Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)

The Chambers County LEPC meets the first Wednesday of each month at 12noon.  The current meeting location is the McLeod Park Community Building, 10717 Langston Dr., Mont Belvieu, TX  77523.

Background:
LEPC’s are a product of federal legislation that was passed in the wake of the Bhopal disaster in India, where an accidental release of a hazardous chemical resulted in the thousands of deaths and as many as 200,000 were injured.

In  response,  in  1986,  Congress  passed  EPCRA,  also  known  as  Title  III  of  the  Superfund  Amendments  and Reauthorization Act (SARA Title III).  EPCRA established LEPC’s to help increase public knowledge and access to information on chemicals at individual facilities, their uses, and releases into the environment.

Legal Requirements of LEPC’s under EPCRA:
-The  role  of  LEPC’s  is  to  form  a  partnership  between  local  government  and  industry  as  a  resource  for  enhancing hazardous materials preparedness.  The LEPC shall review local emergency management plans once a year, or more frequently as circumstances change in the community or as any facility may require (Section 303(a)).
-The  LEPC  shall  receive  from  each  subject  facility  the  name  of  a  facility  representative  who  will  participate  in  the emergency planning process as a facility emergency coordinator (Section 303(d)).
-The LEPC shall be informed by the community emergency coordinator of hazardous chemical releases reported by owners  or  operators  of  covered  facilities  (Section  304(b)(1)(a)).    The  LEPC  shall  be  given  follow-up  emergency information as soon as practical after a release, which requires the owner/operator to submit a notice (Section 304(c)).
-The LEPC shall establish procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public for information under Section
324, including Tier II information under Section 312. Such procedures shall include the designation of an official to serve as coordinator for information (Section 301(c)).
-The LEPC shall receive from the owner or operator of each facility an emergency and hazardous chemical inventory form (Section 312(a)).
-Tier II Reports shall be submitted annually to the LEPC, State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and local fire department.

2019 Meeting Minutes

For more information:  lepc@chamberstx.gov