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Emergency - no time to read this? To report oil and hazardous chemical spills, call the National Response Center 1-800-424-8802
There are four primary Federal statutes that require release reporting including CERCLA , the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 ( EPCRA ), the Hazardous Material Transportation Act of 1974 ( HMTA ), and the CWA (the Clean Water Act).
In addition, because CERCLA defines hazardous substances to include CWA hazardous substances and toxic pollutants, the Clean Air Act ( CAA ) hazardous air pollutants, the RCRA (Resource Conservation and Recovery Act) hazardous wastes, and the Toxic Substances Control Act ( TSCA ) imminently hazardous chemical substances, releases of these substances are also subject to CERCLA reporting requirements.
Part or all of the information from these reports may be collected in ERNS. The four primary statutes and their resulting regulations, citations, and relationship to ERNS are shown below.
Requires that the release of a CERCLA hazardous substance that meets or exceeds the reportable quantity (RQ) set forth in 40 CFR 302.4 must be reported to the NRC. These substances account for on average 19% of all the notifications in ERNS.
Requires that the release of an RQ or more of an EPCRA extremely hazardous substance or a CERCLA hazardous substance (one pound or more if a reporting trigger is not established by regulation) that results in exposure of people outside the facility boundary be reported to State and local authorities.
Requires that the release of a DOT hazardous material during transportation be reported to the NRC under certain circumstances such as death, injury, significant property damage, evacuation, highway closure, etc.
Requires that the release of oil be reported to the NRC if the release: (1) violates applicable water quality standards; (2) causes a film, sheen or discoloration of the water or adjoining shoreline; or (3) causes a sludge or an emulsion to be deposited beneath the surface of the water or upon the adjoining shorelines. Oil notifications account for on average 57% of all notifications in ERNS.
It depends upon the type and place of the spill. Examples of Responding Agencies: