4. Environment Canada, 1986, Report EPS 9/SP/2: A Survey of Chemical Spill
5. US EPA, 1979, EPA-600/9-79-045: National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Best
Management Practices Guidance Document.
6. North American Emergency Response Guidebook.
7. US Federal Emergency Management Agency, 1981, FEMA-10: Planning Guide and
Checklist for Hazardous Materials Contingency Guides.
8. National Fire Protection Association, FPH1686: Fire Protection Handbook.
9. Hazardous Materials Planning Guide (National Response Team).
SECTION V. OTHER CONTINGENCY PLAN REQUIREMENTS
7.15 General. In addition to the plans described above, facilities are required to have other
contingency plans in effect to provide assistance to Federal, state, and local governments when
necessary. The problem is that federal regulations addressing emergency planning and response
have been promulgated by EPA, OSHA, DOT and other agencies, and the requirements are often
duplicative. It is likely that methodologies have been developed to prepare a single plan to meet
all federal requirements for hazardous materials emergency planning and response. A word of
caution is appropriate in regard to such an approach: such plans are a relatively new concept to
both installations and regulators. Hence, installations may experience varying degrees of
resistance from their state and federal regulators when attempting to implement a single plan
approach to hazardous materials emergency planning and response. Regardless of the number of
plans that might be necessary, it is essential that there be a clearly defined command structure,
notification procedure, and set of assigned personnel roles.
7.16 Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986
A. SARA's Title III of 1986, also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
Know Act is intended to encourage and support emergency planning efforts at the State and local
government levels. Its purpose is to protect communities living near commercial industrial
facilities from catastrophic releases of toxic substances such as the tragic releases in Bhopal,
India, in 1984. Title III mandates the type of program advocated by the EPA's Community
Emergency Preparedness Program (CEPP), a voluntary program designed to aid in planning for
emergency response in the event of a hazardous release. The emergency planning requirements
of the act recognize the need to establish and maintain contingency plans for responding to
chemical accidents that can inflict health and environmental damage as well as cause significant
disruption within a community.
B. The following is a summary of the key statutory provisions of the act:
7-12
