Frequently Asked Questions

What is the process for getting my spill plans?

First call Andrea at the main office and she will send you two forms that you will need to fill out. The first is an operator information sheet that gives us information about your company. The second is a facility information sheet that gives us information about your tank battery. Both forms are very simple to fill out. We only need one operator information sheet for the entire company, we need one facility information sheet per tank battery.  The sooner we receive the completed forms the sooner we can get your company on the schedule.  We do plans on a first come first serve basis with a few exceptions for an emergency situation.  Once the forms are received Andrea will notify your pumpers that one of our field technicians will be visiting the facility to collect data for the SPCC plan. It normally takes two-three weeks after the field work to get the spill plans complete and back to you. While we can’t guarantee a turnaround time our average time from receipt of forms to completion of the plan is 3-4 weeks.  There are times when we become very busy and a small delay may occur. 

We are getting audited next week and don’t have a SPCC plan, how can we get a plan?

​We do make emergency plans a priority and in some cases we can turn them around in a very short timeframe.  These plans are identical to any other plan we produce, no shortcuts are taken.  Because of the added demand on our staff and schedule we can’t do rush plans at our base price.  

Do you offer a discount?

We work off of a set profit margin and our plans are already priced well below the industry average so in a way all of our plans are at discount prices.  It is not a common practice for us to give discounts but we will consider it for companies with a large volume of plans and/or inspections, especially if the facilities are located in a very small area.  It never hurts to ask.

If you are a combat veteran, widow, or are disabled and you suddenly find yourself owning/inheriting a well and a mess then we will do whatever we can to help you get in compliance at the lowest possible price.

What if I don’t know the date of initial production?

That’s okay. We only need the year but if you don’t even know that we will put “NA” on the spill plan. The EPA only requires that we address the issue.

What if my company only has a PO Box address?

We have to have a physical address on the spill plan. The EPA frowns on PO Boxes.  There is almost always an office somewhere.  If you only have a PO Box then we can use a simple form of directions. For example:  South 5 miles from Smith Town on right hand side. 

What if I don’t know the lock information at the facility?

That’s okay. This is a standard question we ask pumpers when we call them. We don’t want to drive there and get locked out or in!  Our plans are priced very low and work off of a fairly strict profit/volume relationship, we can’t afford to visit a site 2-3 times because of locked gates and we can’t afford to sit inside a fence all day waiting for someone to let us out. (Let’s just say I had a bad experience!)

Does a pumper or foreman need to be with the field agent we he goes out to the tank battery?

No!  Our agents are very well trained and work alone 90% of the time, we have a set order we do things which prevents us from missing anything.  The less potential distractions the better.  The only time we request a member of the operators staff be present is in the case of a hazardous atmosphere such as a sour gas well or a large unit with many wells or unusual production processes.  One thing that is always true about the oil patch, when you think you’ve seen everything you’ve only just begun.  If we see something out of the ordinary we won’t hesitate to ask questions.  We also understand it’s your well, not ours, and if you want to be there that’s fine too.

I need to rebuild my berms. Do I need to do that before the field agent goes to the tank battery?

No! In fact we recommend that you wait until you get your spill plan back before building or rebuilding any berm. The spill plan will calculate how high the berm needs to be for proper containment. There is no sense having to build the berm again if it’s not high enough.  If a berm is already constructed we use the existing dimensions and calculate the required height at the existing berm footprint.

What about all the forms and records I have to keep in case of an audit?

McCown Contracting will provide each company with a set of plan attachments that have example forms you can use.  We even show you how to use them when we deliver the plans.  Nothing says you have to use our forms, that’s why they are attachments, but we do provide forms for everything you will likely encounter.