Introduction
- Envirofacts
- Risk Management Plans (RMP Info)
- Toxics Release Inventory
- National Response Center (NRC)
- Search Your Community
Electronic Chemical Information Tools and Databases
- Vulnerable Zone Indicator System
- TRI Explorer Version 3
- Tiger and Tiger/Line Extracts
- Profiles of Extremely Hazardous Substances
- USGS National Atlas of the United States
EPA Reading Rooms
EPCRA Call Center
EPA’s Regional Offices
Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)
Publications
Subscribe to CEPPO Listserv
Laws and Regulations
Other Citizen Sites Resources
Introduction
The EPA pamphlet entitled "Chemicals In Your Community" summarizes the information you can obtain under EPCRA and CAA; tells you about other related information sources you may also find helpful; and describes how you can use these various sources of information to build a snapshot of chemicals stored and released in your community.
Some of the information sources described in this pamphlet are:
EPA's Envirofacts Warehouse This is a great tool for the concerned citizen. It is a user-friendly search engine that allows you to retrieve environmental information from over 10 EPA environmental databases. Among the databases available through Environfacts are:
RMP*Info: You can access information on accident prevention plans filed by certain chemical facilities.
Toxic Release Inventory (TRI): Certain facilities file annual reports on all releases of about 650 chemicals. You can search for specific facilities or search for all facilities in a town, country, or state.
The National Response Center: The National Response Center (NRC) is the sole federal point of contact for reporting oil and chemical spills. In addition to gathering and distributing spill data for Federal On-Scene Coordinators, the NRC serves as the communications and operations center for the National Response Team, which is chaired by EPA. The NRC has implemented an on-line query system that makes oil and chemical spill data available via the World Wide Web.
The Query NRC Data
system provides full query capability on all non-Privacy Act data collected by the NRC since 1990 using a web browser. Searches can be done based on spiller, location, material involved, state, county, etc., and can be customized for each request. Yearly data beginning in 1982 can be downloaded for viewing off line or each report can be printed from with your browser.
Search Your Community: This site allows you to search multiple environmental databases including Envirofacts for your zip code.
In addition to the information resources described above, interested citizens can also make use of the following resources to increase their understanding of chemical hazards.
Electronic Chemical Tools and Databases
Vulnerable Zone Indicator System (VZIS): Have you ever driven past an industrial plant and wondered what was happening inside? The Vulnerable Zone Indicator System allows you to quickly find out if an address of interest to you – your home, place of work, or child's school - could be affected by a chemical accident.
TRI Explorer: provides access to the TRI data to help communities identify facilities and chemical release patterns that warrant further study and analysis.
TIGER and TIGER/Line Extracts: TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) is provided by the US Census Bureau. The TIGER/Line files are a digital database of geographic features (such as roads, railroads, rivers, lakes, political boundaries, census statistical boundaries) covering the entire United States. The database includes information about these features: latitude and longitude, name, type of feature, address ranges for most streets, geographic relationship to other features, and other related information.
Note: these files are not graphic images of maps, but rather digital data describing geographic features. To make use of these data, a user must have mapping or Geographic Information System (GIS) software that can import TIGER/Line data.
Profiles of Extremely Hazardous Substances: This database provides information on properties and hazards of certain chemicals.
USGS National Atlas of the United States:This Internet-based atlas provides a comprehensive, map-like view into a wealth of data-examples; it includes data on: soils, boundaries, volcanoes, and principal aquifers; also crime patterns, population distribution, and incidence of disease. The information is tied to specific geographic areas, indexed by county, state, and zip code boundaries, and latitude and longitude. EPA Reading Rooms
At Federal Reading Rooms, you may access Offsite Consequences Analysis (OCA) Information, in the form of paper copies of Sections 2 through 5 of Risk Management Plans. This link provides information on the location of Federal Reading Rooms and information on procedures for visiting a reading room.
EPCRA Call Center
You can call EPA's RCRA, Superfund & EPCRA Call Center to ask questions or order documents on several EPA programs, including programs for emergency planning and community right-to-know (EPCRA) and risk management (CAA 112(r)):
EPA’s Regional Offices
EPA organizes our states into 10 Regions for the purpose of environmental program management. EPA's regions work directly with the state and local governments to help prevent and prepare for chemical accidents, and to them implement many of CEPPO's programs.
Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)
Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPCs) provide a forum for emergency management agencies, responders, industry and the public to work together to understand chemical hazards in the community, develop emergency plans in case of an accidental release, and always look for ways to prevent chemical accidents. Local industries must provide information to LEPCs about chemical hazards, LEPCs are required by law to make this information available to any citizen who requests it. You can make a difference by attending an LEPC meeting or joining your LEPC.
Publications
To order a paper copy of any of these documents contact the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) at 1-800-490-9198.
CEPPO Listserv
CEPPO Enhances Information Updates - EPA's Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office has changed the way you currently receive information about chemical accident prevention and other chemical safety issues. You can receive periodic updates through our listserv. We will provide hotlinks to new documents and cover a wide range of topics to give you a complete picture of what is happening in the world of chemical safety.Laws and Regulations
Laws and Regulations - This link provides information on laws and regulations related to CEPPO’s mission.
Other Citizen Site Resources
These links will take you to other EPA Concerned Citizen sites and non-EPA sites containing information that may be of interest to you. EPA does not endorse any material contained on these non-EPA sites nor is EPA responsible for the information or links provided by these non-EPA sites.
Other EPA Sites
Community Involvement Groups
- The Environmental Defense Fund's - Scorecard
- The National Safety Council - NSC
Chemical Industry Associations
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers - AICHE
- American Petroleum Institute - API
- American Chemistry Council (ACC), formerly the Chemical Manufacturers Association - Chemical Guide
- National Propane Gas Association - NPGA