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  • Calculating EHS quantities within landfills

    How are the quantities of the extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) to be calculated in determining if landfills are subject to the section 302 requirements? EPA realizes the practical problems presented for landfills in complying with the Title III requirements. Owners of these facilities must determine, based on reasonably available information…

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  • Threshold planning quantity for extremely hazardous substances in solid form

    Extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) that are in solid form are subject to one of two different threshold planning quantities (TPQs), a lower level or 10,000 pounds ( 40 CFR 355.15 ). Why does the list of EHSs only have one TPQ for certain solids, such as sodium cyanide? If a…

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  • Applicability of EPCRA §§302 and 304 to EHSs produced on-site

    If an extremely hazardous substance is not stored on-site but is produced in a process such as incineration, is it exempt from both threshold planning quantity calculation and release reporting if the release is covered by a Clean Air Act permit? If the hazardous substance is produced on-site in a…

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  • Can state and local laws supersede EPCRA?

    Can existing state and local laws that provide substantially similar emergency planning supersede the specific provisions of the federal law? Title III (Section 321) generally provides that nothing in Title III shall preempt or affect any state or local law. However, material safety data sheets, if required under a state…

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  • Primary purpose of Section 302 notification requirements

    What is the primary purpose of Section 302 notification requirements? Notifications indicating that a facility has one or more extremely hazardous substances in excess of the threshold planning quantity help to identify locations within the State where emergency planning activities can be initially focused. While the substances on the list…

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  • Counting Ammonia and Ammonium Hydroxide for Emergency Planning Notification under EPCRA section 302

    Ammonium hydroxide is a solution of ammonia in water. If a facility stores ammonium hydroxide (CAS #1336-21-6) in a large storage tank on site, should the facility include the quantity of ammonia in ammonium hydroxide for the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) section 302 emergency planning notification? The…

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  • Local Emergency Planning Committee request of notification for exempt chemicals

    Under Section 312 , if a local emergency planning committee requests a Tier I/II from a facility owner/operator for a substance which is exempt (either under EPCRA, Section 311(e), or the OSHA Hazardous Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200(b)) , are they required to comply with the request? If the LEPC…

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  • EHSs and the EPCRA emergency planning requirements

    What is purpose of the list of extremely hazardous substances in regards to the emergency planning requirements of EPCRA? The extremely hazardous substances list and its threshold planning quantities are intended to help communities focus on the substances and facilities of most immediate concern for emergency planning and response. However…

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  • Does hydrogen sulfide present in the ground count towards the TPQ and RQ?

    A petroleum company is drilling for oil contained in the ground below their facility. Would the hydrogen sulfide present in the ground be counted toward the threshold planning quantity (TPQ) for this extremely hazardous substance (EHS) under Section 302? Also, if there is a reportable release of this EHS above…

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  • Calculating vulnerability zone distances for EHSs in solutions

    When calculating vulnerability zone distances, how would the quantity released (QR) be handled for an extremely hazardous substance (EHS) in solution? If the EHS is in solution, a facility can make a rough estimate of the QR using equation (1) on page G-2 of the "Technical Guidance for Hazards Analysis."…

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  • Threshold planning quantity (TPQ) for a non-reactive extremely hazardous substance (EHS) solid handled both as a solution and as a powder

    How does a facility apply the threshold planning quantity (TPQ) for a non-reactive extremely hazardous substance (EHS) solid that is handled both as a solution and as a powder? Facilities that handle both the powdered and solution forms of a particular non-reactive solid EHS will have to consider the quantities…

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  • Did drinking water samples from the American Legion in East Palestine have detections of vinyl chloride?

    No. The drinking water supplied to the American Legion from the Village municipal water system has been tested weekly since the incident and vinyl chloride has not been detected in the drinking water, nor any of the water supply wells. A filter company collected water at the American Legion, and…

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  • Will LEPCs impose significant requirements on small businesses?

    Will the local emergency planning committees impose significant requirements on small businesses? Will EPA clarify the information requirements in the emergency planning guidance and in the rulemaking? The Agency's small business analysis does not indicate that emergency planning requirements will cause a significant burden to small facilities. Small facilities are…

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  • What are current results for Ohio EPA’s stream and fish monitoring?

    Recent biological sampling in the streams includes habitat, fish, and macroinvertebrate (aquatic bugs) collection. Fish sampling results indicate that the fish community has returned to pre-spill conditions in Leslie Run near Negley. Fish community scores, a way to measure aquatic health, range from 1 (poor water quality) to 60 (high…

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  • What are preliminary data and how are they different from validated results?

    Preliminary data are the initial results received from samples sent to the laboratory. The general findings from this data may be used before validation if there is an immediate health or environmental threat. Data validation is the formal process by which experienced chemists assess the quality of the preliminary data…

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