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  • Release of a RCRA-delisted hazardous waste

    If a company has had its petition to delist a specific Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) hazardous waste granted by an EPA-approved State RCRA program, and that company releases this waste in excess of its Reportable Quantity (RQ), is it required to notify the National Response Center (NRC)? Under…

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  • Release notification for disposal into RCRA-regulated facility

    Would disposal of a hazardous substance into a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle C permitted facility or interim status facility be reportable? No. The disposal of hazardous substances into a disposal facility in accordance with EPA regulations is not subject to CERCLA notification provisions. Where the disposal of…

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  • Is there a concentration cutoff below which it is not necessary to report a release?

    Is there a concentration cutoff below which it is not necessary to report a release, even though a Reportable Quantity (RQ) might have been exceeded over a 24-hour period? No. There are no concentration cutoffs for the RQs (i.e., a lower-bound concentration below which reporting would not be required). Unless…

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  • Reporting Changes (other than source or composition) to a Continuous Release Report

    Pursuant to CERCLA regulations, facilities must submit a continuous release report when they release a CERCLA hazardous substance that equals or exceeds a reportable quantity (RQ) on a continuous basis. Once a continuous release report has been sent to EPA, how does the facility report changes in information other than…

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  • Clean Water Act (CWA) and CERCLA Hazardous Substance Lists

    What is the relationship between the hazardous substance lists under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and under CERCLA? All CWA hazardous substances and CWA toxic pollutants are CERCLA hazardous substances, whereas only some CERCLA hazardous substances are CWA hazardous substances. CERCLA section 101(14) defines “hazardous substance” by reference to lists…

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  • Using TRI Form R for Continuous Release Reporting

    A facility wants to use the reduced reporting option under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) section 103(f)(2) for releases of hazardous substances that occur in a manner that is continuous and are stable in quantity and rate. Can the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Form R be…

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  • Determining the amount released for Ammonia and Ammonium Hydroxide for Release Notification Requirements under CERCLA section 103 and EPCRA section 304

    Ammonia (CAS number 7664-41-7) is an Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS), listed at 40 CFR Part 355 Appendix A and Appendix B with a reportable quantity (RQ) of 100 lbs. Both ammonia and ammonium hydroxide (CAS number 1336-21-6) are listed as Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) hazardous substances…

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  • EPCRA Release Notification of RQ in Any 24-Hour Period

    EPCRA section 304 requires notification to the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) when there is a release of a reportable quantity (RQ) of either a CERCLA hazardous substance or an extremely hazardous substance (EHS). CERCLA section 103(a) and 40 CFR 302.6 require notification…

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  • What is the relationship between reportable quantities (RQs) and threshold planning quantities (TPQs)?

    The reportable quantity (RQ) that triggers emergency release notification (Section 304) was developed as a quantity that when released, poses potential threat to human health and the environment. The RQs were developed using several criteria, including aquatic toxicity, mammalian toxicity, ignitability, reactivity, chronic toxicity, potential carcinogenicity, biodegradation, hydrolysis, and photolysis…

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  • EPCRA extremely hazardous substances and relationship to CERCLA hazardous substances

    How are EPCRA extremely hazardous substances (EHSs) related to CERCLA hazardous substances? There are currently about 360 EHSs defined under EPCRA section 302 ; over a third of them are also CERCLA hazardous substances. Aside from this overlap of listed substances, CERCLA and EPCRA also have closely related notification requirements…

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  • Liability for damages that a release may cause

    Once a facility properly notifies the National Response Center (NRC) , is it exempted from any liability for damages that the release may cause? No. Proper and timely reporting of a release in accordance with Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) section 103 does not preclude liability for…

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  • Release Notification for Lead from Ammunition

    Pursuant to 40 CFR 302.6 , any person in charge of an onshore facility shall, as soon as he or she has knowledge of any release of a hazardous substance from a facility in a quantity equal to or exceeding the reportable quantity (RQ) in any 24-hour period, immediately notify…

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  • Notification if a SERC or LEPC has not yet been established

    What if the state or tribal emergency response commission (SERC or TERC) and/or local or tribal emergency planning committee (LEPC or TEPC) must be notified of a release but have not yet been established? States were required to establish their commissions by April 17, 1987 and those commissions were to…

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  • The meaning of the phrase "as soon as practicable" for emergency release notification

    The release of a reportable quantity (RQ) of an extremely hazardous substance (EHS) or Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) hazardous substance within any 24-hour period triggers the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) emergency release notification requirements ( 40 CFR 355.33 ). A facility must make…

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  • Separate releases of the same hazardous substance

    If a number of releases of the same hazardous substance are occurring at several locations at the same time at a facility (e.g., through leaks in pipes or valves), are multiple reports required? All releases of the same substance from a single facility should be aggregated to determine whether an…

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