SERC-TERC Updates: March 2023 |
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SERCs, TERCs, and Federal Partners: Please forward this monthly update to your stakeholders
Mention of non-EPA documents, presentations, training opportunities and conferences does not constitute an U.S. EPA endorsement of their contents, only an acknowledgment that they exist and may be relevant to the SERC-TERC audience.
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Regulatory and Policy Information Related to Chemical Safety & Security |
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EPA Compliance Advisory: Federal Facility Compliance Under EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative to Reduce Accidental Releases at Industrial and Chemical Facilities
This advisory notifies the public about U.S. EPA’s National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative (NECI) to reduce the risk to human health and the environment by reducing the likelihood of chemical accidents at these facilities. EPA found that many regulated facilities are not adequately managing risks that chemical accidents pose or ensuring the safety of their facilities to protect surrounding communities. The goal of this NECI is to reduce the risk to communities by improving safety measures at these regulated facilities. EPA advances risk reduction by conducting inspections and enforcement activities at facilities subject to the CAA chemical accident prevention requirements and developing compliance assistance materials for the regulated community.
FEMA Seeks Public Feedback on Hazard Mitigation Documents
FEMA is seeking public feedback on nine Hazard Mitigation resource typing documents. These resource typing documents include two National Incident Management System-typed Hazard Mitigation teams for operations and planning and seven positions that make up the teams. This 30-day national engagement period will conclude at 5 p.m. ET on March 16.
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To provide comments on the draft documents, complete the feedback form and submit the form to FEMA-NIMS@fema.dhs.gov no later than 5 p.m. ET on March 16.
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Updated CISA.gov Website
Importantly, the new website also reflects the One CISA philosophy. For example, CISA.gov now includes all the information from the former US-CERT website. All that operational content—the alerts and advisories—is still there, now consolidated so you can find it more quickly. Resources and tools are no longer separated by program, but are now listed in a filterable system on our Resources & Tools page, making it easier to find exactly what you need with just a few simple clicks.
If you had bookmarks to any of the CFATS or ChemLock webpages on the previous website, those bookmarks should still work. Please update all bookmarks, including links to individual documents. If for any reason you need help finding a new link, please don’t hesitate to contact CFATS@hq.dhs.gov.
This has been a long-awaited project, and CISA is excited to finally share it with our partners and the public. For a quick tour of the new web features, take a look at the launch video.
CFATS Operational Updates
To date, CISA has received over 107,000 Top-Screen submissions from over 44,000 unique facilities. Of these, CFATS covers 3,246 facilities. Additionally, the program has completed 4,644 Authorization Inspections, 10,204 Compliance Inspections, and 10,451 Compliance Assistance Visits.
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Training Opportunities and Conferences |
Tribal Oil Spill Prevention and Chemical Emergency Preparedness Webinars
- Overview of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and Its Implementation Webinar for Tribal Partners
- EPA is offering several webinars for Tribal agencies and owners and operators of facilities handling hazardous chemicals on Tribal land. The webinar will provide an overview of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), including a demonstration of the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) Tracker tool, which shows industrial management of toxic chemicals reported by covered facilities. In addition, a Tribal government representative will provide an overview on the roles of Tribes and EPCRA, releases and risks in Indian Country, resources to manage EPCRA, etc. While the webinars are scheduled separately for various EPA Regions, anyone may register for any webinar as your schedule allows.
- Visit this link for more information and to register.
- Tank Talk: Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Overview Webinar for Tribal Partners
- This 4-hour session will provide an in-depth overview of the oil program, regulatory requirements, program implementation (inspections), and federal oil spill reporting requirements. This webinar will assist tribes with Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure compliance and the opportunity to view EPA inspector photographs showing common violations observed in the field.
- Visit this link for more information and to register.
- Overview of Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure and Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) Software Suite Webinar for Tribal Partners
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This hour and a half, EPA-hosted session will provide a basic overview of the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure oil spill prevention program and how the Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) software suite can be used to help communities prepare for and respond to chemical and oil spills. The session will also include a question-and-answer segment where participants can interact with the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure national program manager and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act program coordinator.
- Visit this link for more information and to register
CAMEO for Planning
Understand the hazardous material threat in your jurisdiction. Experienced instructors will
train you how to use the CAMEO® Suite software to facilitate planning for hazardous material
incidents. This training includes CAMEO Data Manager (DM). This month-long class includes: online classroom with 24/7 access to weekly lessons, videos & activities; weekly, scheduled live Q&A webinars; 1-hour Zoom call on the first day of class; and four, 2-hour webinars on the remaining 4 days. Three sessions in 2023:
- Session 1: March 2 – 30 (Thursday webinars)
- Session 2: June 1 - 29 (Thursday webinars)
- Session 3: Oct. 25 – Nov. 29 (Wed. webinars – skip Thanksgiving week)
- All Zoom Calls begin at 8am PT/9 MT/10 CT/11 ET
ChemLock: Introduction to Chemical Security Training Course
This course provides an introduction to identifying, assessing, evaluating, and mitigating chemical security risks. This easy-to-understand overview identifies key components and best practices of chemical security awareness and planning to help kickstart chemical security discussions at a facility. This course runs 1-2 hours in length and is appropriate for all personnel regardless of their level of involvement with dangerous chemicals.
ChemLock: Secure Your Chemicals Security Planning Training Course
This course walks through how to create a tailored, scalable security plan that meets the business model and unique circumstances of a facility. Participants will learn the key elements of a chemical security plan and benefit from examples, lessons learned, and best practices. The course runs 2-3 hours in length and is designed to help leadership, facility security personnel, and other applicable personnel understand, develop, and implement a facility security plan.
Please share this course information with relevant chemical security stakeholders in your area. To request a special offering of either course for a facility or organization, please fill out the ChemLock Services Request Form. If you have questions about the ChemLock program, please email ChemLock@cisa.dhs.gov.
Registration Open: 2023 NASTTPO Annual Conference, April 17-20, 2023, Salt Lake City, UT
The NASTTPO Annual Conference is confirmed for April 17-20 in Salt Lake City, UT at the Radisson Downtown. Registration and agenda information is available at www.nasttpo.com.
Managing the Message: Crisis Communication Workshop Series 2023, May 24-25, 2023, Pendleton, OR
Join a whole community approach in Managing the Message, a Crisis Communication Workshop. Local and international communicators will share their case studies and experiences on what worked well, gaps discovered, and how to "build better" communication practices to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster and crisis response. More information and registration details here.
Online Training: Hazmat Management Railroading 101
The Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) Hazardous Materials Management Team presents Railroading 101, and provides and overview of the UPRR system, pre-planning, railroad equipment (locomotives, tank cars (pressure and non-pressure), contacting the railroad, discusses safety while operating on or near the railroad, railroad resources, markings, rail shipping papers, the emergency response process, and recovery operations.
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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, RETA, 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.
Scheduled Events
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Environmental Protection Agency / Department of Homeland Security & US Coast Guard
Department of Labor & Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Department of Transportation / Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives/ Department of Agriculture
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