Enforcement in New England
Preparedness Alert # 1
In light of recent events, the U.S. EPA, in conjunction with the New England State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) and Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), would like you to once again focus on the subject of Deliberate Releases and the planning steps you can undertake in your communities.
We are asking the SERCs and all the individual LEPCs to contact facilities in your communities and discuss their preparedness for a deliberate or accidental release. Terrorism can happen anywhere and that an attitude of "it can't happen here" is obviously unrealistic as recent events in New York, Washington, DC and in Pennsylvania have demonstrated.
One must take a hard look at the facilities in your community and ask how secure are those facilities, and how secure are the hazardous chemicals, pharmaceutical/biological materials or radioactive substances (no matter how much or how little there is) on site. Could those materials become "Raw Materials" for terrorist chemical/biological device(s). Could an unauthorized individual(s) gain access to your facility and materials, and cause death and destruction in your community. How current are your procedures and controls for managing this risk. Does each worker in your facility know what to do and how to respond. Those are questions one has to ask oneself.
The prime mission of your LEPC is community preparedness. How current is your Community Emergency Management (Response) Plan and those of the individual facilities in and around your community? Reviewing these fact sheets hopefully will kindle many questions and initiate a renewed community and facility planning effort.
Please review these EPA publications to assist your community in this process:
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LEPCs and Deliberate Releases (PDF) (6 pp, 176K, about PDF)
Dated May 2001
EPA New England pledges to work with the SERCs & LEPCs and offers the assistance of the following staff:
- John Kilborn (kilborn.john@epa.gov)
Toxics, Pesticides & Federal Program Unit Chief
617-918-1893
Fax: 617-918-0893 - Dwight Peavey (peavey.dwight@epa.gov)
Senior Assistance Coordinator; TRI Program: Small Business Advocate
617-918-1829
Fax: 617-918-0829 - Len Wallace (wallace.len@epa.gov)
SERC Liason (MA, NH, VT); LEPC Liaison; CAMEO; One Plan; Electronic Tier II Submission; RMP Coordinator; EPCRA Coordinator
617-918-1835
Fax: 617-918-0835 - Jim Gaffey (gaffey.jim@epa.gov)
SERC Liason (CT, ME, RI); Site Security; Emergency Preparedness Exercises
617-918-1753
Fax: 617-918-0753 - Rose Toscano (toscano.rose@epa.gov)
Tier II Enforcement
617-918-1861
Fax: 617-918-0861 - Chris Rascher (rascher.chris@epa.gov)
TRI Enforcement
617-918-1834
Fax: 617-918-083 - Chris Jendras (jendras.chris@epa.gov)
RMP, EPCRA Programs
617-918-1845
Fax: 617-918-0845
Other important contact numbers:
National Response Center for 24 Hour Spill Reporting:
1-800-424-8802