Sections 311 and 312 of EPCRA apply to any facility that is required to prepare or have available a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for any hazardous chemical under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and its implementing regulations. Effective on December 3, 2008, EPA is finalizing changes to the Emergency Planning Notification, Emergency Release Notification and Hazardous Chemical Reporting regulations that were proposed on June 8, 1998. EPA proposed four major revisions and provided draft guidance on various reporting options that States and local agencies may wish to consider in implementing the hazardous chemical reporting requirements. This action addresses only those changes proposed under the heading "Other Regulatory Changes" described in the preamble to the 1998 proposed rule. This final action includes minor revisions to the Emergency Planning Notification, Emergency Release Notification and Hazardous Chemical Reporting regulations, codifying statutory requirements, and clarifying certain interpretations and policy statements that EPA has provided to the regulated community. This final action does not affect public access to any of the information provided under the Emergency Planning Notification, Emergency Release Notification and Hazardous Chemical Reporting regulations. In addition to the regulatory changes, the Agency is finalizing the plain language format of the regulations. Each section in these regulations will be re-numbered and tables will be added for further clarification. Improving the clarity of the regulatory requirements will make the rule easier to understand and improve compliance.

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