EPCRA The Emergency Planning

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EPCRAThe Emergency Planning Community
Right-to-Know Act
Ian Hampton Eric Carrino
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• The EPCRA, an act of congress passed in 1986
  falling under the purview of the EPA, establishes
  a community right to know apropos hazardous and
  toxic chemicals.
• The EPCRA is comprised of four provisions which
  mandate transparency in the use and disposal of
  toxic chemicals from state and local governments
  as well as private firms
• Emergency Planning Requires governors to
  designate a State Emergency Response Commission
  which in turn will appoint 3,500 Local Emergency
  Planning committees each LEPC is charged with
  formulating and, in the event of a chemical
  emergency, implementing an Emergency Response
  Plan that includes evacuation routes,
  notification procedures, and first responder
  training.
• Emergency Notification Requirement Mandates that
  private firms notify their LEPC as to a release
  of hazardous or toxic chemicals into the
  environment said notification must include the
  name of the agent, its toxicity or degree of
  hazard, and the approximate amount released.
• Community Right to Know Requirements Employers
  are already required per OSHA regulations to keep
  an inventory of all chemical agents present in
  the workplace, known as a Material Safety Data
  Sheet (MSDS) the EPCRA takes it a step further,
  requiring firms to submit their MSDS to their
  respective LEPC.
• Toxic Release Inventory Firms are required to
  disclose annual emissions of toxic chemicals and
  corresponding waste management practices to the
  EPA.