Local Emergency Planning Committee

Introduction

The California State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) established Six Emergency Planning Districts having the same boundaries as the six Mutual Aid Regions. The SERC appointed a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for each planning district and supervises and coordinates their activities.

Within their region, the LEPCs carry out community right-to-know requirements of the  Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). They provide a forum for emergency management agencies, responders, industry and the public to work together to evaluate, understand, train about, coordinate and communicate chemical hazards in the community and develop hazmat emergency plans, which provide information about chemicals in the community to citizens, government agencies and emergency responders.  Plans are developed with stakeholder participation.

The LEPC membership must include (at a minimum):

• 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
• Cal OES Regional staff are assigned to assist LEPCs as liaisons

To facilitate EPCRA decision-making at the most practical Administering level the SERC has delegated some EPCRA requirements based on the long-standing structure of California's hazardous material program consolidated within the Unified Program.  Thus, emergency and hazardous chemical inventory forms, and Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are submitted to the Certified Unified Program Agencies (CUPAs) instead of the SERC/LEPCs.  It is the CUPAs, therefore, that respond to public inquiries regarding business inventories. Immediate notice and follow-up reports (Section 304) regarding hazardous material releases are submitted to both the CUPAs and Cal OES, and are available upon request. For more information regarding a Public Records Act (PRA) request, visit the Cal OES Public Records Request webpage.

CUPAs prepare local Area Plans for hazmat emergencies based on the inventories and SDS information. CUPAs are represented on the SERC and on the LEPCs.

You can make a difference in attending an LEPC meeting or by joining your LEPC.

SDS/Tier II

The federal equivalent to the Business Plan program is the EPCRA 311/312 reporting requirements. Owners and operators are required to prepare and have available Safety Data Sheets (SDS) under the Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard and must submit an inventory of their hazardous chemicals to the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), Local Emergency Preparedness Committee (LEPC), and the local fire department annually on March 1st. This requirement is achieved through compliance with the Business Plan program. Contact your local CUPA for compliance and questions.

LEPC Contact Information

Fred Mehr, Senior Emergency Services Coordinator
Hazardous Materials Section
Phone: (916) 845-8754 / FAX: (916) 845-8734

fred.mehr@caloes.ca.gov

​LEPC Contacts / Cal OES Liaison

HMEP Grant Administrator: Erika Olsen (916) 845-8765; erika.olsen@caloes.ca.gov

CSTI Training Liaison: Jacob Volkov (805) 549-3203, jacob.volkov@caloes.ca.gov

• CSTI Hazardous Materials Course Schedule
• CSTI Course Registration

*LEPC Regions Map*

*LEPC Meeting Schedule* - Meeting information subject to change. See contacts below for further info.

Click here for a link to the printed version of LEPC contacts (Updated 10/4/2021)

For Individual LEPC Websites click on one of the links below:

LEPC I       LEPC II       LEPC III       LEPC IV       LEPC V       LEPC VI

​LEPC Regional HazMat Planning Project

LAW
Regional hazardous materials emergency planning is required under the 1986 federal law, the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Pursuant to EPCRA (USC 42 Section 11001), the governor of each state appointed a State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) that designated local emergency planning districts and appointed Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC). In California, these districts are the same as the six mutual aid regions and each contain a LEPC. The California SERC supervises and coordinates the activities of all six LEPCs, including the requirement to develop and maintain a regional hazardous materials emergency plan (USC 42 Section 11003). The SERC reviews each LEPC regional hazardous material emergency plan and make recommendations to each LEPC on revisions of the plan that may be necessary to ensure coordination of such plan with plans of other LEPCs.

PROJECT
In June 2014, on behalf of the SERC, the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) contracted with the Center of Collaborative Policy (CCP), California State University of Sacramento, and initiated the multi-phased process to assist each LEPC develop their plan.

Phase 1 of this project was completed in September 2014 and included: a detailed review and assessment of the available literature on hazardous materials emergency planning; interviews and meetings with key stakeholders; a workshop that provided feedback and recommendations; and, a recommended work plan and governance structure for the remaining phases of the project.

Significant findings from Phase 1 included:

• The SERC is in a unique position to provide essential leadership, resources, and guidance.
• Statewide, consistent standards, with some degree of local flexibility, are needed.
• Predictable, reliable funding for regional hazardous materials emergency planning and for the effective functioning of LEPCs is critical.
• The authorities, roles, and requirements of the many confusing and overlapping hazardous materials plans need to be clarified.
• There is a need for useful, functional guidance, tools, or templates for preparing and updating LEPC regional hazardous materials emergency plans.

Project’s next major steps:

• Form an advisory group of key stakeholders, as a "Core Planning Team"’.
• Develop a model template, guidance, toolkit, or other type of planning product that can provide needed assistance and guidance for regional hazardous materials emergency planning.
• Hold workshops throughout the state to obtain feedback on the planning products.
• Apply the prototype planning product to a regional hazardous materials emergency plan in a pilot test.

Phase 2 of the project was initiated in October 2014 and completed in September 2015. It comprised of: further stakeholder engagement and interviews; workgroup and subgroup meetings; creating guidance, template, and process for regional hazardous materials intergovernmental planning; and “pilot” testing the products and process by working with LEPC III to develop their plan.

The guidance, which includes the template and a crosswalk planning tool, incorporates all shared perspectives by stakeholders at workshops and meetings in efforts to create a standardized document relevant to the LEPC regions for the development and maintenance of their plans.

Cal OES, CCP and LEPC III participants utilizing the guidance assembled a draft plan. Due to time constraints, a "gaps" tracking tool to accompany the draft plan was developed documenting the needed steps for the future to refine and fully complete their plan. Comments received after the end of the pilot test will be addressed in Phase 3.

Based on the “pilot” test results, updates and refinements to the guidance were completed to improve the document. And, future amendments, while working with the remaining LEPCs, will continue as the need arises.

Phase 3 is anticipated to start in late spring or early summer 2016. The project’s next major steps:

• Refine and fully complete LEPC III’s plan.
• Update the guidance as needed.
• Begin a scheduled process to work with and assist the remaining LEPCs in the development of their plans.
• Develop a process to update all LEPC plans on a regular basis.
• Brief the SERC on the project.

For more information regarding LEPC Regional HazMat Planning Project, contact:
Jack Harrah, Senior Emergency Services Coordinator
Phone: (916) 845-8759 / Email: jack.harrah@caloes.ca.gov

​Laws and Regulations

Listed below are State and Federal Laws and Regulations that affect LEPCs:

State Statute: Health and Safety Code, Chapter 6.95, Article 1

State Regulation: Title 19, California Code of Regulations, Section 2720 et. seq.

Federal Related Statute: United States Code, Title 42, Section 11001 et. seq.