Local Emergency Planning Committee

Under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA), Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) are responsible for developing an emergency response plan, reviewing the plan annually, and providing information about chemicals in the community to citizens. Plans are developed by LEPCs with stakeholder participation.

The goal of an LEPC is to protect the community and the environment from hazardous material incidents through planning, preparation, and communication between citizens, business, and government. LEPCs are also responsible for informing and educating the public about chemical facilities in the community and actions that can be taken in the event of an accidental chemical spill or release into the environment. Lastly, LEPCs work to assist governmental and emergency response agencies in being well prepared to respond to and handle any and all emergencies associated with chemical spills or releases.

LEPC Membership

LEPC membership includes at least the following:

• Elected state and local officials
• Police, fire, civil defense, and public health professionals
• Environment, transportation, and hospital officials
• Facility representatives
• Representatives from community groups and the media

LEPC Officers serve for 2-year terms and are elected by LEPC members.

Rhode Island LEPCs

The State of Rhode Island is broken up into 5 different LEPC Districts:

Community Emergency Response Plan

The following are required elements of a Community Emergency Response Plan:

• Identification of facilities and transportation routes of extremely hazardous substances
• Description of emergency response procedures, on and off site
• Designation of a community coordinator and facility emergency coordinator(s) to implement the plan
• Outline of emergency notification procedures
• Description of how to determine the probable affected area and population by releases
• Description of local emergency equipment and facilities and the persons responsible for them
• Outline of evacuation plans
• A training program for emergency responders (including schedules)
• Methods and schedules for exercising emergency response plans

Tier II Reporting

Annual submission of the Tier II form is required under Section 312 of the EPCRA. The purpose of this form is to provide State and local officials and the public with information on the general hazard types and locations of hazardous chemicals present at your facility during the previous calendar year.

Tier II forms require basic facility identification information, employee contact information for both emergencies and non-emergencies, and information about chemicals stored or used at the facility:

• The chemical name or the common name as indicated on the material safety data sheet
• An estimate of the maximum amount of the chemical present at any time during the preceding calendar year and the average daily amount
• A brief description of the manner of storage of the chemical
• The location of the chemical at the facility
• An indication of whether the owner of the facility elects to withhold location information from disclosure to the public

For instructions on how to fill out the Tier II form, click here.

The State of Rhode Island requires facilities to use Tier2 Submit and submit Tier II forms electronically by email to the Department of Environmental Management. Tier2 Submit is a free-to-use software developed by the EPA to help facilities prepare an electronic chemical inventory report and submit electronically by email.