EPA Region 8 Emergency Preparedness Newsletter
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Volume XII No, 3 Third Quarter 2022 Newsletter
Welcome to the EPA Region 8 Preparedness Newsletter.
Feel free to page through the entire newsletter or click on the links
to the stories you want to read first.
C1SA Updates
FEMA Updates
TRi Announcements
(
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Ammonia Safety and
Training Institute
FFOA/PFOS Proposed
CERCLA Listing
Training arid Chemical
Emergency
Preparedness &
Prevention Documents
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RMP SCCAP Proposed Rule
On August 18, 2022, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan signed the Safer Communities by
Chemical Accident Prevention (SCCAP) rule, which proposes revisions to the Risk
Management Program (RMP) to further protect vulnerable communities from chemical
accidents, especially those living near facilities with high accident rates. The proposed rule
would strengthen the existing program and includes new safeguards that have not been
addressed in prior RMP rules. Some of the proposed requirements include identifying safer
technologies and chemical alternatives, more thorough incident investigations, and third-party
auditing, all of which should benefit nearby communities. When finalized, the rule is expected
to make communities safer by reducing the frequency of chemical releases and their adverse
effects.
For more details see the Proposed RMP SCCAP Rule Webpage. The public may comment on
the SCCAP proposed rule at regulations.gov (Docket ID No.: EPA-HQ-QLEM-2022-0174)
until October 31, 2022.
In addition, EPA is also holding virtual public hearings on September 26, 27, and 28, 2022.
See Virtual Public Hearings on Proposed RMP SCCAP Rule for more information.
Fact sheets for facilities and communities have also been developed and can be found here:
Fact Sheet for Regulated Facilities: Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention -
RMP Proposed Rule (pdf)
Fact Sheet for Communities: Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention - RMP
Proposed Rule (pdf)
CSB Updates
Chemical Safety Board CSB Releases New Free Online Safety Training Application for
Hazardous Chemicals
CSB released a new safety training application focused on agency findings from the devastating
2005 BP Texas City explosion and fire and how they relate to OSHA's Process Safety
Management (PSM) standard. The PSM standard outlines requirements for the management of
hazards associated with highly hazardous chemicals. The training covers all 14 elements of
PSM using the 2005 explosion as a model.
The desktop training application is available for download here. The application recreates the
details of the Texas City refinery and takes the viewer through interactive training modules on
each element of PSM. At the end of each module there is an opportunity to test your
knowledge.
The CSB looks forward to receiving feedback on the new PSM safety training material. For
feedback or assistance on the application, please email assistance@csb.gov.
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Freight Rail Update
As of September 15th, 2022, the nation's freight railroads have reached tentative agreements
with all 12 unions in national bargaining and two of them have ratified the agreements with
their membership, https://raillaborfacts.org/news/bargaining-status-faq-2022/
These tentative agreements averted a possible work stoppage on Friday, September 16. All
tentative agreements are still subject to ratification by the unions' memberships, https://
raillaborfacts.org/news/freight-railroads-and-unions-reach-tentative-agreements/
BNSF Update (Sept 15): BNSF will continue normal operations. The actions we had begun to
take on a small subset of certain commodities like hazardous and security-sensitive materials,
as well as Temperature Controlled Intermodal (TCI), to ensure the safety and security of your
freight have been lifted. Additionally, pending gate restrictions at certain intermodal and
automotive facilities will not go into effect as announced yesterday, https://www.bnsf.com/
news-media/customer-notifications/notification.page?notId=tentative-agreements-reached-with
-all-unions-strike-threat-averted
Union Pacific Update (Sept 15): Union Pacific canceled the embargo on TIH, PIH and time
sensitive commodities. We are working with customers to address any backlog of their
shipments, https://www.up.com/customers/announcements/customernews/allcustomernews/
CN2022-55.html
National Railway Labor Conference - Bargaining Status FAQ: https://raillaborfacts.org/
news/bargaining-status-faq-2022/
NASTTPO Conference
National Association of SARA Title III Program Officials Mid-Year Conference
October 17-20, 2022 - Houston, TX in conjunction with the Hotzone conference.
Agenda items include: federal agency updates; It's time for Emergency Managers to Prepare
for the Fragility of Electric Power Grids; West, Texas Explosion, Contributing Factors for Pre-
planning Considerations; Accident Prevention and Response for Cryogenic Chemicals; Tribal
Engagement; and more.
For more information and to register, visit the NASTTPO Website.
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CISA Updates
2022 Chemical Security Summit
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) hosted the 2022 Chemical
Security Summit virtually and in-person from August 23-25 in the National Capital Region (in
or around the Washington, D.C. area).
The summit is the signature event for the spectrum of sectors that deal with chemical security
including industry organizations, facility owners and operators, government officials, first
responders, and law enforcement to hear the latest program and regulatory updates, share
perspectives and lessons learned, and engage in dialogue regarding chemical security.
Sessions covered the state of chemical security which included updates on the Chemical Facility
Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program and CISA's new completely voluntary chemical
security initiative ChemLock, a deep dive into the CFATS Risk-Based Performance Standards
(RBPS) and best practices, chemical threat briefings, cyber hygiene services (such as
vulnerability scanning) and many more topics.
Presentations from the 2022 Summit and previous summits can be found here.
TRI Updates
2021 Preliminary Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (EPCRA 313) Data Available
Preliminary TRI data covering toxic chemical releases at industrial facilities from January 1,
2021 to December 31, 2021, are now available in Envirofacts and in data files on the TRI
website. EPA will continue quality checking the data and plans to publish the final 2021
National Analysis dataset in October.
Please visit: www.epa.gov/toxics-release-inventorv-tri-program/2021-tri-preliminary-datase
Toxics Release Inventory Virtual Engagement Event
The TRI Program held a virtual event with speakers from universities, industry, local and state
governments, and communities for presentations on topics including:
• Assessing and prioritizing opportunities for advancing pollution prevention opportunities at
facilities
• Innovative TRI data uses by companies, state governments, and
students
• Using the Risk-Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI)
modeling results to identify communities with potential
environmental justice concerns
Visit the TRI homepage for more details.
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Proposed PFOA/PFOS CERCLA Designation
EPA is proposing to designate two of the most widely used per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances
(PFAS) as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensa-
tion, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as "Superfund."
This rulemaking would increase transparency around releases of these harmful chemicals and help
to hold polluters accountable for cleaning up their contamination.
If this designation is finalized, releases of PFOA and PFOS that meet or exceed the reportable
quantity would have to be reported to the National Response Center, state or Tribal emergency re-
sponse commissions, and the local or Tribal emergency planning committees. A release of these or
any other hazardous substance will not always lead to the need to clean up or add a site to the Na-
tional Priorities List (NPL), liability or an enforcement action. EPA anticipates that a final rule
would encourage better waste management and treatment practices by facilities handling PFOA or
PFOS. The reporting of a release could potentially accelerate privately financed cleanups and miti-
gate potential adverse impacts to human health and the environment.
Proposed Rule (Published September 6, 2022)
EPA is asking for public comment on the proposal for 60 days—comments must be received on or
before November 7, 2022—at docket EPA-HO-QLEM-2019-0341 on www.regulations.gov
More information on PFAS, EPA actions on addressing the issue, and tools and resources can be
found here.
Fertilizer Retailer Reporting Fact Sheet
EPA has developed a fact sheet ("EPCRA Reporting Re-
quirements for Fertilizer Retailers") to help fertilizer re-
tailers comply with EPCRA reporting requirements. The
fact sheet explains the retail fertilizer exemption under
EPCRA section 311(e)(5) and provides an overview of
all EPCRA reporting requirements.
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PHMSA Updates
Pipeline Safety: Safety of Gas Transmission Pipelines: Repair Criteria, Integrity Manage-
ment Improvements, Cathodic Protection, Management of Change, and Other Related
Amendments Final Rule
PHMSA is revising the Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations to improve the safety of onshore
gas transmission pipelines.
This final rule addresses several lessons learned following the Pacific Gas and Electric Compa-
ny incident that occurred in San Bruno, CA, on September 9, 2010, and responds to public input
received as part of the rulemaking process.
The amendments in this final rule clarify certain integrity management provisions, codify a
management of change process, update and bolster gas transmission pipeline corrosion control
requirements, require operators to inspect pipelines following extreme weather events, strength-
en integrity management assessment requirements, adjust the repair criteria for high-
consequence areas, create new repair criteria for non-high consequence areas, and revise or cre-
ate specific definitions related to the above amendments.
The final rule is effective May 24, 2023.
New PFAS resources for Firefighters
Recently, there have been a host of information released regarding the issue of firefighting
foams and topics that may effect our responders.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released the following publications:
• Firefighting Foams: Fire Service Roadmap- This report aims to assist the fire service while
transitioning to fluorine-free foam technology by summarizing currently available infor-
mation on foam operations and handling, and knowledge gaps.
• The new foams without PFAS compounds- As AFFF is phased out, new firefighting foams
are being developed and the fire protection world looks for what is next.
The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) released an advisory on PFAS and Fire-
fighter Turnout Gear which can be found here.
|T1 NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION
li™ J The leading information and knowledge resource on fire, electrical and related hazards
NFPA
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FEMA Updates
FEMA
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Releases Document Related to
Emergency Operations Center Management
• FEMA published the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Management Support Team
resource typing document.
This National Incident Management System (NIMS) Resource Typing Definition provides
support to the Authority Having Jurisdiction and the Incident Commander with key functions
relating to EOC management, including subject-matter expertise and technical support.
For more information, including the full-scope of resource typing definitions, visit the Resource
Typing Library Tool (RTLT).
FEMA Releases 2022-2026 FEMA National Tribal Strategy
For the first time, FEMA released a national tribal strategy to better address its responsibilities
to federally recognized Tribal Nations when responding to and preparing for disasters affecting
tribal lands.
The 2022-2026 FEMA National Tribal Strategy (National Tribal Strategy) provides FEMA with
a roadmap to refine and elaborate on major strategic goals and objectives we are working to
achieve. It includes information requested and recommended by tribal nations through extensive
outreach sessions. FEMA added key issue areas to address requests from Tribal Nation
members, to include tribal-specific technical assistance and tailored resources to support tribal
emergency management programs.
• Through the new National Tribal Strategy, FEMA will initiate a national study on tribal
emergency management capacity and capabilities, develop a comprehensive FEMA Guide of
programs, develop tribal-specific technical assistance resources, regularly convene an annual
meeting of national and regional tribal liaisons, and expand training opportunities for Tribal
Nations, and other related objectives.
FEMA understands that sovereign Tribal Nations have unique needs, capabilities, and roles in
emergency management. Inherent to the aspirations of the new National Tribal Strategy is a
focus on improved engagement, partnership, and service between FEMA and the 574 federally
recognized Tribal Nations it serves.
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Ammonia Safety and Training Institute
Ammonia Safety & Training Institute (ASTI) presents Safety Day training and chemical
Tabletop Exercises (TTX) available to local industry and community responders
• ASTI formed the National Safety Day Coalition together with IIAR, RET A, and GCCA to
present safety and emergency response preparedness training at minimal cost to the attendees.
• ASTI worked with Region 9 EPA to create ammonia Tabletop Exercises based upon the One
Plan four stages of response, focused on engaging local, state, and federal emergency response
plans.
• ASTI organizes and leads a local committee of industry, public safety, and governmental
leaders to create Safety Day presentations and Tabletop Exercises.
Sample topics include: hazard analysis, health & safety concerns, critical task readiness, e.g.,
emergency system control, rapid "grab and go" rescue by first responders, and methods of
containment and control of ammonia events using proper methods e.g., personnel protective
equipment, decontamination, teaming agreement with public safety responders, monitoring
systems, and command team coordination and communications
readiness to address on-site and off-site life safety and environmental
receptors.
Event schedule updated regularly on ASTI website at
www.ammonia-safetv.com.
For a current list of events: Event Schedule
Contact ASTI via email at asti@aminonia-safetv.coin or call 831-761-2935 for more
information.
Western Regions SERC/TERC Conference
Save the Date for the 2023 Western Regions Conference which will be again virtual on January
25th and January 26th from 1:30-4:30 pm MST. An agenda and call-in information will be
coming soon.
Even more exciting news is that we already have the 2024 Western Regions Conference
scheduled for January 24th and 25th which will be in-person in Clark County, Nevada. Stay
tuned for more information as we develop both events.
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Training Opportunities
2022 Schedule for the CAMEO for Facility Hazard Analysis Class
There will be one additional session in 2022:
Session 3: Oct. 19 - Nov. 16 (Webinars on Wednesdays)
Zoom sessions/webinars begin at: 8 am PDT/9 am MDT/10 am CDT/11 am EDT
The CAMEO for Facility Hazard Analysis Class is a mix of self-paced online classroom lessons
and scheduled live webinars. The class operates on an online class platform (Ruzuku) and
consists of weekly hands-on lessons and activi ties, "how to" videos and Q & A Zoom sessions
with two experienced instructors. This class is a month long and starts with a one-hour,
introductory webinar on the first day of class to introduce the instructors and to explain the class
logistics. Students will receive new lessons in the online
class platform each week and will have a week to
complete them, on their schedule, before attending a
webinar to reinforce the lesson, ask questions and share
their screens with their class colleagues. Each lesson
includes a video tutorial and activities to complete before
the webinar.
If you would like to register for one of the Class Sessions
in 2022, please fill out the registration form.
If you have questions about the class or need more
information, please contact Carol Way.
EPA Region 8 Activities
This summer has been a busy one for EPA Region 8! Here is a sample of the outreach activities
we have completed so far:
2022 Utah Chemical Industry Safety Workshops
PREP Exercise in Mandan, ND
Colorado LEPC Conference
DOI/EPA Full Scale Exercise in Vernal. UT
Multiple LEPC meeting presentations across Region 8
Are you interested in having EPA come to speak at your facility or for your LEPC? Is there a
training or exercise we could assist with? Reach out to Bre Bockstahler at
bockstahler.breann@epa.gov for more details.
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EPA Covid Resources
Page 10
EPA maintains its coronavirus website to include new resources for state, local, and tribal
agencies and intergovernmental associations. These resources will help EPA and its partners
continue to provide the environmental protection the nation depends on without interruption
during the coronavirus public health emergency.
EPA's Coronavirus (COVID- l 9) Resources for State. Local and Tribal Agencies and Associa-
tions contains important information on grants, enforcement and compliance programs, water
infrastructure, and a host of other issues important to effective environmental program delivery.
The webpage will be updated regularly with new information.
EPA is also continuing to update resources on its website and add to the list of surface disin-
fectant products that are effective against SARS-CoV-2. To contact EPA about any coronavirus
(COVID-19) issue, you may do so here: https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/forms/contact-us-
about-coronavirus-covid-19.
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and
Prevention Documents
EPCRA Requirements: http://www.epa.gov/epcra
NRT Hazardous Materials Emergency Planning Guidance:
https://www.nrt. org/Main/Resources.aspx?ResourceType=Hazards%20('Oil%20Chemic
al.%20 Radi ol ogi cal ,%20etc )& ResourceSecti on=2
Actions to Improve Chemical Facility Safety and Security - A Shared Commitment:
https://www.osha.gov/chemicalexecutiveorder/index.html
EPCRA On-Line Training: https://www.epa.gov/epcra/epcra-non-section-313-online-
training-states-tribes-lepcs-local-planners-and-responders
EPCRA Fact Sheets: https://www.epa.gov/epcra/epcra-fact-sheets
EPCRA Regional Contacts: https://www.epa.gov/epcra/epcra-regional-contacts
EPCRA, RMP & Oil Information Center: https://www.epa.gov/epcra/forms/contact-us-
about-emergencv-planning-and-communitv-right-know-act-epcra
TIER2 Submit: https://www.epa.gov/epcra/tier2-submit-software
LEPC/TEPC Handbook: https://www.epa.gOv/epcra/national-lepc-tepc-handbook#full
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EPA Region 8 Preparedness Program
We will increase EPA Region 8 preparedness through:
• Planning, training, and developing outreach relations with federal agencies, states, tribes, local OUR
organizations, and the regulated community. MISSIC
• Assisting in the development of EPA Region 8 preparedness planning and response capabilities
through the RSC, IMT, RRT, OPA, and RMP.
• Working with facilities to reduce accidents and spills through education, inspections, and enforcement.
To contact a member of our Region 8 EPA Preparedness Unit team, review our programs or view our
organization chart, click this link.
Region 8 SERC Contact Information
Colorado
Montana
Utah
Ms. Amanda Hettinger, Co-Chair
Ms. Delila Bruno, Co-Chair
Ms. Kim Shelley , Co-Chair
Phone: 303-692-2000
Phone: 406-324-4777
Phone: 801-536-4404
amanda.hettinger@state.co.us
dbruno@mt.gov
kshelley@utah.gov
Mr. Mike Willis, Co-Chair
Mr. John Rasmann, Co-Chair
Mr. Jess Anderson Co-Chair
Phone: 720-852-6694
Phone: 406-444-5328
Phone: 801-965-4062
mike.willis@state.co.us
jrasmann2@mt.gov
jessanderson@utah.gov
North Dakota
South Dakota
Wyoming
Mr. Darin Hanson, Chair
Mr. Dustin Willett, Chair
Mr. Dale Heggem, Chair
Phone: 701-328-8100
Phone: 800-433-2288
Phone: 307-777-7321
nddes@nd.gov
Contact: Kelsey.Newling@state.sd.us
dale.heggem@wyo.gov
RMP Region 8 Reading Room: (303) 312-6345
RMP Reporting Center: The Reporting Center can answer questions about software or installation
problems. The RMP Reporting Center is available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday - Fri-
day: (703) 227-7650 or email RMPRC@epacdx.net.
RMP: https://www.epa.gov/rmp EPCRA: https://www.epa.gov/epcra
Emergency Response: https://www.epa.gov/emergencv-response
Lists Of Lists (Updated April 2022)
Questions? Call the Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP, and Oil Information Center at (800) 424-9346 (Monday-
Thursday).
To report an oil or chemical spill, call the National Response
Center at (800) 424-8802.
U.S. EPA Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street (8SEM-EM)
Denver, CO 80202-1129
800-227-8917
This newsletter provides information on the EPA Risk Management Program, EPCRA, SPCC/FRP (Facility Response Plan) ami other issues relating
to Accidental Release Prevention Requirements. The information should be used as a reference tool, not as a definitive source of compliance
information. Compliance regulations are published in 40 CFR Part 68 for CAA section 112(r) Risk Management Program, 40 CFR Part 355/3 70for
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