Alerting Localities of Environmental Risks and Threats Act of 2021

Bill: 117-hr-861
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE-At Large]
Introduced: 2021-02-05
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Civil actions and liability

Emergency communications systems

Emergency planning and evacuation

Environmental health

Government buildings, facilities, and property

Hazardous wastes and toxic substances

Industrial facilities

Libraries and archives

News media and reporting

Public participation and lobbying
Latest action: action_date: 2021-02-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-02-05
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Alerting Localities of Environmental Risks and Threats Act of 2021</b></p> <p>This bill requires the owner or operator of a facility where hazardous chemicals are produced, used, or stored to hold a public meeting within 72 hours of the release of an extremely hazardous substance. The owner or operator must publish a notice in a local newspaper, giving at least 24 hours of notice before the public meeting. Such notice must be posted at a local library, other local government buildings, and on the facility's public website.</p> <p>The bill also requires the owner or operator of a facility to hold an annual public meeting, where specified information regarding the extremely hazardous substances at the facility must be disclosed. Notice for such meeting must be published in a local newspaper at least a week in advance of the meeting. The bill provides for a civil penalty if such public meeting and notice requirements are not met.</p>

tv_txt: I 117th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 861 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 5, 2021 Ms. Blunt Rochester (for herself, Ms. Matsui , Ms. Norton , Mr. Carson , Ms. Lee of California , Mrs. Watson Coleman , and Mr. Casten ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 to require an emergency notification meeting in the event of the release of an extremely hazardous substance from a facility, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Alerting Localities of Environmental Risks and Threats Act of 2021 . 2. Public meetings added (a) Emergency notification meeting Section 304(b) of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 ( 42 U.S.C. 11004(b) ) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3) Public meeting Not later than 72 hours after a release which requires notice under subsection (a), the owner or operator of the applicable facility shall— (A) publish a notice in a local newspaper, and post such notice at a local library and other local government buildings and on the public website for the facility, if any, with at least 24 hours notice, of a public meeting, including— (i) the date of such meeting; (ii) the time of such meeting; and (iii) the location of such meeting; and (B) hold such meeting, providing, consistent with section 322, the information required under paragraph (2), to the extent such information is known at the time of the meeting and so long as no delay in responding to the emergency results. . (b) Annual public meeting Subtitle A of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 ( 42 U.S.C. 11001 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 306. Annual Public Meeting Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the owner or operator of a facility subject to the requirements of this subtitle shall— (1) publish a notice in a local newspaper, at least 7 days in advance, of a public meeting, including— (A) the date of such meeting; (B) the time of such meeting; and (C) the location of such meeting; and (2) hold such meeting, providing, consistent with section 322— (A) the chemical name of each substance on the list published under section 302(a) that was present at such facility, in an amount in excess of the threshold planning quantity established for such substance under such section, at any time in the preceding calendar year; (B) an estimate of the maximum amount of each such substance present at such facility during the preceding calendar year; and (C) the details of the methods and procedures to be followed to respond to a release of such a substance pursuant to the applicable emergency plan prepared under section 303(c). . (c) Enforcement Section 325(c)(1) of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 ( 42 U.S.C. 11045(c)(1) ) is amended by striking section 312 and inserting section 306, 312, . (d) Clerical amendment The table of contents in section 300(b) of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 is amended by adding after the item relating to section 305 the following: Sec. 306. Annual public meeting. .