Alabama Department of Environmental Management

 

The SARA Title III program is administered by reviewing, maintaining, and serving as a repository for several different documents required to be filed by various industry throughout the state. These documents include Hazardous Chemical Inventory forms (Tier II), Material Safety Data Sheets, Toxic Release Inventory reports (Form R), Extremely Hazardous Substance notifications , and accidental release notifications. Data from these documents are compiled, manipulated and made available to the public, industry, and Local Emergency Planning Committees for use in emergency situations, to analyze release trends, and to aid in reduction of toxic chemical releases to the environment.

Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS) Notification (Section 302)

Section 302, Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS) Notification is a one-time reporting requirement. The latest list of Extremely Hazardous Substances and the Threshold Planning Quantities is available at the USEPA Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention website.  The EHS Notification Form  may be used for this reporting or a letter describing the product and an on-site emergency contact is also sufficient. The Department requests that the maximum amount of the EHS substance on site at any one time be reported in exact pounds rather than ranges.

Tier II Reporting for Hazardous Chemicals Storage (Section 312)

 The Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act requires facilities storing any substance for which an MSDS is required by OSHA and in quantities exceeding the Threshold Planning Quantity (specified for Extremely Hazardous Substance, 10,000 pounds for everything else) to report those substances to the state and local government and fire departments. The Alabama Emergency Response Commission (AERC) requires the submission of a Tier II report due March 1 for the previous year from qualifying facilities. There are other provisions of the law and the law itself should be consulted for proper compliance. Alabama will accept information using the Federal Tier II forms published on the USEPA Chemical Emergency and Preparedness and Prevention website.

 The AERC encourages the use of EPA's Tier II Submit software  for reporting, especially if you have an extensive inventory or multiple sites.   Please make sure that the Company Name is included under the Facility Name field.  Some previous submittals list only the individual facility name, which make it difficult to determine the Company ownership. Submission may be in diskette format or by e-mail to the address al312@adem.state.al.us

Important Note: The Department is now unable to accept submissions in the zip file format due to firewall restrictions. When saving export files for submission please change the file type to Tier2 Submission(*.t2s) extension and then save and submit. This format will work seamlessly with CAMEOfm and Tier2 Submit.

Attach only one file per e-mail. The Alabama Emergency Response Commission will send an automatic return to your e-mail address notifying you of receipt. This message will also include a certification statement. You must PRINT and SIGN this certification statement and file it with your printed copy of the report. This certificate must be retained to document your compliance with these requirements.

You may submit the relevant data files on disk or print out a hard copy for reporting to Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)  and fire departments. Please contact your LEPC and fire department to determine which format they prefer and submit reports appropriately.

All mailed reports must be sent to:

Alabama Department of Environmental Management
Field Operations Division P.O. Box 301463
Montgomery, AL 36130-1463
or Shipped Overnight to:
1350 Coliseum Boulevard
Montgomery, AL 36110

Toxic Release Inventory (Section 313)

Facilities that use or produce toxic chemicals above specific thresholds are required to report annually under Section 313 of the SARA Title III act. TRI reports are used to inform the public and government officials of on-site and off-site releases, off-site transfers, and other waste management activities at each facility. The AERC encourages the use of the TRI ME software available on the EPA TRI website  to complete and submit this information. Submissions should be mailed on diskette along with a cover letter by July 1 annually to the above referenced address and to EPA for activities during the preceding year.