C. Applicable Guidance of SARA Title III to DoD.
1. On August 3, 1993, the President signed Executive Order 12856 directing all Federal
agencies to comply with the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986
(EPCRA) and the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA). The Executive Order emphasizes
two goals. First, it directs Federal agencies to become leaders in providing communities and
emergency planners with appropriate information on hazardous substances and toxic chemicals
stored at government facilities. Second, the Federal government must demonstrate pollution
prevention leadership by improving facility management, incorporating environmental principles
in acquisition practices, establishing comprehensive pollution prevention plans, and developing
innovative technologies. This section will concentrate on the first objective.
2. Federal facilities are required to comply with the EPCRA rules in the same manner as
private facilities. It is important that Federal facilities are recognized as leaders in the
environmental arena and that they are committed to the protection of the environment. To this
end, the following actions will be taken:
a. Existing contingency plans will be expanded to cover releases during catastrophic events
such as a major warehouse fire.
b. Representatives will be appointed to LEPCs where appropriate.
c. LEPCs will be fully notified in the event of a release that might result in exposure to
persons outside the facility boundary.
d. Cooperative agreements with local fire and hazardous materials spill response agencies
will be entered into.
e. Outside response facilities will be included where appropriate.
3. The development of EPCRA required reports and the technical data to back up those
reports can be time consuming and labor intensive. Significant resources can be saved by relying
on automated information systems (AIS) to track inventory, calculate threshold levels, etc. DoD
systems such as the Hazardous Materials Information System (HMIS) plus those Service and
Agency operational systems developed to facilitate reporting should be used to the maximum
extent possible. These systems should be used to provide reports as well as to document why a
report is not required.
7.17 Planning for Accidents Involving Radioactive Materials
A. DoD components are required to provide radiological assistance to Federal, state, and local
agencies, as available, in the event of a nuclear weapon significant incident of a radiological
accident. Radiological accidents are defined as a loss of control over radiation or radioactive
materials that presents a hazard to life, health, or property.
B. Installations will, when requested by FEMA, and within the constraints of national security,
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