Local Emergency Planning Committee

Overview

The Montgomery County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) was established by resolution 87-C-760 of the Montgomery County Commissioners on December 30, 1987 in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Title III, Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA Title III), commonly known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA). To learn more about the EPCRA, click here.

The committee was established to implement the provisions of this law within Montgomery County, and subsequently, to carry out the duties specified for Pennsylvania LEPCs in Section 203 of the Pennsylvania Hazardous Material Emergency Planning and Response Act, Act 165 of 1990.

Committee Duties

The primary duties of the Montgomery County Local Emergency Planning Committee are to:

• Prepare and coordinate a chemical emergency response plan for all facilities in Montgomery County where extremely hazardous materials are present in quantities above a threshold planning quantity, as required by SARA Title III, Section 303.
• Collect and maintain SARA Section 312 hazardous chemical inventory reports (Tier II reports) for facilities required to submit such reports.
• Receive information about reportable accidental chemical releases and ensure that emergency response plans are followed by the responsible facility when responding to such releases.
• Assist Montgomery County in the preparation of a Hazardous Material Emergency Response Preparedness Assessment.
• Ensure the review, implementation, and updating of the Montgomery County Chemical Emergency Response Plan and the component plans for each reporting facility.
• Collect and deposit into the Montgomery County Hazardous Material Emergency Response Account all fees and funds received in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 91-C-643 and ensure the timely submission of required fees by reporting facilities.
• Maintain a database of all planning and reporting facilities and the hazardous chemicals reported by these facilities utilizing the CAMEO chemical information systems database.
• Provide outreach and education to municipalities and the community concerning hazardous materials within the community.

Compliance

Facilities that manufacture, use, or store hazardous chemicals above certain amounts at any given time during the calendar year are required to submit reports on their chemical inventories under the federal Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA).

Any owner or operator of a facility that fails to comply with EPCRA reporting requirements is liable for a civil penalty of up to $32,500 for each violation. Each day that a violation continues constitutes a separate violation.

For a detailed description of the materials and quantities subject to reporting requirements and instructions for compliance, click here: Compliance

Public Information Requests

The Montgomery County LEPC has established procedures for the release of records to the public. The policy can be accessed by clicking here: Public Information Requests

Members

The Montgomery County LEPC is composed of volunteer members representing a cross section of the county's emergency and health services community, large and small industry, elected officials, and the public as well as the county emergency management coordinator and the Montgomery County Hazardous Materials Response Team.

Meetings

The Montgomery County LEPC meets at 1 p.m. on the second Tuesday of February, May, August, and November. For an agenda, please call (610) 631-6500 a day or two before the meeting. Unless otherwise specified, meetings are held at the:

Montgomery County Public Safety Training Campus
1175 Conshohocken Road
Conshohocken, PA 19428

¹ The May 2020 meeting was canceled due to COVID-19 and was rescheduled for December 2020.

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Interested in serving on this board? Fill out an application of interest here.