Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act - Primary Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities

In November 1986, the United States Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act ("EPCRA" or "the Act") to help America's communities "deal safely and effectively with the many hazardous substances that are used throughout our society." The purpose of the Act is two-fold: (1) to encourage and support emergency planning for responding to chemical accidents; and (2) to provide local governments and the public with information about possible chemical hazards in their communities. To facilitate cooperation between industry, interested citizens, environmental and other public-interest organizations, and government at all levels, the Act establishes an ongoing "forum" at the local level called the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). LEPCs are governed by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) in each state.

Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, SERCs and LEPCs are charged with four primary responsibilities:

• Write emergency plans to protect the public from chemical accidents;
• Establish procedures to warn and, if necessary, evacuate the public in case of an emergency;
• Provide citizens and local governments with information about hazardous chemicals and accidental releases of chemicals in their communities; and
• Assist in the preparation of public reports on annual release of toxic chemicals into the air, water, and soil.