The Two Main Phases the Environmental Protection Agency Use

The train derailment disaster in Ohio, is a big trend within the environmental community. Environmental disasters can have extreme consequences that can regard people’s health. The Environmental Protection Agency stepped into drastic events such as these. They test the exposure within the soil, air, and water for each disaster to determine the level of classification, and what other measurements to take place. The EPA works closely with toxicologists and other specialists to examine further details that may be needed. For the EPA to continue to help Ohio there will be two listed phases that will be involved.

The Environmental Protection Agency is designed to “protect people and the environment from significant health risks, sponsors and conducts research, and develops and enforces environmental regulations.”

For disasters such as these, the EPA has two listed ways of how they can react which are Response and Recover.  

The EPA has different ways of doing these two phases but they are not the same. During the process of planning the two phases can intertwine with one another. 

The National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan and the National Response Framework indicate how the EPA will respond. The common name for this plan is National Contingency Plan or NCP which is throughout at a federal level. NCP is a step-by-step plan for the National Response Team (NRT) to coordinate responses within other hierarchies of responders and planners. 

Using the coordinated blueprint is what will determine the timeframe for disaster relief. 

After examination, time, and processing the disaster impact can lead to the next phase. Recovery is how the NCP will be used to help with the long-term restoration of places and communities affected by the disaster. The objectives of the EPA differ in how much needs to be restored. Depending on the disaster the EPA has in ready over 20 existing programs to be involved in this phase such as Energy Star and Tribal Affairs.

We cannot prevent disasters from happening but some ways can help prevent these impacts from becoming a harmful threat. The NCP is the plan to guide the United States to help the existing communities in crisis.