Who ARE we?

The Midland County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is a federally mandated entity comprised of volunteers from local government, business, and community members. The LEPC serves as a focal point in Midland County for information and discussions about hazardous substances, emergency planning, and health and environmental risks.

The Midland County LEPC’s goal is to promote and facilitate the safety of all persons regarding potential exposure to hazardous materials that could be released into the environment due to the storage, transportation, and utilization of hazardous materials in Midland County.

WHY do WE EXIST? 

Nationwide, LEPC’s were established in 1986 by the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), also known as Public Law 99-499, Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) Title III. The EPCRA was enacted in response to the toxic chemical release disaster that occurred in Bhopal, India in 1984.

The LEPC was established to meet the EPCRA requirements for emergency response planning. The EPCRA contains four major provisions:

• Planning for chemical emergencies,
• Emergency notification of chemical accidents and releases,
• Reporting of hazardous chemical inventories (Tier II Reports),
• Toxic chemical release reporting.

What are our rESPONSIBILITIES?

The LEPC's key responsibilities are:

• Receiving Tier II and chemical release notifications by regulated facilities.
• Gathering and reviewing existing community and facility emergency plans.
• Evaluating the community's need for resources to respond to hazardous materials emergencies.
• Promoting public awareness of chemical hazards in the community.
• Processing requests from the public for information on hazardous chemicals in the community hazard assessment and vulnerability studies.
• Assisting local governments in developing hazardous materials emergency response plans.
• Promoting hazardous material exercises and drills to improve response preparedness.

The LEPC is an unfunded mandate; therefore, the LEPC relies on grants and donations for support. 

WHEN DO WE MEET?

The LEPC meets at a minimum four (4) times per year, generally on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. CST. The meeting place will be determined and posted / shared several weeks prior to the meeting. The meetings are free and open to the public.