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Policy and Guidance

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EPA regulations help ensure that facilities take steps to prevent oil spills, chemical accidents, and other emergencies, and implement planning and response requirements. EPA often provides additional information to help the regulated community better understand the regulations and to prevent, prepare for, and respond to environmental emergencies.

The following policy statements, guidance, and compliance assistance guides provide additional information on compliance with these emergency management regulations:

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Requirements
Facility Response Plan (FRP) Rule
Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan)
National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule
Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule
Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule
Continuous Release Reporting
International Agreements

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Requirements

Guidance

RMPs Are on the Way! - How LEPCs and other Local Agencies Can Include Information from Risk Management Plans in Their Ongoing Work (PDF) (62 pp, 1.1MB)
Issued: November 1999

Technical Guidance for Hazardous Analysis, Emergency Planning for Extremely Hazardous Substances (PDF) (193 pp, 4.7MB)
Issued: December 1987

Related Policies

Lead Acid Battery Reporting Under EPCRA Sections 311 and 312 - REVISED (PDF) (2 pp, 641K)
Issued April 2007

Letter on Decontamination and First Responder Liability, 1999 (PDF) (2 pp, 255K)

Substantiation to Accompany Claims of Trade Secrecy Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (PDF) (5 pp, 118K)
(Note: You will need Adobe Reader version 7 or 8 to fill out and save a copy of this form.)
MS-WORD (5 pp, 70K)
Issued: July 1988

Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan)

(Note: The official version of the One Plan Guidance was published in the Federal Register on June 5, 1996, and the official version in PDF format below contains the complete document as published. However, a correction was published in the Federal Register since several lines from table "DOT/RSPA FRP (49 CFR 194)" were omitted in the original published version. The text for the FR correction notice is also included below. The complete corrected version is available in WordPerfect format below.)

The National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan) (Corrected Version) (64 pp, 266K, WPD)

The National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan) (PDF) (24 pp, 830K)
Issued: June 1996

National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan (One Plan) Guidance Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 189K)
Issued: April 1998

Correction Notice for "The National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan) (published June 19, 1996)"

NRT-1: Hazardous Materials Planning Guide (2001 Update) (PDF) (118 pp, 765K)

This update of the 1987 Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning Guide (NRT-1, "Orange Book") contains updated references to guidance on developing state and local emergency response plans. Brief references to recent legislation have been incorporated to encourage plan integration and coordination. This updated version of NRT-1 includes new guidance on integrating local emergency response plans prepared and updated by Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) with the planning requirements contained in recent legislation.

NRT-2: Developing a Hazardous Materials Exercise Program - A Handbook for State and Local Officials

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National Contingency Plan (NCP) Product Schedule

NCP Product Schedule - October 2008 (PDF) (18 pp, 194K)

NCP Product Schedule Notebook - October 2008 (PDF) (203 pp, 957K)

NCP Subpart J Product Schedule Fact Sheet | PDF version (PDF) (2 pp, 37K, About PDF)

NRT-RRT Fact Sheet: Application of Sorbents and Solidifiers for Oil Spills (PDF) (6 pp, 535K)

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Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule

Guidance Documents

General Risk Management Plan Guidance

Propane Storage Facilities Risk Management Plan Guidance

Wastewater Treatment Plants Risk Management Plan Guidance

Warehouses Risk Management Plan Guidance

Chemical Distributors Risk Management Plan Guidance

Offsite Consequence Analysis Risk Management Plan Guidance

Technical Background Document for Offsite Consequence Analysis for Anhydrous Aqueous Ammonia, Chlorine, and Sulfur Dioxide

myRMP Suite of Retail Agriculture Guidance Materials

Guidance for Implementation of the General Duty Clause Clean Air Act Section 112(r) (PDF) (55 pp, 367K)

RMPs Are on the Way! - How LEPCs and other Local Agencies Can Include Information from Risk Management Plans in Their Ongoing Work (PDF) (62 pp, 1.1MB)
Issued: November 1999

Guidance for Auditing Risk Management Plans/Programs under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r) (PDF) (94 pp, 855K)
Issued: August 1999

Risk Management Programs under Clean Air Act Section 112(r): Guidance for Implementing Agencies (PDF) (58 pp, 144K)
Issued: February 1998

Risk Management Program Guidances Errata Sheet (PDF) (8 pp, 19K)

Ammonia Refrigeration Risk Management Plan Guidance

Related Policies

Security Notice To Federal, State and Local Officials Receiving Access to the Risk Management Program’s Off-site Consequence Analysis Information (PDF) (8 pp, 37K)
Issued: October 2004

Strategy for Coordinated EPA/Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Implementation of the Chemical Accident Prevention Requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (PDF) (2 pp, 15K)
Issued: August 1998

Memorandum of Understanding between EPA and CSB on Chemical Incidents (PDF) (10 pp, 22K)
Issued: March 1999

Fact Sheets

What's New in Risk Management Plan (RMP) Reporting for 2009? | PDF (1 pp, 30K)
Issued: April 2008

Changes to the Chemical Accident Prevention Rule (Risk Management Program) in 2004 (PDF) (3 pp, 37K)
Issued: March 2004

Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention in Indian Country (PDF) (5 pp, 56K)
Issued: August 2002

Public Distribution of Off-Site Consequence Analysis Information (PDF) (3 pp, 406K)
Issued: August 2000
Describes the final regulations governing access to and dissemination of restricted forms of information about the potential off-site consequences of accidental chemical releases.

Fact Sheet: Risk Management Plan (RMP) Audit Program (PDF) (2 pp, 71K)
Issued: August 2000

US EPA Assessment of the Incentives Created by Public Disclosure of Off-Site Consequence Analysis Information for Reduction in the Risk of Accidental Releases (PDF) (149 pp, 1MB)
Issued: April 18, 2000

FBI/EPA fact sheet Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act: Public Meetings and Other Notification (PDF) (4 pp, 89K)
Issued: October 1999

Chemical Safety Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act (PDF) (2 pp, 78K)
Issued: August 1999
EPA has prepared a fact sheet that describes the law's requirements.

The General Duty Clause Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 51K)
Issued: June 1999

Changes to the Risk Management Program Rule (PDF) (2 pp, 134K)
Issued: December 1998

Owners, Operators of Stationary Sources Must Comply with Clean Air Act’s "General Duty" Clause (PDF) (2 pp, 47K)
Issued: August 1998

Funding Sources for Implementing the Risk Management Program Fact Sheet, May 1998

Originally appeared in the December 1997 report, State Strategies and Considerations for Implementing the Chemical Accidental Release Prevention Program, which was prepared by the National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices under a cooperative agreement with EPA.

Small Business and the Risk Management Program (PDF) (4 pp, 229K)
Issued: April 1998

Risk Management Planning: Accidental Release Prevention; Final Rule: Clean Air Act section 112(r) (13K, TXT)
Issued: May 1996

Chemical Accident Prevention and the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (19K, TXT)
Issued: May 1996

Accidental Release Information Program (ARIP) Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 56K)
Issued: November 1994

Frequent Questions

Risk Management Program Amendments Rule FAQs
Issued: April 2004
These questions and answers concern the final amendments to the submission schedule and data elements. This rule was published on April 9, 2004.

Clean Air Act 112(r) Frequently Asked Questions
Revised: February 2006
These questions and answers regarding the Risk Management Program Rule under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r) have been approved for release.

Chemical Safety Information, Site Security, and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act (PL 106_40) Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Issued: June 2000
Find out more about public meetings, certification, and notification requirements of this new law. This applies to facilities that report Risk Management Plans under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r).

OSHA's Standard Interpretations and Compliance Letters
A text-searchable web site for of interpretations of the OSHA Standards, by USDOL OSHA - Directorate of Compliance Programs. Since OSHA's PSM program is so closely related to EPA's RMP program, a link is being made to this OSHA page which provides search capabilities as well as numeric and chronological listing of frequent questions.

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