Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC)

Lincoln County is in need of candidates for the Local Emergency Planning Committee.

To qualify you must be a Lincoln County Resident, eighteen years of age or older (Wis. Stats 63.01), and a representative of one of the following groups or organizations as per (42 USC 11000 to 11050 and under §§59.54(8)(a), 323.60, and 323.70, Wis. Stats):

1. Elected official
2. Public safety (law enforcement, civil defense, firefighting, first aid, health, local environmental, hospital, and transportation personnel)
3. Broadcast and print media
4. Community groups
5. Owners and operators of facilities subject to the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act / Title 3 SARA Act

View the agendas, meeting minutes, and packets.

If you are interested in serving on this committee, please send a letter of interest containing your qualifications to the following address:

801 N. Sales St. Suite 202, Merrill, WI 54452

or email
 

Emergency Planning and Community Right To Know Act (EPCRA)

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) is Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA) and is often referred to as SARA Title III. EPCRA was the United States congressional response to serious chemical incidents that occurred in Bhopal, India and Institute, West Virginia in the two years prior to its enactment. The incident in Bhopal resulted in 2,000 immediate fatalities. While the accident in West Virginia caused no fatalities, the circumstances were similar and aroused concern. 

EPCRA was designed to provide all levels of government and the public with information required to plan for a chemical incident. The law was meant as a starting point for an on going dialogue between community representatives, emergency response personnel, and industry. EPCRA requires each state to establish a state emergency response commission (SERC), to designate local emergency planning districts, and to appoint a local emergency planning committee (LEPC) for each district. Industries are required to provide the government with information about their activities with hazardous and toxic chemicals. The SERC and the LEPCs use the information in their emergency planning activities and make it available to the public.

Section 302 -- Emergency Planning Notification

The owner or operator of any facility with a quantity of a listed Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS) that meets or exceeds the threshold planning quantity (TPQ) for that substance must notify the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and the appropriate Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). The purpose of this notification is to alert the local response organization that the facility has an EHS present and must be included in the emergency response plans for the jurisdiction covered by the LEPC.

The notification includes the designation of a Facility Emergency Coordinator. The individual so named is that person who will work with the LEPC to develop appropriate response plans for that facility. The initial emergency planning notification must be made within sixty (60) days of date on which an EHS was first present in a quantity at or above the TPQ for that EHS. If there is a change in reporting status (i.e. facility closing or name change, new facility coordinator, change in contact numbers, removal of EHS from facility, addition of new EHS to the facility) the facility has thirty (30) days to notify the LEPC and the SERC of this change.

Common Extremely Hazardous Substances (EHS) and their Reporting Quantity (RQ)

Section 304 - Emergency Release Notification  

The owner or operator of any facility that releases more than established reportable quantity (RQ) of an EPCRA Section 302 EHS or a CERCLA hazardous substance must immediately notify the LEPC, the SERC, and the National Response Center (NRC).   A written follow-up notification must be sent as soon after the release as practical.

 In Lincoln County, to notify the LEPC call 911