EPCRA: Simplify Tier II Reporting Submissions

Within the realm of EPCRA Tier II reporting requirements, the most grueling parts are getting the data right and filling out the proper forms for regulatory agencies. So logically, submitting your EPCRA Tier II forms should be the easy part, right? Um, not necessarily. In a lot of ways, submissions can be just as exhausting.

Let’s do a little math first. In the U.S., every state has its own system for EPCRA Tier II submissions. That’s 50 different portals and websites and submission procedures — and trust me, there is nothing standardized about any of them. Add the EPA’s Tier2 Submit software, and the submission process gets crazier.

Now tally the states where you have to send mailings to fire departments and Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs). For EPCRA Tier II reporting requirements, those can be submissions headaches, too.

Then finally, for EPCRA Tier II filing fees, the payment options in each state can range from online methods and credit cards to hard copy checks. Nothing standard again. Scream!

Ease your EPCRA Tier II submissions pain

Here’s where Encamp and our end-to-end platform for environmental compliance helps. In making the entire EPCRA Tier II reporting process easier, we submit the completed forms and pay fees to all appropriate agencies on your behalf.

• All applicable facilities ‒ For each applicable facility in your organization, Encamp manages the Tier II submissions to every regulatory agency a facility must report to: federal, state and local. All submissions are time and date stamped as proof of submittal.
• Filing formats for each state ‒ Per the EPCRA Tier II reporting requirements in each state, we convert your data into the filing format a particular state calls for, including any hard copy mailings. You get the most recent version of the Tier II forms in all 50 states because we link you to the actual state websites.
• Local fire departments and LEPCs ‒ If facilities are in states requiring mailings to fire departments and Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), we coordinate all such mailings from our database of fire departments and LEPCs in each state.
• Fees ‒ We pay all required fees (again on your behalf) for EPCRA Tier II submissions per state, for filings to fire departments and LEPCs, and so on. We can make payments online, by credit card, and even by hard copy check, and then give you a consolidated bill for all your fees, by line item.
• Audit log ‒ We also provide you with an audit log as your “peace of mind” document once everything is done. Log entries are time and date stamped as we do submissions to various agencies.

Fair to say, we save you a lot of time and stress on the submission admin side. More importantly, Encamp makes sure your Tier II forms are up to date, accurate, validated, and submitted as scheduled.

Doing your submissions legwork

There are still other things Encamp does for EPCRA Tier II submissions — details that sometimes go unnoticed — that EHS professionals can also appreciate. Following is an example of what I mean (it’s from a recent demo and the discussion I had with the company’s EHS team members).

EHS professional: “It seems like more and more states are moving away from Tier2 Submit. And even in the states that continue to accept it, you still have to go through their (state) portal and submit that way. So it’s pretty much the same data going into all these portals. It just has to be put into the format they want it.”

Julie (me): “That’s correct. What we’re able to do is scrape the data out of the Tier2 Submit system and any state portals and organize it into the Encamp format. It’s all an automated export process. Then we convert your EPCRA Tier II data into the format that individual states require. After that, it’s a similar automated process for how we push the submission back out.”

EHS professional: “So with the submittals, do you conduct a final review or double check of the data, or are you really just using the (Encamp) system to catch errors when they pop up? Or, is there any other kind of review from your end for accuracy… or who is that really up to?”

Julie: “Well, for data accuracy and validation, the Encamp platform has various modules you can purchase, like our Tier II module. Or if you’re looking for more of a hands-on approach, we can provide that as well. But typically, we use our software to get ahead of any errors that are occurring in your data. And remember, the Encamp solution lets you assign reviewers from your own team to double check data, state forms, etc. for your final EPCRA Tier II reports. We’ve actually built in several checkpoints to help you make sure your data is accurate prior to submission. It’s your call as to what level of service you want Encamp to provide.”

EHS professional: “So, when Encamp pays a (submission) fee, I know some states say you have to pay by credit card. Other states give you options to send in a check or pay online. But sometimes the user fees just to pay online are 75 dollars. Would Encamp avoid that (user) fee and send a check?”

Julie: “If you do have the option, we go with the lowest cost option.”

EHS professional: “I do have a question about EPCRA Tier II forms getting submitted to the appropriate agencies. Does that include local planning committees and the fire department? Those are the ones that are usually harder to figure out who forms go to.”

Julie: “We take care of every single submission. And like I said, we pull in your information from last year, so we have a record of where you sent things last year. But we do double check everything to make sure. We maintain a database of all LEPC and fire department information and make sure it’s current. We also routinely mass blast every LEPC around the country to verify their information and make any changes in our own internal records to make sure it’s cross referencing our database. That way, you know everything’s going to the right place for EPCRA Tier II compliance.”

EHS professional: “Okay, cool.”

I have to say, I agree. What Encamp does to ease the submission process for EPCRA Tier II reports is pretty cool.

Transforming the way enterprises stay in compliance 

Encamp is on a mission to create a world where good for business can equal good for the environment. We help enterprises transform compliance programs and human processes into a technology-driven system that lays the foundation for accurate and ongoing environmental compliance through a blended method of intelligent high-tech solutions and high-touch expert support.