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How Are
Notifications
Collected in
ERNS?
When a call is made to the NRC or one of the ten EPA Regions, a report is created
containing all of the release information that the caller provided. The data usually
include information about the material and the quantity released, the discharger, and the
location of the release. This report is transferred to an appropriate agency which
evaluates the need for a response, and once daily all records are electronically transferred
to the ERNS data base. In addition, each of the EPA Regions can update ERNS records
if additional information becomes available after the initial notification. However, if a
caller makes an additional report to update previous data, a second record is created and
transferred to the ERNS data base.
Examples of Responding Agencies:
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• United States Coast Guard (USCG)
• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
• State Emergency Response Commission (SERC)
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
• Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)
National
Response
Center
4 \
ERNS
Responding
Agency/
Agencies
What Types of
ERNS Data
Outputs are
Available?
What
Information is
Available in
ERNS?
ERNS data are available in various forms. The cost of obtaining ERNS data is
determined based on the medium used and the time and effort expended to fill the request.
Data can either be delivered via First Class Mail or e-mail through the Internet. General*
descriptions of the information formats are provided below:
Summary Release Information: These reports in table format offer a broad overview of
data and are useful for analyzing trends in chemical and oil releases, or comparing groups
(e.g., total release reports involving crude oil by year).
Standard ERNS Reports: These reports are either dBASE2 files or one
page reports in various wordprocessing formats containing information
about specific release notifications. This format is best for providing
information on a small subset of data, such as notifications from a
particular geographical region, on a specific chemical, or about an
individual site.
ERNS database: This is recommended for requestors who have
extensive needs for ERNS data. The database is available two ways, (1)
all data by year which is available on magnetic data tapes from the
National Technical Information Service (NTIS), or (2) data for each EPA
Region by year which may be downloaded from EPA via the Internet,
direct dial-in, or FedWorld. The magnetic data tapes may be purchased
from NTIS in Springfield, VA at (703) 487-4650. Information on
downloading data may be obtained by calling the ERNS Information
ERNS contains, in addition to other data, information about the material and the *
quantity released, where the release occurred, when the release occurred, what agencies
have been notified, and any information about property damage, injuries, and deaths /
occurring due to the release. In addition, when analyzing ERNS data, it is always
important to consider that the information is typically based on the initial notification
reported to a number of government agencies. Therefore, especially with historic data,
there may be inconsistencies in the data because of different methods of data entry.
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Why Report
Releases to
IRNS?
There are four primary Federal statutes that require release reporting including CERCLA,
the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), the
Hazardous Material Transportation Act of 1974 (HMTA), and the CWA. In addition,
because CERCLA defines hazardous substances to include CWA hazardous substances and
toxic pollutants, the Clean Air Act hazardous air pollutants, the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act hazardous wastes, and the Toxic Substances Control Act imminently
hazardous chemical substances, releases of these substances are also subject to CERCLA
reporting requirements. Part or all of the information from these reports may be collected
in ERNS. The four primary statutes and their resulting regulations, citations, and
relationship to ERNS are shown in the table below.
J
CERCLA
Section 103
EPCRA
Section 304
HMTA
Section 1808
£WA
Tfcection 3 1 1
Cite for
Reporting
Requirements
40CFR
Part 302.6
Part 300.405
40CFR
Part 355.40
49CFR
Part 171. 15
40CFR
Part 110.10
40CFR
Part 300.300
Part 110.10
Requires that the release of a CERCLA hazardous substance that meets or exceeds the reportable
quantity (RQ) set forth in 40 CFR 302.4 must be reported to the NRC. These substances account for
Requires that the release of an RQ or more of an EPCRA extremely hazardous substance or a
CERCLA hazardous substance (one pound or more if a reporting trigger is not established by
regulation) that results in exposure of people outside the facility boundary be reported to State and
Requires that the release of a DOT hazardous material during transportation be reported to the NRC
under certain circumstances such as death, injury, significant property damage, evacuation, highway
Requires that the release of oil be reported to the NRC if the release: (1) violates applicable water
quality standards; (2) causes a film, sheen or discoloration of the water or adjoining shoreline; or (3)
causes a sludge or an emulsion to be deposited beneath the surface of the water or upon the
What is ERNS
Used For?
The primary purpose of ERNS is to standardize and collect notifications made to the
Federal government of releases of oil and hazardous substances. These notifications are
used by On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) to determine an appropriate Federal response
action, and to assist decision makers in solving emergency response and release
prevention issues. ERNS data are also used to support other EPA programs. Specific
examples of ERNS data applications include:
• Guidance and Regulatory Development • Environmental Planning
• Responses to Congressional Inquiries • Statistical and Trend Analysis
• Response Preparedness • Academic Research
• Compliance and Enforcement Support
Property Transfer/Site Audits
How Can ERNS
Data Be
Obtained?
Information on the ERNS database may be
obtained by calling the ERNS Information Line
at (202) 260-2342, by sending an e-mail request
to erns.info@epamail.epa.gov, by contacting
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Officer
in the specific EPA Region of interest, or by
contacting EPA at the following address.
Addresses and telephone numbers of the EPA
Regional FOIA offices are provided on page 4.
ERNS Manager
U.S. EPA
Mail Code 5202G
401 M Street, SW
Washington,
h
Page 3
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Regional Contacts for ERNS Information
U.S. EPA Region 1
Freedom of Information Act Office
JFK Federal Building (REA)
Boston, MA 02203
U.S. EPA Region 2
Freedom of Information Act Office
Office of External Programs
26 Federal Plaza, Room 905
New York, NY 10278
Region 10 I
AICID, OR, WA 1
SkhPSl r~--
Region 8
CO, MT, ND,
SD, UT, WY
/
Region 5
IL.TN, MI,
MM, OH, WI
Region 1
CTTMA, ME,
NH, RI, VT
\r\
Region 9
AZ, CA, HI, NV, American Samoa,
Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands
Region 6
AR, LA, NM,
OK.TX
Region 7
IA.TCS, MO, NE
U.S. EPA Region 3
Freedom of Information Act Office
(3EA10)
841 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
U.S. EPA Region 4
Freedom of Information Act Office
345 Courtland Street, N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30365
U.S. EPA Region 5
Freedom of Information Act Office
(MI-13J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604
U.S. EPA Region 6
Freedom of Information Act Office
(6M-ASC)
1445 Ross Avenue
Dallas, TX 75202-2733
U.S. EPA Region 7
Freedom of Information Act Office
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101
U.S. EPA Region 8
Freedom of Information Act Office
(80EA)
999 18th Street, Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202-2405
Region 2
NJ, NY, Puerto Rico,
U.S. Virgin Islands
Region 3
DC7DE, MD,
PA, VA, WV
Region 4
AL, FL, GA, KY,
MS, NC\ SC, TN
U.S. EPA Region 9
Freedom of Information Act Office (E-2)
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415)744-1586
U.S. EPA Region 10 ,
Freedom of Information Act Office '
(SO-086)
1200 Sixth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
Disclaimer: Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Page 4
vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency (OS-120)
Washington, DC 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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