Community Information and Emergency Response Planning Act

Summary

Community Information and Emergency Response Planning Act - Amends the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 to require the Governor of each State to appoint an emergency response commission. Requires each commission to appoint and coordinate regional emergency response committees which shall develop emergency response plans to minimize the injury to human health and the environment in the event of a hazardous substance emergency. Requires such plans to contain specified information, including: the names and phone numbers of persons to be contacted in case of an emergency, a description of measures to be taken, and an evaluation of the medical and municipal services needed in such an event. Requires the operator of a facility on the National Priority List (NPL) issued a permit under the Solid Waste Disposal Act, or containing significant amounts of a hazardous substance, to prepare for the appropriate regional emergency response committee a hazardous substance report identifying the type, amount, location, routes of potential human exposure, and appropriate emergency procedures and notifications for any hazardous substances contained therein. Requires such reports to be updated periodically and to comply with a uniform format. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish and revise a list of covered hazardous substances for purposes of these provisions. Permits regional committees or individuals to petition for the designation of additional substances. Requires the owner or operator of any facility which produces, uses, or stores any hazardous chemical to prepare or obtain a material safety data sheet indicating how much of the chemical will be present during the next year, such sheet to be distributed to the appropriate regional committee. Requires the maintenance of permanent records of such information. Permits exemptions from reporting and information maintenance requirements under specified circumstances. Requires a covered operator to provide an emergency bulletin to the emergency response committee in the area when an emergency arises. Requires such bulletins to identify the chemical, the actions to be taken, the scope of the emergency, and recommendations for additional actions. Requires all reports, bulletins, and data sheets to be made available to the public. Establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations of such information provisions. Permits citizen suits for such violations or for the failure of the Administrator to perform mandatory acts. Preempts State laws for hazardous substances reporting requirements unless the State standard is more protective. Permits an otherwise covered operator to withhold certain trade secrets from reports, bulletins, and data sheets, but requires disclosure to health officials upon written demonstration of need.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

1. 11 July 1985

   Introduced

   Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 11 July 1985

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 11 July 1985

   Introduced

   Introduced in House

   Source: IntroReferral

4. 22 July 1985

   Referred

   Referred to Subcommittee on Commerce, Transportation and Tourism.

   Source: Committee

5. 25 July 1985

   Referred

   Referred to Subcommittee on Water Resources.

   Source: Committee

6. 10 December 1985

   Committee

   See H.R.2005.

   Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

1 official file

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 11 July 1985

  Open at official source

Sponsors

• Rep. Gallo, Dean A. [R-NJ-11] · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Courter, Jim [R-NJ-12] · R · Sponsor
• Rep. Mrazek, Robert J. [D-NY-3] · D · Cosponsor
• Rep. Saxton, Jim [R-NJ-3] · R · Cosponsor
• Rep. Morrison, Bruce A. [D-CT-3] · D · Cosponsor
• · hspw00 · Standing
• · hsif00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986