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CHEMICAL ACCIDENT AGREEMENT REACHED
Release Date: 03/19/99
Contact Information:
FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1999
CHEMICAL ACCIDENT AGREEMENT REACHED
EPA and the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on chemical incidents that establishes a working relationship between the two agencies. EPA has responsibilities for notification, emergency response and investigation of chemical accidents under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. EPA also has related responsibilities under the Clean Air Act to prevent and mitigate accidental chemical releases. The CSB is an independent federal agency with the mission of ensuring the safety of workers and the public by preventing or minimizing the effects of industrial and commercial chemical incidents. The CSB began operations in January 1998 and is modeled after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates aircraft and other transportation accidents for the purpose of improving safety. Like the NTSB, the CSB is a scientific investigatory organization and is not an enforcement or regulatory body. This MOU is intended to minimize duplication of effort and to ensure that response and investigation activities do not compromise the protection of people, the environment or the enforcement of the law. EPA and CSB will coordinate incident notification, data and information exchange, training, investigations, technical and professional assistance and related activities. For a copy of the MOU, visit EPA’s webpage at: https://www.epa.gov/ceppo/ or call the RCRA/Superfund Hotline at 1-800-424-9346 or 703-412-9810.
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