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Does Your Business Need an SPCC Plan?

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 06:03:23 GMT

If You Deal With Bulk Oil or Fuel, the Answer is Yes

A Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan is a federally required Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) document under the Clean Water Act designed to prevent oil discharges from reaching navigable waters and shorelines.

Core Requirements & Applicability

Thresholds: Facilities need a plan if they store more than 1,320 gallons of oil aboveground (in containers of 55 gallons or greater) or more than 42,000 gallons underground.
Included Materials: Rules cover petroleum, diesel, gasoline, hydraulic fluid, synthetic oils, used oil, and animal or vegetable fats.
Plan Content: Content must include site descriptions, storage inventories, spill prevention procedures, containment methods, and emergency contact lists.
Certification: Capacities under 10,000 gallons may allow owner self-certification, while larger sites require a Professional Engineer (PE) stamp.

Simply put, anywhere with bulk oil or fuel will need an SPCC. Even a collective volume of oil containing equipment can add up enough to require an SPCC. A great example is generators at data center sites. They don't usually have any bulk containers, but a large number of generators usually trigger the SPCC rule.

eTech Environmental & Safety Solutions, Inc can help oil and gas companies in the Midland, TX; Odessa, TX; Hobbs, NM; Houston, TX; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Lubbock, TX; San Antonio, TX; and Denver, CO areas develop and apply for an SPCC Plan. Whether you need to prevent, control, or respond to an oil discharge, our skilled and experienced team will ensure your business is not only compliant with the law but also set up for future success.

Our additional services include storm water pollution prevention plans; environmental management; environmental due diligence; groundwater remediation; lead, asbestos, or mold assessments; NORM management; phase II environmental site assessments; soil remediation; storm water management; waste management; wastewater treatment; air quality permitting and compliance services; air emissions inventory and reporting services; and NESHAP and NSPS compliance. Contact our environmental compliance consultants today to get started.

Audits & Routine inspections Are Not Only Required by Law But Also Important to Your Business’s Success

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 06:01:39 GMT

Schedule Your Audit or Inspection With eTech to Help Ensure Health & Safety Compliance

Audits and routine inspections in the oil and gas industry are systematic processes used to ensure safety, environmental compliance, and operational efficiency across upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors.

Key Differences Between Audits and Inspections

Audits: Formal, broad, system-wide evaluations scheduled regularly (such as annually or quarterly) to assess overall compliance, process effectiveness, and management systems, resulting in detailed reports and action plans
Inspections: Practical, narrow, observational checks of specific equipment, tools, or physical conditions (such as daily pre-use checks or pre-spud rig inspections) often using standardized checklists

Main Types and Focus Areas

Compliance Audits: Focus on adherence to laws, safety regulations, environmental permits, and standards from bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) .
Operational/Process Audits: Review daily workflows, equipment performance, piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs), and maintenance records to reduce downtime and optimize efficiency.
Routine Equipment Inspections: Target high-risk assets like pressure vessels ( API 510 ), piping ( API 570 ), and storage tanks (API 653) using tools like drones, thermal imaging, and digital checklists.

Routine audits prevent things from going through the cracks. Not knowing doesn't mean not liable. An audit can bring unrecognized risk to light, allowing you to mitigate before it becomes an issue, as well as reveal sensitive areas and the best management practice to mitigate risk. Inspections are required for SPCC and SWPPP. We can provide those inspections. eTech Environmental & Safety Solutions, Inc's environmental audit service helps ensure compliance assessments and acquisitions. Industries we serve include industrial clients, law firms, and lending institutions. Our service area includes Midland, TX; Odessa, TX; Hobbs, NM; Houston, TX; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Lubbock, TX; San Antonio, TX; and Denver, CO. We provide audits and inspections you can fully trust, issuing clear reports that detail each problem and the recommended solution.

Our additional services include storm water pollution prevention plans; environmental management; environmental due diligence; groundwater remediation; lead, asbestos and mold assessments; NORM management; phase II environmental site assessments; soil remediation; storm water management; waste management; wastewater treatment; air quality permitting and compliance services; air emissions inventory and reporting services; and NESHAP and NSPS compliance. Get in touch with us and let our environmental compliance consultants help your business.

Safety professionals lacking the bandwidth to cover all EHS duties?

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:59:39 GMT

Hiring a Separate Environmental Professional Has Many Benefits for Your Business

Many industrial users have their safety person cover all EHS services. Unfortunately, because the safety person is overwhelmed with safety tasks, this often leads to things falling through the cracks. eTech Environmental & Safety Solutions, Inc can develop and implement health and safety management systems tailored to your business that safeguard employees’ health and well-being.

Safety is a priority. Safety professionals need time to focus on safety. An environmental professional can focus on environmental compliance. On-staff, full-time, environmental professionals can be expensive, and often there isn't enough work at one location to justify the cost. It is also very difficult to find a trained professional who’s willing to take part-time work. Consultants like eTech can fill this gap, offering part-time support without the need of hiring a full-time employee. You get professional, expert-level knowledge and support at less cost. Also, when additional consulting is needed, you already have a good working relationship with someone that can provide that support. Permits, waste management, and routine inspections can be done by a tenured professional who can train your staff to take over when the workload justifies it.

When it comes to environmental health and safety for your business and employees, eTech can provide the following:

Regulatory support
Permit applications and management
Waste management
Routine inspections
Spill prevention and management

eTech serves clients in Midland, TX; Odessa, TX; Hobbs, NM; Houston, TX; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Lubbock, TX; San Antonio, TX; and Denver, CO. Our additional services include storm water pollution prevention plans; environmental management; environmental due diligence; groundwater remediation; lead, asbestos and mold assessments; NORM management; phase II environmental site assessments; soil remediation; storm water management; waste management; wastewater treatment; air quality permitting and compliance services; air emissions inventory and reporting services; and NESHAP and NSPS compliance. If your business is in the market for an experienced environmental compliance consultant, we invite you to give us a call.

How Does the MSGP Renewal Affect You?

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:57:45 GMT

Make Sure Everything Is in Order Well Before the Required November Renewal Date

Industrial stormwater management in Texas is regulated by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ( TCEQ ) under the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) TXR050000.

Permitting and the 2026 MSGP Renewal

Permit Status: The MSGP TXR050000 expired on August 14, 2026, triggering a 90-day grace period for existing operators to file renewal applications and update authorizations. All permit holders are required to renew by November 11, 2026.
Compliance Paths:
Notice of Intent (NOI): Required for active industrial exposure, necessitating a written Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP), structural site controls, regular inspections, and certified laboratory sampling.
No Exposure Certification (NEC): Applies exclusively to facilities with zero industrial materials or activities exposed to stormwater indoors, carrying lower administrative fees.
Filing Portal: Submissions and renewals are handled online through the TCEQ STEERS/ePermits portal, requiring active “Signer” and “Preparer” accounts.

Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan Development & Updates

Plan Requirements: A compliant SWPPP must feature detailed site maps (elevations, drainage patterns, outfall locations), identification of potential pollutant sources, and facility-specific Best Management Practices (BMPs).
2026 Updates: Updated plans must account for newly adopted 2022 NAICS codes, tighter pollutant benchmark parameters, and digital recordkeeping options.

Inspections & Monitoring

Routine Inspections: Facilities must maintain a consistent calendar for monthly or quarterly visual monitoring and facility walkthroughs to check the integrity of controls and containment areas.
Corrective Actions: Any failed visual indicator or benchmark exceedance triggers formal tracking, documentation, and operational adjustments.

Sampling & Reporting

Analytical Sampling: Annual analytical grab sampling must be performed by partnering with certified environmental laboratories, though benchmark monitoring schedules may shift during active permit transitions.
Reporting Deadlines: Annual benchmark analysis results and Discharge Monitoring Reports (DMRs) are submitted electronically via NetDMR/STEERS, with standard annual deadlines on March 31.

Depending on your sector, people are required to get benchmark sampling and routine inspections. Inspections can be required quarterly and semiannually. Benchmark levels have been lowered across many sectors with the new permit.

Regulators at the city and state level currently have stormwater at the top of their mind. If you need an SWPPP or to apply for a permit, now is the best time to do it. Don't wait until the grace period is over, when enforcement usually ticks up. eTech Environmental & Safety Solutions, Inc can help you with SWPPP and any other service involving storm water management.

In addition to storm water pollution prevention plans, we can help you with service including environmental management; environmental due diligence; groundwater remediation; lead, asbestos and mold assessments; NORM management; phase II environmental site assessments; soil remediation; storm water management; waste management; wastewater treatment; air quality permitting and compliance services; air emissions inventory and reporting services; and NESHAP and NSPS compliance.

If you need the services of an experienced environmental compliance consultant, please give us a call today. We proudly serve Midland, TX; Odessa, TX; Hobbs, NM; Houston, TX; Dallas, TX; Fort Worth, TX; Lubbock, TX; San Antonio, TX; and Denver, CO.