Emergency Planning Community Right-to-Know (EPCRA)
The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, was passed in 1986 in response to concerns regarding the environmental and safety hazards posed by the storage and handling of dangerous chemicals. These concerns were prompted by the 1984 disaster in Bhopal, India. The incident was caused by an accidental release of methyl isocyanate, which was being used as an intermediary to produce pesticides.
To reduce the likelihood of such a disaster in the United States, Congress imposed requirements for federal, state, and local governments, tribes, and industry. These requirements covered emergency planning and "Community Right-to-Know" reporting on hazardous and toxic chemicals. The Community Right-to-Know provisions assist in increasing the public's knowledge and access to information on chemicals at individual facilities, their uses, and releases into the environment. For any hazardous chemical used or stored in the workplace, facilities must maintain a safety data sheet (SDS). Facilities must submit the safety data sheet (SDS) or a list of hazardous chemicals, and must submit an annual inventory of these chemicals by March 1 of each year to their State or Tribal Emergency Response Commission (SERC or TERC), Local or Tribal Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC or TEPC), and local fire department. Additionally, the information submitted by facilities must be made available to the public.
Tier2 Submit Software - The Tier2 Emergency and Hazardous Chemical Inventory forms must be submitted in an electronic format developed by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Annual submissions should be emailed to dem.tier2@dem.ri.gov.
Information on downloading software requiring CAMEO software can be found here.