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Introduction

The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) establishes reporting standards to increase public knowledge of emergency planning and the presence, release and transfer of toxic chemicals throughout U.S. communities. The EPCRA, a part of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986, requires manufacturing and federal facilities to report in four areas:

  • Emergency planning;
  • Emergency notification;
  • Community right-to-know; and
  • Toxic chemical release inventory.

Reporting requires coordination with local and state emergency planners and first responders, annual hazardous substance inventory reporting to local and state emergency planners, and annual reporting to the national Toxic Release Inventory (TRI). The requirement for the TRI is explained in Section 313 of the EPCRA.

How does the EPCRA impact the Army?

Pursuant to the EPCRA, the Army has adopted reporting standards for many of its activities to increase public knowledge. These include demilitarization activities; chemical storage activities; chemical usage activities; range activities; ammunition manufacture, processing, and wastewater treatment at government owned, contractor operated (GOCO) facilities; depot-level vehicle maintenance; and intermediate-level vehicle maintenance at troop installations.

Army facilities regulate the presence and quantity of hazardous chemicals through regular inventories. They submit reports to local emergency planning committees (LEPCs), state emergency response commissions (SERCs), local fire departments, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

How does the U.S. Army Environmental Command (USAEC) help the Army comply with the EPCRA?

USAEC's role in promoting environmental compliance for the Army with EPCRA includes:

  • Reviewing all EPCRA rulemakings;
  • Preparing Army impact analyses and comments on potential rulemakings;
  • Preparing guidance documents, including pollution prevention options;
  • Identifying those activities at installations that entail the storage and use of chemicals that are subject to regulatory reporting;
  • Helping Army installations in their efforts to reduce the quantity of toxic release inventory emissions by 40 percent between 2001 and 2006, pursuant to Executive Order 13148;
  • Developing tools to assist installations in complying with EPCRA requirements;
  • Working with the Office of the Director of Environmental Programs (ODEP) and the Installation Management Command (IMCOM) to develop compliance strategies;
  • Tracking the Army's progress on meeting DoD and Army environmental goals;
  • Maintaining contact with the EPA to stay abreast of current and future initiatives; and
  • Representing the Army on DoD committees, along with ODEP.
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