Oil Pollution Act Facility Response Plans (Renewal)

The authority for EPAs facility response plan (FRP) requirements is derived from section 311(j)(5) of the Clean Water Act, as amended by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. EPAs regulation is codified at 40 CFR 112.20 and 112.21 and related appendices. The purpose of an FRP is to help an owner or operator identify the necessary resources to respond to an oil discharge in a timely manner. If implemented effectively, the FRP will reduce the impact and severity of oil discharges and may prevent discharges because of the identification of risks at the facility. Although the owner or operator is the primary data user, EPA also uses the data in certain situations to ensure that facilities comply with the regulation and to help allocate response resources. State and local governments may use the data, which are not generally available elsewhere, and can greatly assist local emergency preparedness planning efforts. The EPA reviews all submitted FRPs and must approve FRPs for those facilities whose discharges may cause significant and substantial harm to the environment to ensure that facilities believed to pose the highest risk have planned for adequate resources and procedures to respond to oil discharges (See 40 CFR 112.20(f)(3) for further information about the criteria for significant and substantial harm.). No information collected under the FRP rule is expected to be confidential. One of the criteria necessary for information to be classified as proprietary business information (40 CFR 2.208) is that a business must show that it has previously taken reasonable measures to protect the confidentiality of the information and that it intends to continue to take such measures. EPA provides no assurances of confidentiality to facility owners or operators when they file their FRPs.

The latest form for Oil Pollution Act Facility Response Plans (Renewal) expires 2026-06-30 and can be found here.

Oil Pollution Act Facility Response Plan Requirements - Private Sector

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Environmental Management - Pollution Prevention and Control