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SARA Title III / EPCRA / Hazardous Materials Response Program

EPCRA, the Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act authorized SARA, Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization in order to help local communities protect public health, safety, and the environment from chemical hazards. Under SARA Title III, the Pennsylvania Hazardous Material Emergency Planning & Response Act of 1990, or, simply Act 165 establishes a statewide hazardous materials safety program and includes provisions for chemical reporting and fee collection as well as for the establishment of county Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs).


Key Provisions of EPCR from EPA.gov:

Sections 301, 302 & 303. Emergency Planning

Local governments are required to prepare chemical emergency response plans and to review plans at least annually. State governments are required to oversee and coordinate local planning efforts. Facilities that maintain Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHSs) on-site in quantities greater than corresponding Threshold Planning Quantities (TPQs) must cooperate in emergency plan preparation.

Section 304. Emergency Notification

Facilities must immediately report accidental releases of EHS chemicals and "hazardous substances" in quantities greater than corresponding Reportable Quantities (RQs) defined under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to state and local officials. Information about accidental chemical releases must be available to the public.

Sections 311 and 312. Community Right-to-Know Requirements

Facilities manufacturing, processing, or storing designated hazardous chemicals must make Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs) describing the properties and health effects of these chemicals available to state and local officials and local fire departments. Facilities must also report, to state and local officials and local fire departments, inventories of all on-site chemicals for which MSDSs exist. Information about chemical inventories at facilities and MSDSs must be available to the public.

For more information, please see www.epa.gov/epcra

For information on Tier II Reporting for Beaver County