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The two main purposes of this act are:
1) to encourage and support emergency planning for responding to chemical accidents; and
2) to proivde local governments and the public with information about possible chemical hazards in their communities. |
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| To accomplish this, EPCRA is broken down into four major provisions: |
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Section 301-303, Planning for Chemical Emergencies |
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This emergency planning section of the law is designed to help your community prepare for and respond to emergencies involving hazardous substances. Every community in the United States must be part of a comprehensive plan. |
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The Arizona Emergency Response Commission (AERC) is required by EPCRA to appoint Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) for various districts within the state. These committees are broadly representative of their communities, and it is their responsibility to produce a comprehensive emergency plan specific to their district. The Arizona Emergency Response commission established an LEPC for each county within the state. |
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The Pima County Local Emergency Planning committee (PCLEPC) has been appointed by the AERC to represent all communities within the boundaries of Pima County. The PCLEPC has produced the Hazardous Matierals Emergency Plan which has been incorporated as an annex of the County Emergency Operations Plan. |
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Section 304, Emergency Notification of Chemical Accidents and Releases |
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If there is a chemical accident at a commercial municipal, or other facility, or on a transportation route in your community, and if the accident results int eh release of any one of a large under of hazardous substances, you have a right to know about it. |
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Under EPCRA, a facility must immediately notify the National Response Center, the PCLEPC and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality of the release of more than a predetermined amount (reportable quantity) of these chemicals. This notification will activate emergency plans developed by the PCLEPC. |
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the law also requires follow-up reporting. As soon as practical after the release, the facility coordinator must submit a written report to both the PCLEPC and the AERC. The follow-up report provides information on response actions taken, known or anticipated health risks, and, if appropriate, advice regarding any medical care needed by exposed victims. |
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Section 311 - 312, Reporting of Hazardous Chemical Inventories |
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Information about accidental release of chemicals in your community is only the beginning of your "Right-To-Know" when discussing hazardous substances. You also have a right to information about the amounts, locations and potential effects of these hazardous chemicals. |
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Facilities must report this information to the PCLEPC, the AERC, and their local fire department/district. The PCLEPC and AERC, in turn, must make the information available to the public. All companies, large or small, are potentially subject to this law. This data provides necessary information for the PCLEPC and emergency reponse workers to develop their plans. Fire departments and pulic health works also use this information to plan for and respond to emergencies. |
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Facilities must report hazardous substances in different ways, depending on what chemicals and the amounts the company has on-hand. |
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1) Chemical Lists. lists of hazardous chemicals that are located at a company. |
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2) Tier Two Emergency and Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report. Standardized form used for annual reporting of chemicals located at a facility. |
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3) Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). Documents which contain specific information about a chemical, including description, characteristics, human safety risks, fire hazards, first aid and precautionary measures. |
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