Public Safety

Latest News and Updates

Nearly $3 million in environmental community grants to be awarded—CARE grants are for projects to reduce pollution at the local level. Apply for a grant; deadline, March 16, 2009. Eighteen U.S. communities received $2.5 million in cooperative agreement CARE grants in 2008.

EPA finalizes amendments to the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule to provide increased clarity, to tailor requirements to particular industry sectors, and to streamline requirements for the regulated community.

Nationwide Survey of Local Emergency Planning Committees (PDF) (47 pp, 9.9 MB, About PDF). This report summarizes the results of the April 2008 survey.

Issue Summary

Each year, more than 20,000 emergencies involving the release (or threatened release) of oil and hazardous substances are reported in the United States, potentially affecting both communities and the surrounding natural environment.

Local governments have the responsibility to protect their community's health, safety, and welfare from events such as these by managing:

• First response (e.g., fire, police, emergency medical, and search and rescue)
• Public works (e.g. debris removal)
• Infrastructure (e.g., water, sewer, transportation, energy)
• Code inspection and enforcement
• Finances
• Public communications and others.

These responsibilities include preparedness, response, and recovery to everyday incidents and catastrophic events that are natural disasters or human caused. As a part of their responsibility, local governments must ensure steps are taken to prevent and respond to oil spills, chemical accidents, and other environmental emergencies.

Resources

EPA

Explore Our Emergency Management Programs

EPA programs help ensure that facilities and organizations take steps to prevent oil spills, chemical accidents, and other emergencies, implement planning and preparedness requirements, and respond to environmental emergencies.

Meet Our Emergency Management Partners

EPA offers national-level support for emergency management. State, local, and tribal governments, along with other federal agencies, play a critical role in preventing, preparing for, and responding to emergencies of all kinds.

Locate Information Sources

Learn how EPA conducts environmental responses and cleanups and how you can help prepare for environmental emergencies.

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Requirements
These requirements help communities prepare for and respond to chemical accidents by requiring facilities to report chemical storage and release information and communities to develop emergency response plans.

 Other Federal Departments and Agencies

Inter-Agency Teams
Inter-agency teams, including the National Response Team and Regional Response Teams, conduct preparedness and response activities and provide other support.

National Response Center
The National Response Center (NRC) is the federal government's national communications center, which is staffed 24 hours a day by U.S. Coast Guard officers and marine science technicians.

National Response System
EPA functions within a larger federal structure when it responds to emergencies and nationally significant incidents.

Key Federal Agencies
The U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other federal agencies provide support during environmental emergencies.

Special Teams
Several EPA Special Teams, including the Environmental Response Team, Radiological Response Team, and National Decontamination Team, provide specialized emergency response support.

U.S. Border Programs and International Partnerships
International programs help to prepare for and prevent environmental emergencies along the northern and southern borders of the United States and around the world.

States/Other

State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs)
SERCs oversee the implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) requirements in each state.

Find State Emergency Management Agency Web Sites

Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)
LEPCs work to understand chemical hazards in the community, develop emergency plans in case of an accidental release, and look for ways to prevent chemical accidents. LEPCs are made up of emergency management agencies, responders, industry and the public.