Hazardous Materials
The state's industrial capacity and the network of interstate highways and railways result in vulnerabilities to hazardous material releases from both stationary sites and transportation sources. In 1999, 1453 facilities reported storing substances exceeding the Threshold Planning Quantity as classified by Section 313 of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA Title III). These facilities are located throughout the state in both rural and densely populated areas and do not include retail gas stations or telephone relay battery storage sites. Many facilities are located in coastal counties that could be impacted by hurricane force winds and rains. Toxic release inventories indicate combinations of fixed sources are clustered along Interstate 85. While the greatest number of facilities concentrate along that route, numerous other facilities, more evenly spread across the state, emit greater amounts. Further, the extensive network of interstate highways and railways that supply industries with chemical and petroleum products could result in a moderate to large accidental release of hazardous materials from a transportation source.
