What Is the Difference Between an OMMP & an SPCC?

The Operations, Maintenance, and Monitoring Plan (OMMP) and the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule are federally mandated standards that seek to prevent and/or proactively resolve environmental pollution from industries and businesses. Industries and businesses follow the OMMP to prevent air pollution and the SPCC to prevent water pollution.

What Is the OMMP?

• Pollutant air emissions from industry

  The OMMP is one of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) air programs outlined in Chapter 1, title 40, part 63.287 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). This section of the CFR describes exactly how an industry or business should plan its OMMP in accordance with national omission standards, specifically concerning wet-formed fiberglass mat production. According to the EPA, types of glassware such as those blown/machine-made for kitchen tables, art, automotive and electronics are examples of the kind of production for which an OMMP to protect against air pollution is mandated.

How Does the OMMP Protect Against Air Pollution?

• Industries and businesses comply with the EPA by creating an OMMP that schedules regular maintenance/cleaning of industrial machines such as fans, baffles blowers, and burners, along with impeccable record keeping. They also must have a plan for determining the cause of any air pollution incident as well as proactive measures to resolve the incident.

What is the SPCC?

• Above ground oil storage tank

  The SPCC is a part of the EPA's Oil Pollution Prevention regulation in accordance with Chapter 1, title 40, part 112 of the CFR. The EPA amended the SPCC in November 2009. These amendments changed the requirements specifying which operations no longer have to comply or now must comply with SPCC regulations.

How Does the SPCC Protect Against Water Pollution?

• The SPCC focuses on preventing oil spills, which cause water pollution and threaten public health. The EPA defines oil as "oil of any kind or in any form" and defends this broad definition to enforce strict federal standards for preventing water pollution. The SPCC requirements include monitoring of drainage systems, above ground oil containers, the transportation of oil and any possible oil discharge. Although the focus of the SPCC is prevention, it also mandates plans for proactive measures against possible water pollution.