The above list of stakeholders will overlap substantially with local chemical SMEs serving on federally-mandated hazardous substance release planning and preparedness groups already working in most areas. The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) serves as a key foundation for enhancing SLTT and public preparedness for and response to chemical incidents by requiring that industry (the Responsible Party) disclose potential chemical risks to jurisdictions and the public. In particular, EPCRA mandates that industry report on storage, use, and releases of hazardous substances to federal, state, and local governments. In turn, SLTT officials are required to use this information to prepare for and protect their communities from chemical incident risks. Specifically, each state is required to appoint a State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) (or Tribal Emergency Response Commission, TERC, for tribes) and Local or Tribal Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs or TEPCs) for each emergency planning district. With assistance from the RP, LEPCs/TEPCs must develop chemical emergency response plans tailored for their districts, including response, notification, evacuation, and training plans, and make information about chemicals within the community available to residents. See Appendix D for more information on EPCRA-mandated planning requirements for hazardous substance releases.
Additionally, relationships with the EPA and/or the USCG, as co-Chairs of the NRT for Oil and Chemical Spills under the NCP, should be leveraged to assist in planning and preparedness activities, as these entities and the NCP will be the lead authorities for most incidents involving oil and hazardous substances. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990, along with the NCP as its enabling regulation, require the FOSC (from EPA in the inland zone and USCG in coastal zone) to develop an Area Contingency Plan (ACP) to address oil spills and, in practice, chemical releases. To develop comprehensive ACPs, the FOSC will need to work with state and local officials and members of other federal agencies, industry, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). (Refer to the Federal Preparedness, Response, and Recovery section of the document for more information on federal response constructs and resources, and Appendix C for more information on chemical incident policy, legislation, and regulations.)
These groups should be engaged and coordinated with early and consistently during local chemical incident planning, as they will have the risk information and background knowledge needed to assist local planners, and will have already developed locally-appropriate response and recovery frameworks. Coordinating with these groups will also help local officials navigate the differences in federal support available for chemical releases that do and do not fall under the authority of the NCP.