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Our Purpose
The RCRA, Superfund 8c EPCRA Hotline is a
publicly accessible service that provides up-to-
date information on several Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) programs. The
Hotline responds to questions on the Resource
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which
includes the Underground Storage Tank (UST)
program; the Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act
(CERCLA or Superfund); the Oil Pollution Act
(OPA); the Emergency Planning and Community
Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA); and the accidental
release prevention provisions of the Clean Air
Act (CAA). The Hotline also responds to
requests for relevant documents.
Using the Hotline
Anyone can call the Hotline — it offers informa-
tion to a broad audience including consultants,
manufacturers, members of trade associations
and environmental organizations, lawyers,
health professionals, state and local government
representatives, citizens, and other callers with
diverse backgrounds, and varying degrees of reg-
ulatory knowledge. The Hotline's automated
message system supplies information on hot
regulatory topics and directs each caller to the
appropriate Hotline program area. Callers can
speak to a Hotline staff member who specializes
in the RCRA/UST or the EPCRA/Superfund/OPA/
CAA§112(r) regulations. Those seeking to order
EPA publications pertaining to any of the
Hotline's program areas can speak to a
Document Specialist.
RCRA, Superfund & EPCRA Hotline
National Toll Free (800) 424-9346
Washington, DC Area (703) 412-9810
TDD (800) 553-7672
Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET
Closed Federal Holidays
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hotline
Regulations
The Hotline's team of Information Specialists
relies on federal regulations and various forms
of EPA-guidance to provide quick, accurate
responses to questions on the following regula-
tory programs:
RCRA
Under the Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA), EPA has created a complex regula-
tory framework addressing solid waste disposal
and hazardous waste management. Questions
on RCRA regulations often concern:
H hazardous waste generators and transporters
H biennial reporting for hazardous waste
activites
» land disposal restrictions (LDR)
a municipal solid waste landfill criteria
• solid and hazardous waste recycling
, « treatment, storage, and disposal facilities
• waste minimization and hazardous waste
combustion
» federal procurement of products that contain
recycled material.
The Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments
(HSWA) broadened the scope of RCRA, autho-
rizing EPA to regulate underground storage
tanks containing petroleum products or haz-
ardous substances.
Superfund
The enactment of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation,
and Liability Act (CERCLA) initiated the
Superfund program, allowing EPA to identify
and clean up abandoned or uncontrolled haz-
ardous waste sites and to recover costs from
parties responsible for the contamination.
Superfund questions cover topics such as:
• the National Contingency Plan (NCP)
® the National Priorities List (NPL)
. B. liability, enforcement, and settlements
; H reportable quantities for hazardous
substances.
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OPA
The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) expanded the
scope of public and private planning and
response activities associated .with discharges of
oil. EPA's oil spill program covers spill preven-'
tion, control, and countermeasures (SPCC)
plans, facility response plans, notification of oil
discharges, and liability.
EPCRA
Congress enacted the Emergency Planning and
•Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), also
known as SARA Title III, to help communities
'prepare for chemical emergencies and to grant
citizens and government officials access to infor-
mation about potential chemical hazards.
Topics commonly addressed include:
H emergency planning
s hazardous chemical inventory reporting
, ® public access to chemical information
•"• toxic chemical release reporting and
the Form R
, • the toxic release inventory (TRI) database.
CAA§112(r)
Section 112(r) of the amended Clean Air Act
(CAA) mandates a new federal focus on the pre-
vention of chemical accidents. The objective of
§112(r) is to prevent serious chemical accidents
that have the potential to affect public health and
the environment. The risk management planning
requirements of CAA§112(r) complement and
support EPCRA. The regulations promulgated
pursuant to CAA§112(r) are known as the risk
management program regulations, and include
requirements for:
• hazard assessments
a chemical accident prevention programs
" emergency response programs
;• risk management plans.
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Electronic Accessibility
A number of regulatory outreach materials can
be found on the Internet home page, located at:
www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hotline
On the home page you will find the "RCRA,
Superfund & EPCRA Hotline Guide to
Electronic Resources," which provides informa-
tion on EPA's public-access Internet servers,
bulletin board systems, and electronic mailing
lists. The Guide also provides instructions for
subscribing to the Hotline listserver, which
transmits regulatory updates and program
information.
You may place orders for many EPA documents
that pertain to Hotline program areas by speak-
ing with our trained Document Specialists.
Document Specialists have access to comprehen-
; sive, current information on EPA documents.
Selected documents are available through EPA's
Fax-on-Demand Service or can be found on the
Internet. Instructions for ordering or accessing
, these documents are available through the
Hotline.
Referrals
Hotline Information Specialists strive to answer
• every question by reviewing a vast array of
resources. Some questions, however, are not
within the scope of the Hotline's services.
Information Specialists cannot answer questions
which require interpretation of EPA regulations
or policies, demand legal analysis, involve unre-
, solved issues, or pertain to state-specific require-
ments. Such questions are referred to the
appropriate EPA office, federal or state agency,
i or other source. The Hotline maintains current
information on a wide array of contacts for
such situations.
Recycled/Recyclable
Printed with Vegetable Based Inks
on Recycled Paper (20% Postconsumer)
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