COMPREHENSIVE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
SOLUTIONS
Comprehensive Emergency Response, Compensation, and Liability Act
(CERCLA) (1980) - ✔✔created a billion dollar trust fund to pay for Federal and
State response actions when hazardous materials pose or may pose a threat to
human health or the environment Superfund Amendments and
Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) - ✔✔expanded and revised CERCLA
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 - ✔✔Title III of
SARA; subjects +300 hazardous substances to reporting to local, State, and
Federal agencies; requires local governments to create emergency plans The
National Oil and Hazardous Substance Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) -
✔✔the basis for Federal action to minimize pollution damage from discharges
of oil or hazardous substances; Federal agencies assist in the development and
evaluation of national, regional, and local oil and hazardous substance
pollution contingency plans National Response Team (NRT) - ✔✔publish
guidance on emergency response planning and stand ready to assist States in
the event of a major chemical emergency Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) - ✔✔Deal with inland water U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) - ✔✔Deal with
coastal water The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (RCRA) -
✔✔establishes a Federal program to provide comprehensive regulation of
hazardous waste, which includes certain materials held to pose a potential
threat to public health and safety when they are discarded; "cradle to grave
management of hazardous waste"; How did the RCRA work? - ✔✔Developed
cleanup standards, tracks hazardous waste shipments and developed a permit
system for waste disposal sites Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA)
(1975) - ✔✔DOT's Office of Hazardous Materials Transportation (OHMT) issues
regulations dealing with the shipping and packaging of hazardous materials,
including how they are classified and labeled. Occupational Safety and Health
Act of 1970 - ✔✔issues basic safety and health standards, assigns
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) employees to inspect
workplaces, and forces industry to reduce or eliminate job hazards by imposing
fines for identified violations Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency
Response (HAZWOPER) (1989) - ✔✔a health and safety standard to ensure the
safety of workers performing hazardous waste cleanup or response actions The
, Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) (1976) - ✔✔chemical producers are
required to research the effects of new chemicals and notify EPA before they
are manufactured; EPA has the authority to ban or restrict chemical uses if
there is sufficient evidence that the substance poses an "unreasonable risk."
Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) (1910) - ✔✔requires regulation of
pesticides; amended in 1972 to require testing for short-term and long-term
toxic effects prior to registration Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA)
(1938) - ✔✔requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enforce residue
limits by monitoring and seizing foods whose residues are in excess of
standards. Clean Air Act (CAA) (1970) - ✔✔the basic Federal law for controlling
toxic air pollution; requires EPA to keep an up-to-date list of industrial
pollutants that are hazardous to human health, and set an emission standard
for each "with an ample margin of safety;" requires EPA to review public health
standards for six major air pollutants every 5 years; can be based only upon a
consideration of public health Clean Water Act (CWA) (1972) - ✔✔set maximum
permissible amounts of water pollutants that can be discharged into
waterways; aims to make surface waters swimmable and fishable Safe Drinking
Water Act (1974) - ✔✔enacted to protect public water supplies from
contamination by mandating water testing, denying Federal funds to projects
that threaten critical water supplies, and requiring States to submit plans to
protect public wells from contamination; has a "Right to Know" provision in
cases where contaminants exceed Maximum Concentration Levels (MCLs)
Section I of Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 -
✔✔requires that the governor of each State designate a State Emergency
Response Commission (SERC) State Emergency Response Commission (SERC)
- ✔✔designates local emergency planning districts and appoints Local
Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) within districts Local Emergency
Planning Committees (LEPCs) - ✔✔responsible for developing and maintaining
a local emergency response plan that will ensure a quick and effective response
to a chemical emergency. Section II of the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act of 1986 - ✔✔requires an industry to notify the LEPC, the
State, and the National Response Center if there is a release of a listed
hazardous substance that exceeds a certain quantity Section III of the
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 - ✔✔grants
citizens the right to obtain information on hazardous materials in their
community; requires facilities to submit either a form called a Safety Data
Sheet (SDS) or lists of certain hazardous chemicals on sites in amounts over
threshold quantities to the LEPC, the SERC, and the local fire department
Section IV of Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 -