EPCRA 42 USC §11003(c)(4) reads:
Procedures providing reliable, effective, and timely notification
by the facility emergency coordinators and the community emergency
coordinator to persons designated in the emergency plan, and to the
public, that a release has occurred (consistent with the emergency
notification requirements of §11004 of EPCRA).
The DeKalb County LEPC will send copies of the state and federal release notification handouts and a copy of the applicable section of the Federal EPCRA law (42 USC §11004) to all facility emergency coordinators.
These notification requirements are summarized as follows:
In the event of an accidental chemical release the owner or operator of a facility, or the transporter is required to properly notify federal, state and local agencies. Notification is required when the chemical released exceeds the reportable quantity of an extremely hazardous substance or a Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ( CERCLA, also known as Superfund, which pays for cleanup when liability cannot be assigned) hazardous substance.
Failure to follow these notification requirements may cause the LEPC to refer the matter to IEMA for enforcement.
Immediate notification is necessary if a release occurs which results in:
If a reportable quantity release has been exceeded, immediate notification is required.
Transporters involved in an accidental chemical release must call the NRC and 911 in the area where the accident has occurred.
Initial notification should include the following:
A written follow-up notification should be done after the initial notification. The owner or operator of the facility should send the follow-up report to the SERC or LEPC. The follow-up report should include the following:
Additional follow-up notices shall be made as conditions and information change.
The Incident Commander or designee will be responsible for communicating notification of a local EHS/HM release. If you are not already familiar with the Incident Command System (ICS), today's standard tool for coordinating the activities of local public and private agencies in response to disasters, you might wish to review this overview: What is the ICS? For more extensive incidents, involving multiple communities, the Unified Commander under UCS will be responsible for communications. You may wish to check out the glossary entries for UCS and for its national emergency equivalent, NIMS.
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