DECEMBER 23, 2016--The newly released CAMEOfm and Tier2 Submit™ have both been enhanced to work with XML data files that adhere to the new national Tier II data standard.

These programs are part of the CAMEO® software suite developed by NOAA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Emergency planners and responders use the suite to manage details about chemicals in their local communities.

Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), chemical facilities with certain quantities of Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHSs) must annually submit facility information to the local authorities for emergency planning and response purposes.

This "Tier II" information is collected and managed in a variety of different systems across the country, including the CAMEOfm and Tier2 Submit programs. To better facilitate the exchange of information between different systems, a national Tier II data standard was published in October 2016.

CAMEOfm 3.3 and Tier2 Submit 2016 are the first programs to implement changes to their data management structures in order to adopt the new national data standard. These annual program updates also include state-specific changes for reporting year 2016, as well as other program enhancements and bug fixes. You can download CAMEOfm or download Tier2 Submit from the EPA site.

The national data standard was proposed as part of the response to Executive Order 13650 (Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security), which calls for improving operational coordination between federal, state, local, and tribal organizations; enhancing information collection and sharing; and modernizing regulations, policy, and standards.

For more information, contact Mark.W.Miller@noaa.gov or Brianne.Connolly@noaa.gov.

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