The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA) promotes planning for chemical emergencies and the public's right to know about toxic and hazardous chemicals in their communities. A core provision of this Act is the establishment of the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI)--a national database identifying facilities, chemicals manufactured and used at those facilities, and the annual accidental and routine releases of these materials. The toxic chemical list for TRI 1995 includes over 600 individually listed chemicals and chemical categories. EPA Region 10 works closely with reporting facilities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to provide training, outreach and assistance in completing forms. EPA Region 10 also assists individuals, public interest groups, the media and others in acquiring and understanding TRI data.
Enforcement
When necessary, EPA conducts enforcement action to ensure timely, accurate reporting by manufacturers subject to TRI. Section 325(c) of EPCRA authorizes civil administrative actions for violations for up to $27,500 per day, per violation. The Enforcement Response Policy (ERP) developed for EPCRA Section 313 establishes the framework for taking these administrative actions for violations such as:
- Failure to report in a timely fashion,
- Data quality errors,
- Failure to respond to a Notice of Non-Compliance,
- Repeated violations,
- Failure to supply notification,
- Failure to maintain records.
Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) - Review undertaken by industries between 1988 and 1993.
EPA's Compliance and Enforcement Office information on enforcement statistics, penalty policies, policy on supplemental environmental projects, audit (self-disclosure) policy, enforcement cases, compliance assistance programs and documents, and numerous other resources concerning enforcement and compliance.
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