Response Plan: Section 7. Drill Procedures

Section 7 would include a description of the drill procedures and programs the operator [a person who owns or operates onshore oil pipeline facilities] uses to assess whether its response plan [the operator's core plan and the response zone appendices for responding to the maximum extent practicable, to a worse case discharge of oil, or the substantial threat of such a discharge] will function as planned. It would include:

(a)  Announced and unannounced drills;

(b)  The types of drills and their frequencies. For example, drills could be described as follows:

(1)  Manned pipeline [all parts of an onshore pipeline facility through which oil moves including, but not limited to, line pipe, valves, and other appurtenances connected to line pipe, pumping units, fabricated assemblies associated with pumping units, metering and delivery stations and fabricated assemblies therein, and breakout tanks] emergency procedures and qualified individual notification drills conducted quarterly.

(2)  Drills involving emergency actions by assigned operating or maintenance personnel and notification of the qualified individual [an English-speaking representative of an operator, located in the United States, available on a 24-hour basis, with full authority to activate and contract with required oil spill removal organization(s); activate personnel and equipment maintained by the operator; act as liaison with the OSC; and obligate any funds required to carry out all required or directed oil response activities] on pipeline facilities which are normally unmanned, conducted quarterly.

(3)  Shore-based spill management team tabletop drills conducted yearly.

(4)  Oil spill removal organization [an entity that provides response resources] field equipment deployment drills conducted yearly.

(5)  A drill that exercises the entire response plan for each response zone, would be conducted at least once every 3 years.