The Hazardous Materials Business Plan program was established in 1986 and is similar in scope to the Federal Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). These laws were passed in response to the chemical disaster in Bhopal India in 1984 and to other incidents that had occurred in the United States. The goal is to prevent or minimize the damage to public health and safety and the environment from a release or threatened release of hazardous materials. This is achieved by businesses providing their chemical inventories to local agencies that in turn provide that information to their emergency responders.