About Us
LEPC is an acronym for Local Emergency Planning Committee. Vermont has 13 LEPCs that operate under the State Emergency Response Commission. LEPC #12 covers 29 member towns in east-central Vermont.
LEPC #12 is a local organization whose responsibilities are established by Vermont law (Title 20 VSA, section 32) and Federal laws (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Sections 301-303, 40 CFR Part 355, and the Superfund Amendment and Re-Authorization Act (SARA), Title III). EPCRA is designed to provide local governments and the public with information about possible chemical hazards in their communities, and requires those who have certain amounts of chemicals to report them to the state and to the LEPC. SARA deals with emergency planning for responding to chemical accidents, and requires that emergency response plans be developed for responding to chemical emergencies which might happen in the United States. This responsibility was mandated to be handled on local levels through the establishment of LEPCs.
Vermont statute (20 VSA, section 32) also states that LEPCs must:
- Upon receipt of a notification of a release of a hazardous chemical
or substance, insure that the local emergency response plan has been
implemented.
- Work with local government emergency services, VEM, and the
managers of facilities with hazardous chemicals on facility emergency
plans.
- Review and evaluate local requests for funding and other resources and advise the state emergency response commission concerning disbursement of funds.
While LEPC #12's statutory responsibilities are currently purely related
to hazardous materials, the LEPC is taking an All-Hazards approach
to its duties, ensuring that planning and exercises deal with a variety
of emergencies.
This is proper since many incidents, from floods to fires,
involve hazardous substances. Also, the more responders train together
for
any type of
incident,
the better they will be able to deal with emergencies involving
hazardous materials.
LEPC #12 welcomes your input and is committed to assisting the
towns in its region, as well as the various agencies/organizations
that
take part in emergency
management, in protecting lives and property.
LEPC Documents
The LEPC#12 Plan and Bylaws are available for download below.
LEPC12plan31705.pdf - File Size 215KB - Download File
A printable map of the LEPC#12 region is available for download below.
lepc12map.pdf - File Size: 22KB - Download File
EPA Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Web Site
