Kennedy's Environmental Program

Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC)

Federal oil pollution prevention regulations are located in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 40 Part 112. These regulations require the preparation and implementation of Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) plans for all non-transportation related facilities that store oil in excess of the quantities below and that have either discharged or could reasonably be expected to discharge oil into navigable waters of the United States or its adjoining shorelines.

  • Aggregate aboveground container capacity greater than 1,320 gallons (only containers greater than or equal to 55 gallons are counted)
  • Aggregate completely buried storage capacity greater than 42,000 gallons

Because Kennedy Space Center (KSC) borders several navigable waterways and stores more than 1,320 gallons of oil aboveground, the facility is subject to the SPCC regulations.

The SPCC regulation definition of “oil” is “oil of any kind or in any form, including, but not limited to: fats, oils, or greases of animal, fish, or marine mammal origin; vegetable oils, including oils from seeds, nuts, fruits, or kernels; and, other oils and greases, including petroleum, fuel oil, sludge, synthetic oils, mineral oils, oil refuse, or oil mixed with wastes other than dredged spoil.”

NASA requirements for the SPCC program at Kennedy are found in Chapter 5 of KNPR 8500.1 (KSC Environmental Requirements).

At Kennedy, SPCC regulations are implemented through two documents: KSC Facility-Wide SPCC Plan (KSC-PLN-1919) and KSC Site-Specific SPCC Plan (KSC-PLN-1920). KSC-PLN-1919 contains general requirements and procedures for the prevention, response, control, and reporting of oil discharges at Kennedy. The plan serves as a guide for personnel and organizations responsible for ensuring that all measures are taken to prevent and contain discharges and leaks of oil in accordance with all applicable state and Federal regulations. KSC-PLN-1920 contains site-specific SPCC plans detailing the location, oil storage quantity, spill routes, spill prevention, and spill response measures for all Kennedy locations where oil is stored in quantities of at least 55 gallons.