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What is S.A.R.A.?

SARA stands for the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act. This law was enacted in 1986 and encompasses a huge number of environmental regulations and reforms. One section of SARA, named the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), was included in SARA in response to a growing concern about the effect of chemical releases on communities.

EPCRA mandates that industry make vast amounts of information publicly available about its chemical processes, chemical storage and emissions, and safety procedures. This regulation is intended to encourage and support community planning efforts at the state and local levels, and to provide citizens and local governments with information concerning potential chemical hazards present in their communities.

What this translates into for most of the Indiana University Northwest community is a requirement that an annual report be made to the state and local authorities on the types, quantities, locations and storage methods of chemicals that are stored on campus. As one can imagine, this is a daunting task when one considers the wide variety of such substances that are kept on the Indiana University Northwest campus.