto the oil spill.

Effective Daily Application Capacity or EDAC means the estimated amount of dispersant that can be applied to a discharge by an application system given the availability of supporting dispersant stockpiles, when operated in accordance with approved standards and within acceptable environmental conditions.

Estimated Dispersant System Potential Calculator (EDSP) means an internet-accessible application that estimates EDAC for different dispersant response systems. The NSFCC will use EDSP for evaluating OSRO dispersant classification levels.

Exclusive economic zone (EEZ) means the zone contiguous to the territorial sea of the United States extending to a distance up to 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

Facility that could reasonably be expected to cause significant and substantial harm means any MTR facility (including piping and any structures that are used for the transfer of oil between a vessel and a facility) classified as a “significant and substantial harm” facility under § 154.1015(c) and § 154.1216.

Facility that could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm means any MTR facility classified as a “substantial harm” facility under § 154.1015(b) and § 154.1216.

Fish and Wildlife and Sensitive Environment means areas that may be identified by either their legal designation or by Area Committees in the applicable Area Contingency Plan (ACP) (for planning) or by members of the Federal On-Scene Coordinator's spill response structure (during responses). These areas may include: Wetlands, national and state parks, critical habitats for endangered or threatened species, wilderness and natural resource areas, marine sanctuaries and estuarine reserves, conservation areas, preserves, wildlife areas, wildlife refuges, wild and scenic rivers, areas of economic importance, recreational areas, national forests, Federal and state lands that are research areas, heritage program areas, land trust areas, and historical and archaeological sites and parks. These areas may also include unique habitats such as: aquaculture sites and agricultural surface water intakes, bird nesting areas, critical biological resource areas, designated migratory routes, and designated seasonal habitats.

Great Lakes means Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, their connecting and tributary waters, the Saint Lawrence River as far as Saint Regis, and adjacent port areas.

Gulf Coast means, for the purposes of dispersant-application requirements, the region encompassing the following Captain of the Port Zones:

(1) Corpus Christi, TX.

(2) Houston/Galveston, TX.

(3) Port Arthur, TX.

(4) Morgan City, LA.

(5) New Orleans, LA.

(6) Mobile, AL.

(7) St. Petersburg, FL.

Higher volume port area means the following ports:

(1) Boston, MA.

(2) New York, NY.

(3) Delaware Bay and River to Philadelphia, PA.

(4) St. Croix, VI.

(5) Pascagoula, MS.

(6) Mississippi River from Southwest Pass, LA. to Baton Rouge, LA.

(7) Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), LA.

(8) Lake Charles, LA.

(9) Sabine-Neches River, TX.

(10) Galveston Bay and Houston Ship Channel, TX.

(11) Corpus Christi, TX.

(12) Los Angeles/Long Beach harbor, CA.

(13) San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, Carquinez Strait, and Suisun Bay to Antioch, CA.

(14) Straits of Juan De Fuca from Port Angeles, WA, to and including Puget Sound, WA.

(15) Prince William Sound, AK.

Inland area means the area shoreward of the boundary lines defined in 46 CFR part 7, except in the Gulf of Mexico. In the Gulf of Mexico, it means the area shoreward of the lines of demarcation (COLREG lines) defined in §§ 80.740 through 80.850 of this chapter. The inland area does not include the Great Lakes.

Marine transportation-related facility (MTR facility) means any onshore facility or segment of a complex regulated under section 311(j) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) by two or more Federal agencies, including piping and any structure used or intended to be used to transfer oil to or from a vessel, subject to regulation under this part and any deepwater port subject to regulation under part 150 of this chapter. For a facility or segment of a complex regulated by two or more Federal agencies under section 311(j) of the FWPCA, the MTR portion of the complex extends from the facility oil transfer system's connection with the vessel to the first valve inside the secondary containment surrounding tanks in the non-transportation-related portion of the facility or, in the absence of secondary containment, to the valve or manifold adjacent to the tanks comprising the non-transportation-related portion of the facility, unless another location has otherwise been agreed to by the COTP and the appropriate Federal official.

Maximum extent practicable means the planned capability to respond to a worst case discharge in adverse weather, as contained in a response plan that meets the criteria in this subpart or in a specific plan approved by the cognizant COTP.

Maximum most probable discharge means a discharge of the lesser of 1,200 barrels or 10 percent of the volume of a worst case discharge.

Nearshore area means the area extending seaward 12 miles from the boundary lines defined in 46 CFR part 7, except in the Gulf of Mexico. In the Gulf of Mexico, it means the area extending seaward 12 miles from the line of demarcation (COLREG lines) defined in §§ 80.740-80.850 of this chapter.

Non-persistent or Group I oil means a petroleum-based oil that, at the time of shipment, consists of hydrocarbon fractions—

(1) At least 50 percent of which by volume, distill at a temperature of 340 degrees C (645 degrees F); and

(2) At least 95 percent of which by volume, distill at a temperature of 370 degrees C (700 degrees F).

Ocean means the offshore area and nearshore area as defined in this subpart.

Offshore area means the area beyond 12 nautical miles measured from the boundary lines defined in 46 CFR part 7 extending seaward to 50 nautical miles, except in the Gulf of Mexico. In the Gulf of Mexico, it is the area beyond 12 nautical miles of the line of demarcation (COLREG lines) defined in §§ 80.740-80.850 of this chapter extending seaward to 50 nautical miles.

Oil means oil of any kind or in any form, including, but not limited to, petroleum, fuel oil, sludge, oil refuse, oil mixed with wastes other than dredge spoil.

Oil spill removal organization (OSRO) means an entity that provides response resources.

On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) means the definition in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (40 CFR part 300).

Operating area means Rivers and Canals, Inland, Nearshore, Great Lakes, or Offshore geographic location(s) in which a facility is handling, storing, or transporting oil.

Operating environment means Rivers and Canals, Inland, Great Lakes, or Ocean. These terms are used to define the conditions in which response equipment is designed to function.

Operating in compliance with the plan means operating in compliance with the provisions of this subpart including, ensuring the availability of the response resources by contract or other approved means, and conducting the necessary training and drills.

Operational effectiveness monitoring means monitoring concerned primarily with determining whether the dispersant was properly applied and how the dispersant is affecting the oil.

Other non-petroleum oil means a non-petroleum oil of any kind that is not generally an animal fat or vegetable oil.

Persistent oil means a petroleum-based oil that does not meet the distillation criteria for a non-persistent oil. For the purposes of this subpart, persistent oils are further classified based on specific gravity as follows:

(1) Group II—specific gravity of less than .85.

(2) Group III—specific gravity equal to or greater than .85 and less than .95.

(3) Group IV—specific gravity equal to or greater than .95 and less than or equal to 1.0.

(4) Group V—specific gravity greater than 1.0.

Pre-authorization for dispersant use means an agreement, adopted by a regional response team in coordination with area committees, which authorizes the use of dispersants at the discretion of the Federal On-Scene Coordinator without the further approval of other Federal or State authorities. These pre-authorization areas are generally limited to particular geographic areas within each region.

Primary dispersant staging site means a site designated within a Captain of the Port zone that has been identified as a forward staging area for dispersant application platforms and the loading of dispersant stockpiles. Primary staging sites are typically the planned locations where platforms load or reload dispersants before departing for application at the site of the discharge and may not be the locations where dispersant stockpiles are stored or application platforms are home-based.

Qualified individual and alternate qualified individual means a person located in the United States who meets the requirements of § 154.1026.

Response activities means the containment and removal of oil from the land, water, and shorelines, the temporary storage and disposal of recovered oil, or the taking of other actions as necessary to minimize or mitigate damage to the public health or welfare or the environment.

Response resources means the personnel, equipment, supplies, and other capability necessary to perform the response activities identified in a response plan.

Rivers and canals means a body of water confined within the inland area, including the Intracoastal Waterways and other waterways artificially created for navigation, that has a project depth of 12 feet or less.

Specific gravity means the ratio of the mass of a given volume of liquid at 15 °C (60 °F) to the mass of an equal volume of pure water at the same temperature.

Spill management team means the personnel identified to staff the organizational structure identified in a response plan to manage response plan implementation.

Substantial threat of a discharge means any incident or condition involving a facility that may create a risk of discharge of oil. Such incidents include, but are not limited to storage tank or piping failures, above ground or underground leaks, fires, explosions, flooding, spills contained within the facility, or other similar occurrences.

Tier means the combination of required response resources and the times within which the resources must arrive on scene.

Vegetable oil means a non-petroleum oil or fat derived from plant seeds, nuts, kernels or fruits, and not specifically identified elsewhere in this part.

Worst case discharge means in the case of an onshore facility and deepwater port, the largest foreseeable discharge in adverse weather conditions meeting the requirements of § 154.1029.

(a) The owner or operator of an MTR facility who submitted a response plan prior to May 29, 1996, may elect to comply with any of the provisions of this final rule by revising the appropriate section of the previously submitted plan in accordance with § 154.1065. An owner or operator of an MTR facility who elects to comply with all sections of this final rule must resubmit the plan in accordance with § 154.1060 of this part.

(b) No facility subject to this subpart may handle, store, or transport oil unless it is operating in full compliance with a submitted response plan. No facility categorized under § 154.1015(c) as a significant and substantial harm facility may handle, store, or transport oil unless the submitted response plan has been approved by the COTP. The owner or operator of each new facility to which this subpart applies must submit a response plan meeting the requirements listed in § 154.1017 not less than 60 days prior to handling, storing, or transporting oil. Where applicable, the response plan shall be submitted along with the letter of intent required under § 154.110.

(c) Notwithstanding the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section, a facility categorized under § 154.1015(c) as a significant and substantial harm facility may continue to handle, store, or transport oil for 2 years after the date of submission of a response plan, pending approval of that plan. To continue to handle, store, or transport oil without a plan approved by the COTP, the facility owner or operator shall certify in writing to the COTP that the owner or operator has ensured, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a), the availability of the necessary private personnel and equipment to respond, to the maximum extend practicable to a worst case discharge or substantial threat of such a discharge from the facility. Provided that the COTP is satisfied with the certification of response resources provided by the owner or operator of the facility, the COTP will provide written authorization for the facility to handle, store, or transport oil while the submitted response plan is being reviewed. Pending approval of the submitted response plan, deficiencies noted by the COTP must be corrected in accordance with § 154.1070.

(d) A facility may not continue to handle, store, or transport oil if—

(1) The COTP determines that the response resources identified in the facility certification statement or reference response plan do not substantially meet the requirements of this subpart;

(2) The contracts or agreements cited in the facility's certification statement or referenced response plans are no longer valid;

(3) The facility is not operating in compliance with the submitted plan;

(4) The response plan has not been resubmitted or approved within the last 5 years; or

(5) The period of the authorization under paragraph (c) of this section has expired.

(a) The response plan must identify a qualified individual and at least one alternate who meet the requirements of this section. The qualified individual or alternate must be available on a 24-hour basis and be able to arrive at the facility in a reasonable time.

(b) The qualified individual and alternate must:

(1) Be located in the United States;

(2) Speak fluent English;

(3) Be familiar with the implementation of the facility response plan; and

(4) Be trained in the responsibilities of the qualified individual under the response plan.

(c) The owner or operator shall provide each qualified individual and alternate qualified individual identified in the plan with a document designating them as a qualified individual and specifying their full authority to:

(1) Activate and engage in contracting with oil spill removal organization(s);

(2) Act as a liaison with the predesignated Federal On-Scene Coordinator (OSC); and

(3) Obligate funds required to carry out response activities.

(d) The owner or operator of a facility may designate an organization to fulfill the role of the qualified individual and the alternate qualified individual. The organization must then identify a qualified individual and at least one alternate qualified individual who meet the requirements of this section. The facility owner or operator is required to list in the response plan the organization, the person identified as the qualified individual, and the person or person(s) identified as the alternate qualified individual(s).

(e) The qualified individual is not responsible for—

(1) The adequacy of response plans prepared by the owner or operator; or

(2) Contracting or obligating funds for response resources beyond the authority contained in their designation from the owner or operator of the facility.

(f) The liability of a qualified individual is considered to be in accordance with the provisions of 33 USC 1321(c)(4).

(a) When required in this subpart, the availability of response resources must be ensured by the following methods:

(1) A written contractual agreement with an oil spill removal organization. The agreement must identify and ensure the availability of specified personnel and equipment required under this subpart within stipulated response times in the specified geographic areas;

(2) Certification by the facility owner or operator that specified personnel and equipment required under this subpart are owned, operated, or under the direct control of the facility owner or operator, and are available within stipulated response times in the specified geographic areas;

(3) Active membership in a local or regional oil spill removal organization that has identified specified personnel and equipment required under this subpart that are available to respond to a discharge within stipulated response times in the specified geographic areas;

(4) A document which—

(i) Identifies the personnel, equipment, and services capable of being provided by the oil spill removal organization within stipulated response times in the specified geographic areas;

(ii) Sets out the parties' acknowledgment that the oil spill removal organization intends to commit the resources in the event of a response;

(iii) Permits the Coast Guard to verify the availability of the identified response resources through tests, inspections, and drills; and

(iv) Is referenced in the response plan; or

(5) The identification of an oil spill removal organization with specified equipment and personnel available within stipulated response times in specified geographic areas. The organization must provide written consent to being identified in the plan.

(b) The contracts and documents required in paragraph (a) of this section must be retained at the facility and must be produced for review upon request by the COTP.

(a) The response plan must use the appropriate criteria in this section to develop the worst case discharge.

(b) For the MTR segment of a facility, not less than—

(1) Where applicable, the loss of the entire capacity of all in-line and break out tank(s) needed for the continuous operation of the pipelines used for the purposes of handling or transporting oil, in bulk, to or from a vessel regardless of the presence of secondary containment; plus

(2) The discharge from all piping carrying oil between the marine transfer manifold and the non-transportation-related portion of the facility. The discharge from each pipe is calculated as follows: The maximum time to discover the release from the pipe in hours, plus the maximum time to shut down flow from the pipe in hours (based on historic discharge data or the best estimate in the absence of historic discharge data for the facility) multiplied by the maximum flow rate expressed in barrels per hour (based on the maximum relief valve setting or maximum system pressure when relief valves are not provided) plus the total line drainage volume expressed in barrels for the pipe between the marine manifold and the non-transportation-related portion of the facility; and

(c) For a mobile facility it means the loss of the entire contents of the container in which the oil is stored or transported.

(a) The plan must be written in English.

(b) A response plan must be divided into the sections listed in this paragraph and formatted in the order specified herein unless noted otherwise. It must also have some easily found marker identifying each section listed below. The following are the sections and subsections of a facility response plan:

(1) Introduction and plan contents.

(2) Emergency response action plan:

(i) Notification procedures.

(ii) Facility's spill mitigation procedures.

(iii) Facility's response activities.

(iv) Fish and wildlife and sensitive environments.

(v) Disposal plan.

(3) Training and Exercises:

(i) Training procedures.

(ii) Exercise procedures.

(4) Plan review and update procedures.

(5) Appendices.

(i) Facility-specific information.

(ii) List of contacts.

(iii) Equipment lists and records.

(iv) Communications plan.

(v) Site-specific safety and health plan.

(vi) List of acronyms and definitions.

(vii) A geographic-specific appendix for each zone in which a mobile facility operates.

(c) The required contents for each section and subsection of the plan are contained in §§ 154.1035, 154.1040, and 154.1041, as appropriate.

(d) The sections and subsections of response plans submitted to the COTP must contain at a minimum all the information required in §§ 154.1035, 154.1040, and 154.1041, as appropriate. It may contain other appropriate sections, subsections, or information that are required by other Federal, State, and local agencies.

(e) For initial and subsequent submission, a plan that does not follow the format specified in paragraph (b) of this section must be supplemented with a detailed cross-reference section to identify the location of the applicable sections required by this subpart.

(f) The information contained in a response plan must be consistent with the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) (40 CFR part 300) and the Area Contingency Plan(s) (ACP) covering the area in which the facility operates. Facility owners or operators shall ensure that their response plans are in accordance with the ACP in effect 6 months prior to initial plan submission or the annual plan review required under § 154.1065(a). Facility owners or operators are not required to, but may at their option, conform to an ACP which is less than 6 months old at the time of plan submission.

(a) Introduction and plan content. This section of the plan must include facility and plan information as follows:

(1) The facility's name, street address, city, county, state, ZIP code, facility telephone number, and telefacsimile number, if so equipped. Include mailing address if different from street address.

(2) The facility's location described in a manner that could aid both a reviewer and a responder in locating the specific facility covered by the plan, such as, river mile or location from a known landmark that would appear on a map or chart.

(3) The name, address, and procedures for contacting the facility's owner or operator on a 24-hour basis.

(4) A table of contents.

(5) During the period that the submitted plan does not have to conform to the format contained in this subpart, a cross index, if appropriate.

(6) A record of change(s) to record information on plan updates.

(b) Emergency Response Action Plan. This section of the plan must be organized in the subsections described in this paragraph:

(1) Notification procedures. (i) This subsection must contain a prioritized list identifying the person(s), including name, telephone number, and their role in the plan, to be notified of a discharge or substantial threat of a discharge of oil. The telephone number need not be provided if it is listed separately in the list of contacts required in the plan. This Notification Procedures listing must include—

(A) Facility response personnel, the spill management team, oil spill removal organizations, and the qualified individual(s) and the designated alternate(s); and

(B) Federal, State, or local agencies, as required.

(ii) This subsection must include a form, such as that depicted in Figure 1, which contains information to be provided in the initial and follow-up notifications to Federal, State, and local agencies. The form shall include notification of the National Response Center as required in part 153 of this chapter. Copies of the form also must be placed at the location(s) from which notification may be made. The initial notification form must include space for the information contained in Figure 1. The form must contain a prominent statement that initial notification must not be delayed pending collection of all information.

(2) Facility's spill mitigation procedures. (i) This subsection must describe the volume(s) and oil groups that would be involved in the—

(A) Average most probable discharge from the Mspan facility;

(B) Maximum most probable discharge from the Mspan facility;

(C) Worst case discharge from the Mspan facility; and

(D) Where applicable, the worst case discharge from the non-transportation-related facility. This must be the same volume provided in the response plan for the non-transportation-related facility.

(ii) This subsection must contain prioritized procedures for facility personnel to mitigate or prevent any discharge or substantial threat of a discharge of oil resulting from operational activities associated with internal or external facility transfers including specific procedures to shut down affected operations. Facility personnel responsible for performing specified procedures to mitigate or prevent any discharge or potential discharge shall be identified by job title. A copy of these procedures shall be maintained at the facility operations center. These procedures must address actions to be taken by facility personnel in the event of a discharge, potential discharge, or emergency involving the following equipment and scenarios:

(A) Failure of manifold, mechanical loading arm, other transfer equipment, or hoses, as appropriate;

(B) Tank overfill;

(C) Tank failure;

(D) Piping rupture;

(E) Piping leak, both under pressure and not under pressure, if applicable;

(F) Explosion or fire; and

(G) Equipment failure (e.g. pumping system failure, relief valve failure, or other general equipment relevant to operational activities associated with internal or external facility transfers.)

(iii) This subsection must contain a listing of equipment and the responsibilities of facility personnel to mitigate an average most probable discharge.

(3) Facility's response activities. (i) This subsection must contain a description of the facility personnel's responsibilities to initiate a response and supervise response resources pending the arrival of the qualified individual.

(ii) This subsection must contain a description of the responsibilities and authority of the qualified individual and alternate as required in § 154.1026.

(iii) This subsection must describe the organizational structure that will be used to manage the response actions. This structure must include the following functional areas.

(A) Command and control;

(B) Public information;

(C) Safety;

(D) Liaison with government agencies;

(E) Spill Operations;

(F) Planning;

(G) Logistics support; and

(H) Finance.

(iv) This subsection of the plan must identify the oil spill removal organizations and the spill management team that will be capable of providing the following resources:

(A) Equipment and supplies to meet the requirements of §§ 154.1045, 154.1047, or subparts H or I of this part, as appropriate.

(B) Trained personnel necessary to continue operation of the equipment and staff the oil spill removal organization and spill management team for the first 7 days of the response.

(v) This section must include job descriptions for each spill management team member within the organizational structure described in paragraph (b)(3)(iii) of this section. These job descriptions must include the responsibilities and duties of each spill management team member in a response action.

(vi) For facilities that handle, store, or transport group II through group IV petroleum oils, and that operate in waters where dispersant use is pre-authorized, this subsection of the plan must also separately list the resource providers and specific resources, including appropriately trained dispersant-application personnel, necessary to provide the dispersant capabilities required in this subpart. All resource providers and resources must be available by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a). The dispersant resources to be listed within this section must include the following:

(A) Identification of each primary dispersant staging site to be used by each dispersant-application platform to meet the requirements of this subpart.

(B) Identification of the platform type, resource-providing organization, location, and dispersant payload for each dispersant-application platform identified. Location data must identify the distance between the platform's home base and the identified primary dispersant staging site for this section.

(C) For each unit of dispersant stockpile required to support the effective daily application capacity (EDAC) of each dispersant-application platform necessary to sustain each intended response tier of operation, identify the dispersant product resource provider, location, and volume. Location data must include the stockpile's distance to the primary staging sites where the stockpile would be loaded onto the corresponding platforms.

(D) If an oil spill removal organization has been evaluated by the Coast Guard, and its capability is equal to or exceeds the response capability needed by the owner or operator, the section may identify only the oil spill removal organization, and not the information required in paragraphs (b)(3)(vi)(A) through (b)(3)(vi)(C) of this section.

(vii) This subsection of the plan must also separately list the resource providers and specific resources necessary to provide aerial oil tracking capabilities required in this subpart. The oil tracking resources to be listed within this section must include the following:

(A) The identification of a resource provider; and

(B) Type and location of aerial surveillance aircraft that are ensured available, through contract or other approved means, to meet the oil tracking requirements of § 154.1045(j).

(viii) For mobile facilities that operate in more than one COTP zone, the plan must identify the oil spill removal organization and the spill management team in the applicable geographic-specific appendix. The oil spill removal organization(s) and the spill management team discussed in paragraph (b)(3)(iv) of this section must be included for each COTP zone in which the facility will handle, store, or transport oil in bulk.

(ix) For mobile facilities that operate in more than one COTP zone, the plan must identify the oil spill removal organization and the spill management team in the applicable geographic-specific appendix. The oil spill removal organization(s) and the spill management team discussed in paragraph (b)(3)(iv)(A) of this section must be included for each COTP zone in which the facility will handle, store, or transport oil in bulk.

(4) Fish and wildlife and sensitive environments. (i) This section of the plan must identify areas of economic importance and environmental sensitivity, as identified in the ACP, which are potentially impacted by a worst case discharge. ACPs are required under section 311(j)(4) of the FWPCA to identify fish and wildlife and sensitive environments. The applicable ACP shall be used to designate fish and wildlife and sensitive environments in the plan. Changes to the ACP regarding fish and wildlife and sensitive environments shall be included in the annual update of the response plan, when available.

(ii) For a worst case discharge from the facility, this section of the plan must—

(A) List all fish and wildlife and sensitive environments identified in the ACP which are potentially impacted by a discharge of persistent oils, non-persistent oils, or non-petroleum oils.

(B) Describe all the response actions that the facility anticipates taking to protect these fish and wildlife and sensitive environments.

(C) Contain a map or chart showing the location of those fish and wildlife and sensitive environments which are potentially impacted. The map or chart shall also depict each response action that the facility anticipates taking to protect these areas. A legend of activities must be included on the map page.

(iii) For a worst case discharge, this section must identify appropriate equipment and required personnel, available by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028, to protect fish and wildlife and sensitive environments which fall within the distances calculated using the methods outlined in this paragraph as follows:

(A) Identify the appropriate equipment and required personnel to protect all fish and wildlife and sensitive environments in the ACP for the distances, as calculated in paragraph (b)(4)(iii)(B) of this section, that the persistent oils, non-persistent oils, or non-petroleum oils are likely to travel in the noted geographic area(s) and number of days listed in table 2 of appendix C of this part;

(B) Calculate the distances required by paragraph (b)(4)(iii)(A) of this section by selecting one of the methods described in this paragraph;

(1) Distances may be calculated as follows:

(i) For persistent oils and non-petroleum oils discharged into non-tidal waters, the distance from the facility reached in 48 hours at maximum current.

(ii) For persistent and non-petroleum oils discharged into tidal waters, 15 miles from the facility down current during ebb tide and to the point of maximum tidal influence or 15 miles, whichever is less, during flood tide.

(iii) For non-persistent oils discharged into non-tidal waters, the distance from the facility reached in 24 hours at maximum current.

(iv) For non-persistent oils discharged into tidal waters, 5 miles from the facility down current during ebb tide and to the point of maximum tidal influence or 5 miles, whichever is less, during flood tide.

(2) A spill trajectory or model may be substituted for the distances calculated under paragraph (b)(4)(iii)(B)(l) of this section. The spill trajectory or model must be acceptable to the COTP.

(3) The procedures contained in the Environmental Protection's Agency's regulations on oil pollution prevention for non-transportation-related onshore facilities at 40 CFR part 112, appendix C, Attachment C-III may be substituted for the distances listed in non-tidal and tidal waters; and

(C) Based on historical information or a spill trajectory or model, the COTP may require the additional fish and wildlife and sensitive environments also be protected.

(5) Disposal Plan. This subsection must describe any actions to be taken or procedures to be used to ensure that all recovered oil and oil contaminated debris produced as a result of any discharge are disposed according to Federal, state, or local requirements.

(c) Training and exercises. This section must be divided into the following two subsections:

(1) Training procedures. This subsection must describe the training procedures and programs of the facility owner or operator to meet the requirements in § 154.1050.

(2) Exercise procedures. This subsection must describe the exercise program to be carried out by the facility owner or operator to meet the requirements in § 154.1055.

(d) Plan review and update procedures. This section must address the procedures to be followed by the facility owner or operator to meet the requirements of § 154.1065 and the procedures to be followed for any post-discharge review of the plan to evaluate and validate its effectiveness.

(e) Appendices. This section of the response plan must include the appendices described in this paragraph.

(1) Facility-specific information. This appendix must contain a description of the facility's principal characteristics.

(i) There must be a physical description of the facility including a plan of the facility showing the mooring areas, transfer locations, control stations, locations of safety equipment, and the location and capacities of all piping and storage tanks.

(ii) The appendix must identify the sizes, types, and number of vessels that the facility can transfer oil to or from simultaneously.

(iii) The appendix must identify the first valve(s) on facility piping separating the transportation-related portion of the facility from the non-transportation-related portion of the facility, if any. For piping leading to a manifold located on a dock serving tank vessels, this valve is the first valve inside the secondary containment required by 40 CFR part 112.

(iv) The appendix must contain information on the oil(s) and hazardous material handled, stored, or transported at the facility in bulk. A material safety data sheet meeting the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.1200, 33 CFR 154.310(a)(5) or an equivalent will meet this requirement. This information can be maintained separately providing it is readily available and the appendix identifies its location. This information must include—

(A) The generic or chemical name;

(B) A description of the appearance and odor;

(C) The physical and chemical characteristics;

(D) The hazards involved in handling the oil(s) and hazardous materials. This shall include hazards likely to be encountered if the oil(s) and hazardous materials come in contact as a result of a discharge; and

(E) A list of firefighting procedures and extinguishing agents effective with fires involving the oil(s) and hazardous materials.

(v) The appendix may contain any other information which the facility owner or operator determines to be pertinent to an oil spill response.

(2) List of contacts. This appendix must include information on 24-hour contact of key individuals and organizations. If more appropriate, this information may be specified in a geographic-specific appendix. The list must include—

(i) The primary and alternate qualified individual(s) for the facility;

(ii) The contact(s) identified under paragraph (b)(3)(iv) of this section for activation of the response resources; and

(iii) Appropriate Federal, State, and local officials.

(3) Equipment list and records. This appendix must include the information specified in this paragraph.

(i) The appendix must contain a list of equipment and facility personnel required to respond to an average most probable discharge, as defined in § 154.1020. The appendix must also list the location of the equipment.

(ii) The appendix must contain a detailed listing of all the major equipment identified in the plan as belonging to an oil spill removal organization(s) that is available, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a), to respond to a maximum most probable or worst case discharge, as defined in § 154.1020. The detailed listing of all major equipment may be located in a separate document referenced by the plan. Either the appendix or the separate document referenced in the plan must provide the location of the major response equipment.

(iii) It is not necessary to list response equipment from oil spill removal organization(s) when the organization has been classified by the Coast Guard and their capacity has been determined to equal or exceed the response capability needed by the facility. For oil spill removal organization(s) classified by the Coast Guard, the classification must be noted in this section of the plan. When it is necessary for the appendix to contain a listing of response equipment, it shall include all of the following items that are identified in the response plan: Skimmers; booms; dispersant application, in-situ burning, bioremediation equipment and supplies, and other equipment used to apply other chemical agents on the NCP Product Schedule (if applicable); communications, firefighting, and beach cleaning equipment; boats and motors; disposal and storage equipment; and heavy equipment. The list must include for each piece of equipment—

(A) The type, make, model, and year of manufacture listed on the nameplate of the equipment;

(B) For oil recovery devices, the effective daily recovery rate, as determined using section 6 of appendix C of this part;

(C) For containment boom, the overall boom height (draft and freeboard) and type of end connectors;

(D) The spill scenario in which the equipment will be used for or which it is contracted;

(E) The total daily capacity for storage and disposal of recovered oil;

(F) For communication equipment, the type and amount of equipment intended for use during response activities. Where applicable, the primary and secondary radio frequencies must be specified.

(G) Location of the equipment; and

(H) The date of the last inspection by the oil spill removal organization(s).

(4) Communications plan. This appendix must describe the primary and alternate method of communication during discharges, including communications at the facility and at remote locations within the areas covered by the response plan. The appendix may refer to additional communications packages provided by the oil spill removal organization. This may reference another existing plan or document.

(5) Site-specific safety and health plan. This appendix must describe the safety and health plan to be implemented for any response location(s). It must provide as much detailed information as is practicable in advance of an actual discharge. This appendix may reference another existing plan requiring under 29 CFR 1910.120.

(6) List of acronyms and definitions. This appendix must list all acronyms used in the response plan including any terms or acronyms used by Federal, State, or local governments and any operational terms commonly used at the facility. This appendix must include all definitions that are critical to understanding the response plan.

(a) The owner or operator of a facility that, under § 154.1015, could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm to the environment, shall submit a response plan that meets the requirements of § 154.1035, except as modified by this section.

(b) The facility's response activities section of the response plan need not list the facility or corporate organizational structure that will be used to manage the response, as required by § 154.1035(b)(3)(iii).

(c) The owner or operator of a facility must ensure the availability of response resources required to be identified in § 154.1035(b)(3)(iv) by contract or other approved means described in § 154.1028.

(d) A facility owner or operator must have at least 200 feet of containment boom and the means of deploying and anchoring the boom available at the spill site within 1 hour of the detection of a spill to respond to the average most probable discharge in lieu of the quantity of containment boom specified in § 154.1045(c)(1). Based on site-specific or facility-specific information, the COTP may specify that additional quantities of containment boom are available within one hour. In addition, there must be adequate sorbent material for initial response to an average most probable discharge. If the facility is a fixed facility, the containment boom and sorbent material must be located at the facility. If the facility is a mobile facility, the containment boom and sorbent must be available locally and be at the site of the discharge within 1 hour of its discovery.

(a) Each mobile MTR facility must carry the following information as contained in the response plan when performing transfer operations:

(1) A description of response activities for a discharge which may occur during transfer operations. This may be a narrative description or a list of procedures to be followed in the event of a discharge.

(2) Identity of response resources to respond to a discharge from the mobile MTR facility.

(3) List of the appropriate persons and agencies (including the telephone numbers) to be contacted in regard to a discharge and its handling, including the National Response Center.

(b) The owner or operator of the mobile facility must also retain the information in this paragraph at the principal place of business.

(a) The owner or operator of a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group I through Group IV petroleum oils shall use the criteria in this section to evaluate response resources identified in the response plan for the specified operating environment.

(1) The criteria in Table 1 of appendix C of this part are to be used solely for identification of appropriate equipment in a response plan. These criteria reflect conditions used for planning purposes to select mechanical response equipment and are not conditions that would limit response actions or affect normal facility operations.

(2) The response resources must be evaluated considering limitations for the COTP zones in which the facility operates, including but not limited to—

(i) Ice conditions;

(ii) Debris;

(iii) Temperature ranges;

(iv) Weather-related visibility; and

(v) Other appropriate environmental conditions as determined by the COTP.

(3) The COTP may reclassify a specific body of water or location within the COTP zone. Any reclassifications will be identified by the COTP in the applicable ACP. Reclassifications may be to—

(i) A more stringent operating environment if the prevailing wave conditions exceed the significant wave height criteria during more than 35 percent of the year; or

(ii) A less stringent operating environment if the prevailing wave conditions do not exceed the significant wave height criteria for the less stringent operating environment during more than 35 percent of the year.

(b) Response equipment must—

(1) Meet or exceed the operating criteria listed in Table 1 of appendix C of this part;

(2) Function in the applicable operating environment; and

(3) Be appropriate for the petroleum oil carried.

(c) The response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group I through Group IV petroleum oils must identify response resources that are available, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a)(1)(4), to respond to the facility's average most probable discharge. The response resources must include, at a minimum—

(1) 1,000 feet of containment boom or two times the length of the largest vessel that regularly conducts petroleum oil transfers to or from the facility, whichever is greater, and the means of deploying and anchoring the boom available at the spill site within 1 hour of the detection of a spill; and

(2) Oil recovery devices and recovered oil storage capacity capable of being at the spill site within 2 hours of the discovery of a petroleum oil discharge from a facility.

(d) The response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group I through Group IV petroleum oils must identify response resources that are available, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a)(1)(4), to respond to a discharge up to the facility's maximum most probable discharge volume.

(1) The response resources must include sufficient containment boom, oil recovery devices, and storage capacity for any recovery of up to the maximum most probable discharge planning volume, as contained in appendix C.

(2) The response resources must be appropriate for each group of petroleum oil identified in § 154.1020 that is handled, stored, or transported by the facility.

(3) These response resources must be positioned such that they can arrive at the scene of a discharge within the following specified times:

(i) The equipment identified in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this section or in § 154.1040(d) must arrive within the times specified in those paragraphs or that section, as appropriate.

(ii) In higher volume port areas and the Great Lakes, response resources must be capable of arriving on scene within 6 hours of the discovery of a petroleum oil discharge from a facility.

(iii) In all other locations, response resources must be capable of arriving on scene within 12 hours of the discovery of a petroleum oil discharge from a facility.

(4) The COTP may determine that mobilizing response resources to an area beyond the response times indicated in this paragraph invalidates the response plan. In this event, the COTP may impose additional operational restrictions (e.g., limitations on the number of transfers at a facility), or, at the COTP's discretion, the facility may operate with temporarily modified response plan development and evaluation criteria (e.g., modified response times, alternate response resources, etc.).

(e) The response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group I through Group IV petroleum oils must identify the response resources that are available, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a)(1)(4), to respond to the worst case discharge volume of petroleum oil to the maximum extent practicable.

(1) The location of these response resources must be suitable to meet the response times identified in paragraph (f) of this section for the applicable geographic area(s) of operation and response tier.

(2) The response resources must be appropriate for—

(i) The volume of the facility's worst case discharge;

(ii) Group(s) of petroleum oil as identified in § 154.1020 that are handled, stored, or transported by the facility; and

(iii) The geographic area(s) in which the facility operates.

(3) The response resources must include sufficient boom, oil recovery devices, and storage capacity to recover the worst case discharge planning volumes.

(4) The guidelines in appendix C of this part must be used for calculating the quantity of response resources required to respond at each tier to the worst case discharge to the maximum extent practicable.

(5) When determining response resources necessary to meet the requirements of this section, a portion of those resources must be capable of use in close-to-shore response activities in shallow water. The following percentages of the response equipment identified for the applicable geographic area must be capable of operating in waters of 6 feet or less depth.

(i) Offshore—10 percent.

(ii) Nearshore/inland/Great Lakes/rivers and canals—20 percent.

(6) The COTP may determine that mobilizing response resources to an area beyond the response times indicated in this paragraph invalidates the response plan. In this event, the COTP may impose additional operational restrictions (e.g., limitations on the number of transfers at a facility), or, at the COTP's discretion, the facility may be permitted to operate with temporarily modified response plan development and evaluation criteria (e.g., modified response times, alternate response resources, etc.).

(f) Response equipment identified in a response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group I through Group IV petroleum oils must be capable of arriving on scene within the times specified in this paragraph for the applicable response tier in a higher volume port area, Great Lakes, and in other areas. Response times for these tiers from the time of discovery of a discharge are—

(g) For the purposes of arranging for response resources for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group I through Group IV petroleum oils, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a)(1)-(4), response equipment identified for Tier 1 plan credit must be capable of being mobilized and en route to the scene of a discharge within 2 hours of notification. The notification procedures identified in the plan must provide for notification and authorization of mobilization of identified Tier 1 response resources—

(1) Either directly or through the qualified individual; and

(2) Within 30 minutes of a discovery of a discharge or substantial threat of discharge.

(h) Response resources identified for Tier 2 and Tier 3 plan credit must be capable of arriving on scene within the time specified for the applicable tier.

(i) The owner or operator of a facility that handles, stores, or transports groups II through IV petroleum oils within the inland, nearshore, or offshore areas where pre-authorization for dispersant use exists must identify in their response plan, and ensure the availability of, through contract or other approved means, response resources capable of conducting dispersant operations within those areas.

(1) Dispersant response resources must be capable of commencing dispersant-application operations at the site of a discharge within 7 hours of the decision by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator to use dispersants.

(2) Dispersant response resources must include all of the following:

(i) Sufficient volumes of dispersants for application as required by paragraph (i)(3) of this section. Any dispersants identified in a response plan must be of a type listed on the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan Product Schedule (which is contained in 40 CFR part 300, and available online from the U.S. Government Printing Office).

(ii) Dispersant-application platforms capable of delivering and applying the dispersant on a discharge in the amounts as required by paragraph (i)(3) of this section. At least 50 percent of each EDAC tier requirement must be achieved through the use of fixed-wing, aircraft-based application platforms. For dispersant-application platforms not detailed within the EDSP, adequacy of performance criteria must be documented by presentation of independent evaluation materials (e.g., field tests and reports of actual use) that record the performance of the platform.

(iii) Dispersant-application systems that are consistent in design with, and are capable of applying dispersants within, the performance criteria in ASTM F1413-07 (incorporated by reference, see § 154.106). For dispersant-application systems not fully covered by ASTM F1413-07, such as fire monitor-type applicators, adequacy of performance criteria must be documented by presentation of independent evaluation materials (e.g., laboratory tests, field tests, and reports of actual use) that record the design of performance specifications.

(iv) Dispersant-application personnel trained in and capable of applying dispersants according to the recommended procedures contained within ASTM F1737-07 (incorporated by reference, see § 154.106).

(3) Dispersant stockpiles, application platforms, and other supporting resources must be available in a quantity and type sufficient to treat a facility's worst-case discharge (as determined by using the criteria in appendix C, section 8) or in quantities sufficient to meet the requirements in Table 154.1045(i) of this section, whichever is the lesser amount.

(j) The owner or operator of a facility handling Groups I through IV petroleum oil as a primary cargo must identify in the response plan, and ensure the availability through contract or other approved means, of response resources necessary to provide aerial oil tracking to support oil spill assessment and cleanup activities. Facilities operating exclusively on inland rivers are not required to comply with this paragraph. Aerial oil tracking resources must:

(1) Be capable of arriving at the site of a discharge in advance of the arrival of response resources identified in the plan for tiers 1, 2, and 3 Worst-Case Discharge response times, and for a distance up to 50 nautical miles from shore (excluding inland rivers);

(2) Be capable of supporting oil spill removal operations continuously for three 10-hour operational periods during the initial 72 hours of the discharge;

(3) Include appropriately located aircraft and personnel capable of meeting the response time requirement for oil tracking from paragraph (j)(1) of this section; and

(4) Include sufficient numbers of aircraft, pilots, and trained observation personnel to support oil spill removal operations, commencing upon initial assessment, and capable of coordinating on-scene cleanup operations, including dispersant and mechanical recovery operations. Observation personnel must be trained in:

(i) The protocols of oil-spill reporting and assessment, including estimation of slick size, thickness, and quantity; and

(ii) The use of assessment techniques in ASTM F1779-08 (incorporated by reference, see § 154.106), and familiar with the use of other guides, such as NOAA's “Open Water Oil Identification Job Aid for Aerial Observation,” and NOAA's “Characteristic Coastal Habitats” guide (available on the Internet at http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/use the following links in the order presented: Home|Emergency Response|Responding to Oil Spills).

(k) A response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group I through Group IV petroleum oils must identify response resources with firefighting capability. The owner or operator of a facility that does not have adequate firefighting resources located at the facility or that can not rely on sufficient local firefighting resources must identify and ensure, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a)(1)-(4), the availability of adequate firefighting resources. The response plan must also identify an individual located at the facility to work with the fire department for petroleum oil fires. This individual shall also verify that sufficient well-trained firefighting resources are available within a reasonable time to respond to a worst case discharge. The individual may be the qualified individual as defined in § 154.1020 and identified in the response plan or another appropriate individual located at the facility.

(l) The response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Groups I through IV petroleum oils must identify equipment and required personnel available, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a) (1)-(4), to protect fish and wildlife and sensitive environments.

(1) Except as set out in paragraph (k)(2) of this section, the identified response resources must include the quantities of boom sufficient to protect fish and wildlife and sensitive environments as required by § 154.1035(b)(4).

(2) The resources and response methods identified in a facility response plan must be consistent with the required resources and response methods to be used in fish and wildlife and sensitive environments, contained in the appropriate ACP. Facility owners or operators shall ensure that their response plans are in accordance with the ACP in effect 6 months prior to initial plan submission or the annual plan review required under § 154.1065(a). Facility owners or operators are not required to, but may at their option, conform to an ACP which is less than 6 months old at the time of plan submission.

(m) The response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Groups I through IV petroleum oils must identify an oil spill removal organization(s) with response resources that are available, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a) (1)-(4), to effect a shoreline cleanup operation commensurate with the quantity of emulsified petroleum oil to be planned for in shoreline cleanup operations.

(1) Except as required in paragraph (l)(2) of this section, the shoreline cleanup response resources required must be determined as described in appendix C of this part.

(2) The resources and response methods identified in a facility response plan must be consistent with the required shoreline cleanup resources and methods contained in the appropriate ACP. Facility owners or operators shall ensure that their response plans are in accordance with the ACP in effect 6 months prior to initial plan submission or the annual plan review required under § 154.1065(a). Facility owners or operators are not required to, but may at their option, conform to an ACP which is less than 6 months old at the time of plan submission.

(n) Appendix C of this part describes the procedures to determine the maximum extent practicable quantity of response resources that must be identified and available, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028(a) (1)-(4), for the maximum most probable discharge volume, and for each worst case discharge response tier.

(1) Included in appendix C of this part is a cap that recognizes the practical and technical limits of response capabilities that an individual facility owner or operator can be expected to contract for in advance.

(2) Table 5 in appendix C of this part lists the caps that apply in February 18, 1993, and February 18, 1998. Depending on the quantity and type of petroleum oil handled by the facility and the facility's geographic area of operations, the resource capability caps in this table may be reached. The owner or operator of a facility whose estimated recovery capacity exceeds the applicable contracting caps in Table 5 shall identify sources of additional equipment equal to twice the cap listed in Tiers 1, 2, and 3 or the amount necessary to reach the calculated planning volume, whichever is lower. The identified resources must be capable of arriving on scene not later than the Tier 1, 2, and 3 response times in this section. No contract is required. While general listings of available response equipment may be used to identify additional sources, a response plan must identify the specific sources, locations, and quantities of equipment that a facility owner or operator has considered in his or her planning. When listing Coast Guard classified oil spill removal organization(s) which have sufficient removal capacity to recover the volume above the response capability cap for the specific facility, as specified in Table 5 in appendix C of this part, it is not necessary to list specific quantities of equipment.

(o) The Coast Guard will continue to evaluate the environmental benefits, cost efficiency and practicality of increasing mechanical recovery capability requirements. This continuing evaluation is part of the Coast Guard's long term commitment to achieving and maintaining an optimum mix of oil spill response capability across the full spectrum of response modes. As best available technology demonstrates a need to evaluate or change mechanical recovery capacities, a review of cap increases and other requirements contained within this subpart may be performed. Any changes in the requirements of this section will occur through a public notice and comment process. During this review, the Coast Guard will determine if established caps remain practicable and if increased caps will provide any benefit to oil spill recovery operations. The review will include, at least, an evaluation of:

(1) Best available technologies for containment and recovery;

(2) Oil spill tracking technology;

(3) High rate response techniques;

(4) Other applicable response technologies; and

(5) Increases in the availability of private response resources.

(a) An owner or operator of a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group V petroleum oils must provide information in his or her response plan that identifies—

(1) Procedures and strategies for responding to a worst case discharge of Group V petroleum oils to the maximum extent practicable; and

(2) Sources of the equipment and supplies necessary to locate, recover, and mitigate such a discharge.

(b) An owner or operator of a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group V petroleum oil must ensure that any equipment identified in a response plan is capable of operating in the conditions expected in the geographic area(s) in which the facility operates using the criteria in Table 1 of appendix C of this part. When evaluating the operability of equipment, the facility owner or operator must consider limitations that are identified in the ACPs for the COTP zones in which the facility operates, including—

(1) Ice conditions;

(2) Debris;

(3) Temperature ranges; and

(4) Weather-related visibility.

(c) The owner or operator of a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group V petroleum oil must identify the response resources that are available by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028. The equipment identified in a response plan must include—

(1) Sonar, sampling equipment, or other methods for locating the petroleum oil on the bottom or suspended in the water column;

(2) Containment boom, sorbent boom, silt curtains, or other methods for containing the petroleum oil that may remain floating on the surface or to reduce spreading on the bottom;

(3) Dredges, pumps, or other equipment necessary to recover petroleum oil from the bottom and shoreline;

(4) Equipment necessary to assess the impact of such discharges; and

(5) Other appropriate equipment necessary to respond to a discharge involving the type of petroleum oil handled, stored, or transported.

(d) Response resources identified in a response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group V petroleum oils under paragraph (c) of this section must be capable of being at the spill site within 24 hours of discovery of a discharge.

(e) A response plan for a facility that handles, stores, or transports Group V petroleum oils must identify response resources with firefighting capability. The owner or operator of a facility that does not have adequate firefighting resources located at the facility or that can not rely on sufficient local firefighting resources must identity and ensure, by contract or other approved means as described in § 154.1028, the availability of adequate firefighting resources. The response plan must also identify an individual located at the facility to work with the fire department for petroleum oil fires. This individual shall also verify that sufficient well-trained firefighting resources are available within a reasonable response time to a worst case scenario. The individual may be the qualified individual as defined in § 154.1020 and identified in the response plan or another appropriate individual located at the facility.

(a) A response plan submitted to meet the requirements of § 154.1035 or § 154.1040, as appropriate, must identify the training to be provided to each individual with responsibilities under the plan. A facility owner or operator must identify the method to be used for training any volunteers or casual laborers used during a response to comply with the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.120.

(b) A facility owner or operator shall ensure the maintenance of records sufficient to document training of facility personnel; and shall make them available for inspection upon request by the U.S. Coast Guard. Records for facility personnel must be maintained at the facility for 3 years.

(c) Where applicable, a facility owner or operator shall ensure that an oil spill removal organization identified in a response plan to meet the requirements of this subpart maintains records sufficient to document training for the organization's personnel and shall make them available for inspection upon request by the facility's management personnel, the qualified individual, and U.S. Coast Guard. Records must be maintained for 3 years following completion of training.

(d) The facility owner or operator remains responsible for ensuring that all private response personnel are trained to meet the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards for emergency response operations in 29 CFR 1910.120.

(a) A response plan submitted by an owner or operator of an MTR facility must include an exercise program containing both announced and unannounced exercises. The following are the minimum exercise requirements for facilities covered by this subpart:

(1) Qualified individual notification exercises (quarterly).

(2) Spill management team tabletop exercises (annually). In a 3-year period, at least one of these exercises must include a worst case discharge scenario.

(3) Equipment deployment exercises:

(i) Semiannually for facility owned and operated equipment.

(ii) Annually for oil spill removal organization equipment.

(4) Emergency procedures exercises (optional).

(5) Annually, at least one of the exercises listed in § 154.1055(a)(2) through (4) must be unannounced. Unannounced means the personnel participating in the exercise must not be advised in advance, of the exact date, time and scenario of the exercise.

(6) The facility owner or operator shall design the exercise program so that all components of the response plan are exercised at least once every 3 years. All of the components do not have to be exercised at one time; they may be exercised over the 3-year period through the required exercises or through an Area exercise.

(b) A facility owner or operator shall participate in unannounced exercises, as directed by the COTP. The objectives of the unannounced exercises will be to test notifications and equipment deployment for response to the average most probable discharge. After participating in an unannounced exercise directed by a COTP, the owner or operator will not be required to participate in another COTP initiated unannounced exercise for at least 3 years from the date of the exercise.

(c) A facility owner or operator shall participate in Area exercises as directed by the applicable On-Scene Coordinator. The Area exercises will involve equipment deployment to respond to the spill scenario developed by the Exercise Design Team, of which the facility owner or operator will be a member. After participating in an Area exercise, a facility owner or operator will not be required to participate in another Area exercise for at least 6 years.

(d) The facility owner or operator shall ensure that adequate records of all required exercises are maintained at the facility for 3 years. Records shall be made available to the Coast Guard upon request.

(e) The response plan submitted to meet the requirements of this subpart must specify the planned exercise program. The plan must detail the exercise program, including the types of exercises, frequency, scope, objectives and the scheme for exercising the entire response plan every 3 years.

(f) Compliance with the National Preparedness for Response Exercise Program (PREP) Guidelines will satisfy the facility response plan exercise requirements. These guidelines are available from the TASC DEPT Warehouse, 33141Q 75th Avenue, Landover, MD 20875 (fax: 301-386-5394, stock number USCG-X0241). Compliance with an alternative program that meets the requirements of paragraph (a) of this section and has been approved under § 154.1060 will also satisfy the facility response plan exercise requirements.

(a) A facility owner or operator required to submit a response plan under this part must ensure that—

(1) Containment booms, skimmers, vessels, and other major equipment listed or referenced in the plan are periodically inspected and maintained in good operating condition, in accordance with manufacturer's recommendations, and best commercial practices; and

(2) All inspection and maintenance is documented and that these records are maintained for 3 years.

(b) For equipment which must be inspected and maintained under this section the Coast Guard may—

(1) Verify that the equipment inventories exist as represented;

(2) Verify the existences of records required under this section;

(3) Verify that the records of inspection and maintenance reflect the actual condition of any equipment listed or referenced; and

(4) Inspect and require operational tests of equipment.

(c) This section does not apply to containment booms, skimmers, vessels, and other major equipment listed or referenced in the plan and ensured available from an oil spill removal organization through the written consent required under § 154.1028(a)(5).

(a) The owner or operator of a facility to which this subpart applies shall submit one copy of a facility response plan meeting the requirements of this subpart to the COTP for initial review and, if appropriate, approval.

(b) The owner or operator of a facility to which this subpart applies shall include a statement certifying that the plan meets the applicable requirements of subparts F, G, H, and I of this part, as appropriate.

(c) For an MTR facility that is located in the inland response zone where the EPA Regional Administrator is the predesignated Federal On-Scene Coordinator, the COTP may consult with the EPA Federal On-Scene Coordinator prior to any final approval.

(d) For an MTR facility identified in § 154.1015(c) of this subpart that is also required to prepare a response plan under 40 CFR part 112, if the COTP determines that the plan meets all applicable requirements and the EPA Regional Administrator raises no objection to the response plan contents, the COTP will notify the facility owner or operator in writing that the plan is approved.

(e) The plan will be valid for a period of up to 5 years. The facility owner or operator must resubmit an updated plan every 5 years as follows:

(1) For facilities identified in only § 154.1015(b) of this subpart, the 5-year period will commence on the date the plan is submitted to the COTP.

(2) For facilities identified in § 154.1015(c) of this subpart, the 5-year period will commence on the date the COTP approves the plan.

(3) All resubmitted response plans shall be accompanied by a cover letter containing a detailed listing of all revisions to the response plan.

(f) For an MTR facility identified in § 154.1015(c)(2) the COTP will notify the facility owner or operator in writing that the plan is approved.

(g) If a COTP determines that a plan does not meet the requirements of this subpart either upon initial submission or upon 5-year resubmission, the COTP will return the plan to the facility owner or operator along with an explanation of the response plan's deficiencies. The owner or operator must correct any deficiencies in accordance with § 154.1070 and return the plan to the COTP within the time specified by the COTP in the letter describing the deficiencies.

(h) The facility owner or operator and the qualified individual and the alternative qualified individual shall each maintain a copy of the most current response plan submitted to the COTP. One copy must be maintained at the facility in a position where the plan is readily available to persons in charge of conducting transfer operations.

(a) A facility owner or operator must review his or her response plan(s) annually. This review shall incorporate any revisions to the plan, including listings of fish and wildlife and sensitive environments identified in the ACP in effect 6 months prior to plan review.

(1) For an MTR facility identified in § 154.1015(c) of this subpart as a “significant and substantial harm facility,” this review must occur within 1 month of the anniversary date of COTP approval of the plan. For an MTR facility identified in § 154.1015(b) of this subpart, as a “substantial harm facility” this review must occur within 1 month of the anniversary date of submission of the plan to the COTP.

(2) The facility owner or operator shall submit any revision(s) to the response plan to the COTP and all other holders of the response plan for information or approval, as appropriate.

(i) Along with the revisions, the facility owner or operator shall submit a cover letter containing a detailed listing of all revisions to the response plan.

(ii) If no revisions are required, the facility owner or operator shall indicate the completion of the annual review on the record of changes page.

(iii) The COTP will review the revision(s) submitted by the owner or operator and will give written notice to the owner or operator of any COTP objection(s) to the proposed revisions within 30 days of the date the revision(s) were submitted to the COTP. The revisions shall become effective not later than 30 days from their submission to the COTP unless the COTP indicates otherwise in writing as provided in this paragraph. If the COTP indicates that the revision(s) need to be modified before implementation, the owner or operator will modify the revision(s) within the time period set by the COTP.

(3) Any required revisions must be entered in the plan and noted on the record of changes page.

(b) The facility owner or operator shall submit revisions to a previously submitted or approved plan to the COTP and all other holders of the response plan for information or approval within 30 days, whenever there is—

(1) A change in the facility's configuration that significantly affects the information included in the response plan;

(2) A change in the type of oil (petroleum oil group) handled, stored, or transported that affects the required response resources;

(3) A change in the name(s) or capabilities of the oil spill removal organization required by § 154.1045;

(4) A change in the facility's emergency response procedures;

(5) A change in the facility's operating area that includes ports or geographic area(s) not covered by the previously approved plan. A facility may not operate in an area not covered in a plan previously submitted or approved, as appropriate, unless the revised plan is approved or interim operating approval is received under § 154.1025; or

(6) Any other changes that significantly affect the implementation of the plan.

(c) Except as required in paragraph (b) of this section, revisions to personnel and telephone number lists included in the response plan do not require COTP approval. The COTP and all other holders of the response plan shall be advised of these revisions and provided a copy of the revisions as they occur.

(d) The COTP may require a facility owner or operator to revise a response plan at any time as a result of a compliance inspection if the COTP determines that the response plan does not meet the requirements of this subpart or as a result of inadequacies noted in the response plan during an actual pollution incident at the facility.

(e) If required by § 154.1035(b)(3) or § 154.1045, a new or existing facility owner or operator must submit the required dispersant and aerial oil tracking resource revisions to a previously submitted or approved plan, made pursuant to § 154.1035(b)(3) or § 154.1045, to the COTP and all other holders of the response plan for information or approval no later than February 22, 2011.

(a) The cognizant COTP will notify the facility owner or operator in writing of any deficiencies noted during review of a response plan, drills observed by the Coast Guard, or inspection of equipment or records maintained in connection with this subpart.

(b) Deficiencies shall be corrected within the time period specified in the written notice provided by the COTP. The facility owner or operator who disagrees with a deficiency issued by the COTP may appeal the deficiency to the cognizant COTP within 7 days or the time specified by the COTP to correct the deficiency, whichever is less. This time commences from the date of receipt of the COTP notice. The owner or operator may request a stay from the COTP decision pending appeal in accordance with § 154.1075.

(c) If the facility owner or operator fails to correct any deficiencies or submit a written appeal, the COTP may invoke the provisions of § 154.1025 prohibiting the facility from storing, handling, or transporting oil.

(a) Any owner or operator of a facility who desires to appeal the classification that a facility could reasonably be expected to cause substantial harm or significant and substantial harm to the environment, shall submit a written request to the cognizant COTP requesting review and reclassification by the COTP. The facility owner or operator shall identify those factors to be considered by the COTP. The factors to be considered by the COTP regarding reclassification of a facility include, but are not limited to, those listed in § 154.1016(b). After considering all relevant material presented by the facility owner or operator and any additional material available to the COTP, the COTP will notify the facility owner or operator of the decision on the reclassification of the facility.

(b) Any facility owner or operator directly affected by an initial determination or action of the COTP may submit a written request to the cognizant COTP requesting review and reconsideration of the COTP's decision or action. The facility owner or operator shall identify those factors to be considered by the COTP in making his or her decision on reconsideration.

(c) Within 10 days of the COTP's decision under paragraph (b) of this section, the facility owner or operator may appeal the decision of the COTP to the District Commander. This appeal shall be made in writing via the cognizant COTP to the District Commander of the district in which the office of the COTP is located.

(d) Within 30 days of the District Commander's decision, the facility owner or operator may formally appeal the decision of the District Commander. This appeal shall be submitted in writing to Commandant (CG-535) via the District Commander.

(e) When considering an appeal, the COTP, District Commander, or Commandant may stay the effect of the decision or action being appealed pending the determination of the appeal.