Local Emergency Planning Committee

About 

Meetings

  • 10:00 AM on the third Wednesday of February, May, August, and November

Establishment

In 1986, the U.S. Congress passed a law called the "Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act," (EPCRA) requiring all counties to form and maintain a local emergency planning committee (LEPC). An LEPC is a voluntary organization that is established in an Emergency Planning District designated by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). This group supports emergency planning for chemical hazards and provides the local government and public with information about possible chemical hazards.

Roles and Responsibilities

LEPCs are required to receive the annual Texas Tier Two (Chemical Inventory) reports from facilities in their jurisdictions.  The LEPCs use this information to perform hazard assessments and prepare emergency plans and evacuation procedures for their communities. In addition, the LEPCs must make the information from these reports available to the public, upon request.  LEPCs use the information collected to prepare annual reports about the release of toxic chemicals.  Under EPCRA and the Texas Community Right-to-Know Acts (TCRAs), LEPCs may also request additional hazardous chemical information from facilities for emergency planning purposes.

Representatives

The Hood County LEPC is made up of representatives from state and local government, emergency management, fire, law enforcement, emergency medical services, environmental groups, education, media, community groups, transportation, and facility owners and operators.

Becoming a Member

Any individual interested in serving on the LEPC may place either a written or oral request to be added to the LEPC roster to the LEPC coordinator. The LEPC membership does not become official until approved. New members to the LEPC will be confirmed by the LEPC at the next scheduled meeting after the request.

The Hood County Emergency Management Office (OEM), acting as the repository and headquarters for the LEPC, makes necessary efforts to invite individuals from various departments, agencies, units, and facilities to LEPC meetings. Members may also recommend potential new members for invitation to the meetings.

Chemical Reports and Requests: Submitting Tier II Reports

EPCRA-regulated facilities must report Tier II information to LEPCs, local fire departments, and TECQ. 

Tier II reports provide information related to specific hazardous materials stored above the threshold defined by regulation. Toxic Release Inventory Reports (TRI), require EPCRA-regulated facilities to report discharges of TRI-listed chemicals above certain thresholds; TCEQ requires additional information on these reports for other chemicals not listed in the TRI program.

You can submit a copy of your Tier II report to the Hood County Fire Marshal/Emergency Management office via email, jyoung@co.hood.tx.us, or by mail to:

Jeff Young, Hood County Fire Marshal
401 Deputy Larry Miller Dr.
Granbury, TX 76048

More information for providing Tier II reports can be found on the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality website.

Information Requests

The Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) recognizes and respects the community’s right to know what chemicals are within their areas but also recognizes the need to be vigilant to threats to homeland security. Therefore, the LEPC coordinator will make every conceivable effort to fulfill each and every community right to know request while also weighing facility security and homeland security issues. 

Required Information

Any person that lives or works within Hood County may file a community right to know request with the LEPC coordinator. This request must be made in writing, preferably on company letterhead, and must contain the following information:

  • Address of requestor
  • Copy of a valid Texas driver's license or government-issued identification with a photo
  • Date of the request
  • Exact and specific information requested
  • Intended purpose of use for the information
  • Name of requestor and name of company, if appropriate.
  • Name of the facility that information is requested about
  • Telephone number of requestor (land-line telephones only)

Purpose & Responsibilities

The purpose of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is to carry out responsibilities required pursuant to the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) of 1986, Title III (Public Law 99—499). These responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Developing procedures for regulated facilities to provide notification to the LEPC in accordance with SARA Title III
  • Developing, training, and testing a hazardous materials emergency response plan for Hood County
  • Establishing an LEPC repository to receive emergency release notification and chemical inventory information submitted by local facilities and making this information available to the public upon request; it must also establish and publicize procedures for handling those requests
  • Establishing provisions for public notification of committee activities
  • Providing a continuing forum in which the local community and facilities can discuss issues related to hazardous substances
  • Working with Texas Emergency Management and Hood County to provide solutions for local emergencies through planning and mitigation prior to an incident