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Policy and Guidance

EPA regulations help ensure that facilities take steps to prevent oil spills, chemical accidents, and other emergencies, and implement planning and response requirements. EPA often provides additional information to help the regulated community better understand the regulations and to prevent, prepare for, and respond to environmental emergencies.

The following policy statements, guidance, and compliance assistance guides provide additional information on compliance with these emergency management regulations:

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Requirements
Facility Response Plan (FRP) Rule
Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan)
National Contingency Plan (NCP)
(updated March 13, 2009) Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule Guidance
Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule
Continuous Release Reporting
International Agreements

In addition to the documents below, archived publications and archived policy and guidance documents are available because they may still be of historical value as references or resources. These documents represent the emergency management programs as implemented at the time they were published and may not reflect the current policy or programs.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Requirements

Guidance

FR Notice: Guidance on Reporting Options for Sections 311 and 312 and Interpretations (PDF) (8 pp, 204K)

RMPs Are on the Way! - How LEPCs and other Local Agencies Can Include Information from Risk Management Plans in Their Ongoing Work (PDF) (62 pp, 1.1MB)
Issued: November 1999

Technical Guidance for Hazardous Analysis, Emergency Planning for Extremely Hazardous Substances (PDF) (193 pp, 4.7MB)
Issued: December 1987

Related Policies

Lead Acid Battery Reporting Under EPCRA Sections 311 and 312 - REVISED (PDF) (2 pp, 641K)
Issued: April 2007

Electronic Reporting and Signature under EPCRA Section 312 (PDF) (3 pp, 791K)
Issued: July 2009

Letter on Decontamination and First Responder Liability, 1999 (PDF) (2 pp, 255K)

Substantiation to Accompany Claims of Trade Secrecy Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (PDF) (5 pp, 40K)
(Note: You will need Adobe Reader version 7 or 8 to fill out and save a copy of this form.)
MS-WORD (5 pp, 80K)
Issued: July 1988

Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan)

(Note: The official version of the One Plan Guidance was published in the Federal Register on June 5, 1996, and the official version in PDF format below contains the complete document as published. However, a correction was published in the Federal Register since several lines from table "DOT/RSPA FRP (49 CFR 194)" were omitted in the original published version. The text for the FR correction notice is also included below. The complete corrected version is available in WordPerfect format below.)

The National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan) (Corrected Version) (64 pp, 266K, WPD)

The National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan) (PDF) (24 pp, 830K)
Issued: June 1996

National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan (One Plan) Guidance Fact Sheet (PDF) (2 pp, 189K)
Issued: April 1998

Correction Notice for "The National Response Team's Integrated Contingency Plan Guidance (One Plan) (published June 19, 1996)"

NRT-1: Hazardous Materials Planning Guide (2001 Update) (PDF) (118 pp, 765K)

This update of the 1987 Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning Guide (NRT-1, "Orange Book") contains updated references to guidance on developing state and local emergency response plans. Brief references to recent legislation have been incorporated to encourage plan integration and coordination. This updated version of NRT-1 includes new guidance on integrating local emergency response plans prepared and updated by Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) with the planning requirements contained in recent legislation.

NRT-2: Developing a Hazardous Materials Exercise Program - A Handbook for State and Local Officials

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National Contingency Plan (NCP)

Guidance Documents

Application for EPA Permits to Discharge Oil for Research Purposes (Revised Interim Guidelines) (PDF) (20 pp, 93K)

Superfund Removal Guidance for Preparing Action Memoranda (PDF) (75 pp, 675K)
Issued: September 2009

Product Schedule

NCP Product Schedule - May 2012 (PDF) (29 pp, 266K)

NCP Product Schedule Notebook - May 2012 (PDF) (359 pp, 1.6M)

NCP Subpart J Product Schedule Fact Sheet | PDF version (PDF) (2 pp, 37K)

NRT-RRT Fact Sheet: Application of Sorbents and Solidifiers for Oil Spills (PDF) (6 pp, 535K)

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Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule Guidance

Guidance Documents

Clean Air Act Section 112(r) Inspection Guidance Distribution Memorandum (PDF) (2 pp, 455K)

Guidance for Conducting Risk Management Program Inspections Under Clean Air Act Section 112(r) (PDF) (84 pp, 498K)

(updated March 13, 2009) General Risk Management Plan Guidance

(updated March 13, 2009) Propane Storage Facilities Risk Management Plan Guidance

(updated March 13, 2009) Warehouses Risk Management Plan Guidance

(updated March 13, 2009) Chemical Distributors Risk Management Plan Guidance

(updated March 13, 2009) Offsite Consequence Analysis Risk Management Plan Guidance

Technical Background Document for Offsite Consequence Analysis for Anhydrous Aqueous Ammonia, Chlorine, and Sulfur Dioxide

myRMP Suite of Retail Agriculture Guidance Materials

Guidance for Implementation of the General Duty Clause Clean Air Act Section 112(r) (PDF) (55 pp, 367K)

RMPs Are on the Way! - How LEPCs and other Local Agencies Can Include Information from Risk Management Plans in Their Ongoing Work (PDF) (62 pp, 1.1MB)
Issued: November 1999

Risk Management Programs under Clean Air Act Section 112(r): Guidance for Implementing Agencies (PDF) (58 pp, 144K)
Issued: February 1998

Ammonia Refrigeration Risk Management Plan Guidance

Related Policies

Security Notice To Federal, State and Local Officials Receiving Access to the Risk Management Program’s Off-site Consequence Analysis Information (PDF) (8 pp, 37K)
Issued: October 2004

Strategy for Coordinated EPA/Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Implementation of the Chemical Accident Prevention Requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (PDF) (2 pp, 15K)
Issued: August 1998

Memorandum of Understanding between EPA and CSB on Chemical Incidents (PDF) (10 pp, 22K)
Issued: March 1999

Fact Sheets

(updated March 13, 2009) Fact Sheet: Clean Air Act Section 112(r): Accidental Release Prevention / Risk Management Plan Rule (3 pp, 58K)

Fact Sheet: Risk Management Plan (RMP) Audit Program (PDF) (2 pp, 71K)
Issued: August 2000

(updated March 13, 2009) The General Duty Clause Fact Sheet (PDF) (3 pp, 65K)
Issued: March 2009

Owners, Operators of Stationary Sources Must Comply with Clean Air Act’s "General Duty" Clause (PDF) (2 pp, 47K)
Issued: August 1998

Small Business and the Risk Management Program (PDF) (4 pp, 229K)
Issued: April 1998

Funding Sources for Implementing the Risk Management Program Fact Sheet, May 1998

Originally appeared in the December 1997 report, State Strategies and Considerations for Implementing the Chemical Accidental Release Prevention Program, which was prepared by the National Governors' Association Center for Best Practices under a cooperative agreement with EPA.

(updated March 13, 2009) Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention in Indian Country (PDF) (7 pp, 128K)
Issued: March 2009

Frequent Questions

Search frequently asked questions or submit your own question or comments in the Emergency Management section of EPA's Frequent Questions Database.

Clean Air Act 112(r) Frequently Asked Questions
Revised: February 2006
These questions and answers regarding the Risk Management Program Rule under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r) have been approved for release.

Chemical Safety Information, Site Security, and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act (PL 106_40) Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
Issued: June 2000
Find out more about public meetings, certification, and notification requirements of this new law. This applies to facilities that report Risk Management Plans under the Clean Air Act Section 112(r).

OSHA's Standard Interpretations and Compliance Letters
A text-searchable web site for of interpretations of the OSHA Standards, by USDOL OSHA - Directorate of Compliance Programs. Since OSHA's PSM program is so closely related to EPA's RMP program, a link is being made to this OSHA page which provides search capabilities as well as numeric and chronological listing of frequent questions.

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