United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
FISCAL YEAR 2009
ANNUAL REPORT
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
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PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
Message from Dana Tulis,
Acting Director of EPA's Office of Emergency Management
During the past year, we have had many opportunities to work with our federal, state, and local
partners to increase and strengthen the nation's capabilities and capacity to prevent, prepare for,
and respond to emergencies both large and small.
Highlights of the year include:
• the March launch of RMP*eSubmit, the
new online system for submitting Risk
Management Plans. Review of RMP data
found that since the program's inception
in 1999, the number of accidents reported
per year has declined by approximately
40 percent;
• the completion of 368 emergency
responses and removals;
a report on the nationwide survey of Local
Emergency Planning Committees;
the release of technical guidance for
methamphetamine (meth) laboratory
cleanup; and
the initiation of a large-scale recruitment
effort for the Environmental Response
Laboratory Network.
We also identified strategic priorities for the next five years in our four key program areas:
Emergency Response and Removal; Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention; Oil
Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response; and Homeland Security. We look forward to
working with stakeholders to address these priorities in the near future.
Table of Contents
Emergency Response and Removal 2
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention 5
Oil Spill Prevention, Preparedness, and Response 9
Homeland Security 9
Looking to the Future 10
1 Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report
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PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
Emergency Response
and Removal (ERR)
The mission of EPA's ERR Program is to
respond to immediate threats from releases of
hazardous substances and oil. The first priority
is to eliminate any danger to the public. Over the
last 40 years, the nature of the contaminants,
number of responses by potentially responsible
parties, and the capacity and capability of states
have varied. Despite the geographic and other
differences among the 10 EPA Regional offices,
EPA Headquarters and Regions work together to
ensure consistency and effectiveness of response
activities.
For typical ERR activities, EPA:
• Identifies the contaminants at the site that
are of concern to adjacent communities;
• Measures the extent to which these
contaminants are present at the site and
whether they are migrating offsite;
• Estimates the level of risk associated with
different activities that may bring individuals
in contact with contaminants; and
• Coordinates with local and state
governments and other federal agencies
during the response and removal.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2009, EPA completed 368
ERRs, avoiding an estimated 1,907,632 human
exposures to hazardous substances, which means
that approximately 13,582 human exposures were
avoided per every $1 million of extramural funding.
The five leading contaminants at removal sites
were (see Figure 1):
• Mercury
• Lead
• PCBs
• Arsenic
• Flammables or flammable liquids
Figure 1: Removal Actions Completed by EPA in FY 2009 by Contaminant
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* Contaminant data reflects information found in CERCLIS, EPA Pollution Reports, and EPA Action Memos.
Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report
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PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
The following section describes three specific
removal actions conducted in FY 2009.
EPA Oversees Safe Removal of
Cyanide Cylinder from Community
Dighton, Kansas
On October 21, 2008, EPA Region 7 received
notification that a cylinder labeled "liquid
hydrocyanic acid" was discovered and moved by
the County Emergency Manager from a private
shed in Dighton, Kansas to the Lane County
Public Works Yard. EPA contacted Wyeth, a
subsidiary of the company that was originally
responsible for the cylinder. Wyeth provided
background information on the cylinder's contents
and agreed to provide EPA with contract resources
to assist in the removal of the tank from the
public works yard. On October 31, 2008, with the
assistance of Wyeth contractors, an EPA
On-Scene Coordinator (OSC) oversaw the
controlled detonation and burning of the contents
of the cylinder while conducting real-time air
monitoring for cyanide. This controlled process
protected approximately 1,200 people in the
surrounding community from exposure to cyanide
gas that may have been released into the air if the
cylinder was accidentally ruptured.
EPA Responds to Collapse at
Allied Terminals, Inc. Facility
Chesapeake, Virginia
On November 12, 2008, a storage tank at the
Allied Terminals facility in Chesapeake, Virginia
collapsed, spilling 2 million gallons of liquid
fertilizer into three adjacent city streets. The
spill resulted in the evacuation of 23 homes and
threatened to contaminate the nearby Elizabeth
River.
EPA OSCs quickly arrived and staffed the site 24
hours a day as part of a unified command led by
the Chesapeake Fire Department. Throughout
the response, EPA OSCs worked closely with
the fire department, the Virginia Department
of Environmental Quality (VADEQ), and Allied
Terminals to address environmental impacts and
human health concerns. EPA met with residents
to address their health concerns and worked
closely with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry to address health-related issues
and to establish exposure goals.
While Allied Terminals focused on the
environmental cleanup, containing the liquid
fertilizer at the facility and removing it from
residential properties, EPA and VADEQ monitored
the Elizabeth River and nearby homes for
potential impacts. As a precaution, EPA and
VADEQ requested that Allied Terminals continue
to monitor the air for ammonia vapors, the primary
health concern, in the event that ammonia vapors
res urged.
EPA Cleans Up Radiological
Waste in Pennsylvania
At the request of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, EPA completed a rare emergency
radiation cleanup at Strube, Inc. when the
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (PADEP) discovered that eight of the
company's warehouses were full of improperly
Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report
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PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
secured radioactive materials. Seven of the
warehouses lacked fire-suppression systems. The
warehouses were located across seven properties
within several townships in Lancaster County.
PADEP determined that without intervention,
a fire could spread radioactive material across
densely-populated communities and prime
agricultural land.
In December 2008, EPA completed a 10-month
removal action at six of the eight warehouses,
removing more than 1,900 drums, 34 cubic-yard
super-sacks of radium-contaminated items,
and one 55-gallon drum of mercury-containing
instruments. The source of the radioactive
materials included a large collection of military
instruments marked with radium-226 luminescent
paint. Instruments included gyroscopes, gauges,
aircraft dials, pointer needles, switches, counters,
light bulbs, weights, screws, and bolts that
were being stored in the warehouses. EPA
packed the contaminated military equipment into
55-gallon drums and shipped them to the Oak
Ridge, Tennessee Toxco Inc. facility, where the
drums were compacted and shipped to Hanford,
Washington for proper disposal. Approximately
400,000 items containing radium-226 paint were
compacted for disposal at the U.S. Department
of Energy's Hanford, Washington Nuclear
Reservation. The cleanup was completed in
January 2009, and two of the warehouses were
subsequently removed from Strube, Inc.'s state
license to handle radioactive materials. Under
state oversight, Strube, Inc. continues the final
decommissioning and cleanup of any remaining
contamination in the warehouses that were subject
to removal action by EPA.
EPA Releases Voluntary Guidelines
for Methamphetamine
Laboratory Cleanup
The production and use of meth across the United
States continues to pose considerable challenges
to the nation. Despite a decline in domestic
production of meth in recent years, vigilance is
warranted not only because of the destructive
nature of meth itself, but also due to the significant
environmental hazards meth laboratories
generate.
EPA recently released guidelines to provide
technical guidance for state and local personnel
responsible for meth lab cleanup as required by
the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act
of 2007. The guidelines are based on an extensive
review of the best available science and practices
and address general cleanup activities, identify
best practices for specific items or materials,
discuss sampling procedures, and provide
additional technical resources.
For more information, visit:
www.epa.gov/emergencies/methlab.htm
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Chemical Emergency
Preparedness and
Prevention (CEPP)
EPA works with industry; community
representatives; and state, local, and tribal
governments to help prepare for and prevent
accidental chemical releases. The CEPP
Programs include risk management planning at
certain chemical facilities, the Emergency Planning
and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), and
the Comprehensive Environmental Response,
Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Each of these programs plays an important role
in increasing transparency and communication
among facilities, governments, and communities
in order to facilitate the prevention of accidents
when possible and plan for effective emergency
response actions when they are necessary.
EPA Launches First Web-Based
Process for Risk Management
Plan Submission
Under Clean Air Act regulations, facilities must
review and update their Risk Management Plans
(RMPs) at least every five years, and 2009
marked the latest five-year update cycle. In March
2009, the Office of Emergency Management
(OEM) launched a new online submission
process for RMPs called RMP*eSubmit. Through
RMP*eSubmit, facilities can now access and
update their RMPs 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. In FY 2009, more than 5,500 RMPs
were submitted using the new RMP*eSubmit
tool via a secure online system. This new
system has significantly improved the quality
of the RMP National Database by performing
real-time validation of data entries and providing
immediate feedback to users on potential errors
before they complete their submission. EPA has
also made the full set of RMP data available
online via RMP*lnfo to emergency planners and
implementing agencies, including: federal and
state regulatory authorities; State Emergency
Response Commissions (SERCs); Local
Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs); and
Tribal Emergency Response Commissions. Based
on submission rates to date, the new tool is quickly
being adopted by facilities across industries.
For more information, visit:
www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/rmp
Reduction of Accidents
Reported at RMP Facilities
Since 1996, EPA has seen a reduction of
accidents reported at facilities that submit RMPs
(see Figures 2, 3 and 4). Overall accident
reductions could be attributed to a number of
factors including those actions taken by facilities to
prevent spills.
RMP Inspector Training
In FY 2009, OEM updated its RMP Inspector
Training course and provided this updated training
to approximately 100 inspectors nationwide.
Regional offices are also providing inspector
training courses and guidance materials to state
and local inspectors.
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LEPCs Evolving to
Meet Community Needs
In December 2008, EPA published its findings from
a nationwide survey of Local Emergency Planning
Committees (LEPCs). The report assesses LEPCs'
current activities and probes LEPC practices and
preferences regarding several important issues,
including communication with local citizens and
proactive accident prevention efforts. LEPCs serve
as the fundamental link among citizens, industry,
and government in emergency preparedness
for communities. LEPCs are established by
SERCs and consist of officials from state and
local governments, police, fire, civil defense,
public health, environmental, transportation
organizations, as well as community groups and
local media. Through these partnerships, LEPCs
are improving chemical safety and protecting
human health and the environment in communities
across the country.
One of the goals of the survey was to determine
how LEPC activities have changed following the
terrorist attacks of September 11. Questions on
homeland security were first asked in a 1999
survey of LEPCs, and at that time, 40 percent
of LEPCs indicated they had incorporated
counter-terrorism measures into their emergency
response plans. Results from the 2008 survey
show that number has increased to 78 percent.
Many LEPCs report that they now take an
all-hazards approach to planning and no
longer solely focus on chemical emergency
Figure 2: Reported Accidents at Facilities that Submit RMPs
500-
450-
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300-
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200-
150-
100-
50-
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463
476
3,836 reported accidents since 1996
335
294 286
263
251
258
211
159
207
149
74*
x7
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
* Still Collecting 2009 Reporting Data - Data Incomplete.
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Figure 3: Percentage of RMP Facility Reported Accidents by Industry
40%
Number of Accidents per Year
1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1
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Chemical Manufacturing
> > Food & Beverage
Energy
• * * Agriculture
-—•- Other
-x-x- Water & Wastewater
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Figure 4: Percentage of RMP Facility Reported Accidents by Chemical
50%
500
400
300
200
100
' Accidents
Ammonia (Anhydrous)
Chlorine
Hydrogen Fluoride/
Hydro Fluoric Acid
Flammable Mixture
Propane
Chlorine Dioxide
Sulfur Dioxide (Anhydrous)
Butane
0%
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
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PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
preparedness. For some LEPCs, this has led to
increased interest and participation from both
LEPC membership and the general public. Survey
results show that nearly half of LEPCs have
Citizen Corps Councils through which members
of the community volunteer to help plan for and
respond to emergencies. The survey also found
that approximately 60 percent of responding
LEPCs reviewed and updated their emergency
plan in the past 12 months. More than 75 percent
of responding LEPCs exercised their emergency
response plan in the past year with nearly seven
of 10 conducting full-scale exercises.
For more information on the LEPC survey results,
visit: www.epa.gov/emergencies/docs/chem/
2008_lepcsurv.pdf
EPA Region 6 Hosts LEPC
Emergency Preparedness Workshops
EPA Region 6's Office of Environmental Justice,
Superfund Community Relations staff, and
Emergency Response/Preparedness Team
conducted a series of workshops in select
communities designed to help locals learn about
and discuss emergency notification procedures.
These communities, which have experienced
releases of hazardous substances, included
Shreveport, Louisiana, Corpus Christi, Texas, and
Brownsville, Texas. Attendees included LEPC
members, community group leaders, church
officials, and other interested parties working on
environmental justice issues at the local level.
The workshops included a short summary of
the reporting requirements under CERCLA 103
and EPCRA 304, a discussion with local facility
representatives on their procedures for identifying
a release and notifying officials from area LEPCs,
and a presentation by an LEPC official on how the
agencies ensure all citizens receive information
about the release in a timely manner. This may
include information on sheltering-in-place or
evacuation procedures, potential health effects,
and other actions individuals can take to protect
themselves.
Attendees were given a chance to provide
feedback to facility and community officials on
concerns they had regarding these notification
procedures, and they were also invited to become
involved with their LEPC and the local Citizen
Corps Council. EPA plans to conduct additional
workshops in other communities throughout the
Region.
Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report 8
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Oil Spill Prevention,
Preparedness, and
Response (Oil Programs)
Each year, approximately 10,000 emergencies
involving the release of oil are reported in the
United States. EPA's Oil Programs work with our
partners and the regulated community to develop
and implement prevention programs that reduce
the risk of oil spills in the environment and build
preparedness capacity for oil spill emergencies.
One important example of this work is EPA's
implementation of the Facility Response Plan
(FRP) rule, which builds preparedness at facilities
considered high-risk for large oil spills.
FRPs—
Identifying High-Risk Facilities
Under the FRP Program, facilities that could
reasonably be expected to cause "substantial
harm" to the environment by discharging oil into or
on navigable waters are required to prepare and
submit FRPs to EPA's Regional offices. Facilities
are considered higher-risk if they store more than
1 million gallons of oil near navigable waters.
FRPs must demonstrate a facility's preparedness
to respond to a worst-case oil discharge. EPA
Regional offices inspect a percentage of these
facilities and conduct unannounced exercises
every year to ensure that FRPs are in place should
an accidental oil spill occur.
Improving Emergency Planning
at High-Risk Facilities
In FY 2009, Region 3 began cross-checking
information collected on FRP facilities with
geographic information system (GIS) maps as
part of its inspection strategy targeting higher-risk
facilities. This approach helped Region 3 better
identify the location of FRP facilities that could
potentially cause the most environmental damage
in a worst-case scenario because of their proximity
to navigable waters.
As a result of this analysis, EPA discovered eight
facilities that stored a combined 59 million gallons
of oil co-located with facilities that required more
stringent classification. The co-located facilities
were either close to a drinking water intake or
wetlands, lacked secondary containment, or had a
reportable oil spill of 10,000 gallons within the past
five years. Once identified, these eight facilities
were re-categorized as higher-risk, and protection
for approximately 220,000 people located in the
area was improved.
Homeland Security
Training EPA Personnel to Respond
To ensure that EPA has the operational
consistency necessary to respond quickly and
effectively to large-scale emergencies, OEM
and EPA's 10 Regional offices have continued to
provide basic and specialized Incident Command
System (ICS) training to personnel who may
be tapped during a response. In FY 2009, EPA
trained approximately 1,160 people in ICS. This
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PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
brought the total number of EPA employees
trained to approximately 4,744. In addition, EPA
has focused its operational planning efforts on five
of the Department of Homeland Security 15 priority
scenarios. The five planning scenarios listed below
were chosen because EPA would likely play a
large role under Emergency Support Function 10,
which deals with Hazardous Waste:
• Hurricane
• Earthquake
• Anthrax Attack
• Radiological Dispersal Device, or Dirty Bomb
Attack
• Blister Agent Attack
EPA Building National
Environmental Lab Capacity
In September 2009, EPA launched a national
recruitment effort to bring qualified private and
public laboratories into its recently created
Environmental Response Laboratory Network
(ERLN). The ERLN addresses the shortage of
laboratory capacity and capabilities identified
during the response to September 11 and the
anthrax incidents. The goal of the network is to
provide environmental laboratory testing capability
and capacity to meet EPAs responsibilities for
surveillance of, response to, and recovery from
incidents involving the release of chemical,
biological, or radiological agents. Coordinated out
of OEM, the ERLN brings together EPA regional
and program laboratories as well as public
and accredited private laboratories that would
be accessed during a large-scale emergency
response. Ultimately, the ERLN is strengthening
relationships among laboratories now to help
ease the process of collecting and providing data
necessary to protect and inform the public when
the next large-scale emergency happens.
The ERLN requires all member laboratories to
have nationally-consistent protocols in order to
ensure the reliability and quality of EPAs analytical
results for significant amounts of data during a
large-scale emergency response. Members of the
ERLN can take advantage of training and exercise
opportunities; increased access to professionals
from laboratories across the nation; opportunities
to participate in method development studies;
technical support for lab operations; and access to
a broad spectrum of expertise.
For more information visit: www.epa.gov/erln
Looking to the Future
OEM recognizes the strong relationship among
prevention, preparedness, and response activities.
Looking at our four key program areas: ERR;
CEPP; Oil Programs; and Homeland Security (i.e.,
preparing for nationally significant events), OEM
identified the following themes for its strategic
priorities over the next five years.
• Given limited resources, it is clear that our
activities must focus on getting high-risk
facilities into compliance as well as
addressing our preparedness to respond to
high-risk/high-consequence scenarios as
identified by the Department of Homeland
Security.
• There is a common need for collection and
analysis of quality data so that EPA can
learn more about the results associated with
prevention and preparedness activities.
Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report 10
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PREVENTION ~ PREPAREDNESS ~ RESPONSE
Each of the areas can benefit from
all-hazards planning.
Finally, an important common theme is to
continue to work with our partners at the
local, state, and federal levels to ensure that
OEM is focusing on the areas where Agency
support is most needed.
Ultimately, the strategy will strengthen our abilities
to understand, prepare for, and respond to today's
dynamic realities of emergency management.
For more information on EPA's Office of
Emergency Management's Strategic Direction,
visit: www.epa.gov/emergencies/docs/chem/
oem_strategic_direction.pdf
EPA Regions
For contact information, visit: www.epa.gov/emergencies/where_you_live.htm
11 Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report
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Fiscal Year 2009 Annual Report 12
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&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
www.epa.gov/emergencies
540-R-09-005
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