There are numerous Federal regulations directing response actions in the U.S. The primary Federal laws responsible for the current hazardous materials preparedness and response regulations are the emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) and the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA).

EPCRA has four main provisions. These include

• Emergency Planning
• Emergency Release Notification
• Hazardous Chemical Storage Reporting Requirements
• Toxic Chemical Release Inventory

EPCRA requires the establishment State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs), Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), and, when needed, Tribal Emergency Response Commissions (LERCs).

As part of the SARA legislation, OSHA was required to develop the minimum health and safety regulations that apply to emergency responders. The hazardous materials health and safety plan requirements for emergency responders to follow are found in OSHA's Hazardous Materials and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) standard 29 C.F.R. 1910.120. Guidance of these standards can be provided with modern consensus standards.

The NFPA provides currently accepted best practices to comply with the intent of many Federal regulations including those relating to hazmat response.  NFPA 472 and NFPA 1072 define incorporates the basic structure and intent of the HAZWOPER standard and expands on details a responder must know or demonstrate.