Reader question: Are companies required to report contamination/spills?
We received the following question via email and thought it worth sharing*:
That said, we believe at least two regulations exist for this situation. They are the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Section 304 of EPCRA and Section 103 of CERCLA require facilities to immediately notify emergency responders of accidental chemical releases to provide the most effective, timely response, thus minimizing potential risk to human health and the environment. The EPA has a helpful summary of both of these sections on their website.
* We've tailored the question slightly from its original form
A local company spilled or dumped TCE and has known about contaminated soil/groundwater for a year, yet they didn't tell the EPA until recently. Are there any regulations that state they must immediately notifiy the proper authorities about a contamination?Note: We are not lawyers and our response here is in no way, shape, or form intended to be construed as legal advice.
That said, we believe at least two regulations exist for this situation. They are the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA).
Section 304 of EPCRA and Section 103 of CERCLA require facilities to immediately notify emergency responders of accidental chemical releases to provide the most effective, timely response, thus minimizing potential risk to human health and the environment. The EPA has a helpful summary of both of these sections on their website.
* We've tailored the question slightly from its original form