In an effort to streamline the yearly Tier II reporting process, the State Emergency Response Commission now requires the use of the web-based program E-Plan for all Tier II submittals. Beginning March 2, 2012, we will no longer accept hard copy or Tier 2 Submit files.
What is E-Plan?
E-Plan is the nation’s largest database of chemical and facility hazards, with over 300,000 Tier II and 17,500 RMP facilities from across the nation in one database. E-Plan was developed by the U.S. EPA Office of Emergency Management in collaboration with The University of Texas at Dallas. It is a means of collecting chemical facility reporting information and addressing federal regulations regarding chemicals in the community.
By utilizing the E-Plan system, the workload required by regulated facilities to submit Tier II information can be greatly reduced. A single submission of Tier II information to E-Plan can satisfy the requirements for individual submissions to the SERC, LEPC and local jurisdictional fire departments. Regulated facilities no longer have to deal with the issue of sending files or hard copies to all agencies. The regulated facility can view their Tier II information at any time on E-Plan and, as necessary, make up-to-the-minute changes to their Tier II information on-line. Since the 2009 year reporting period, the SERC has been uploading all Tier II information to E-Plan, so many of the Mississippi facilities are already pre-populated in E-Plan.
How to Become an E-Plan User:
If you are a facility submitting Tier II information, the process is simple and involves just a few minutes of your time. Go to erplan.net/eplan/onlinefiling/filingLogin.htm, and click on the link to “Register Now” to begin the process. You will be asked to create a password and enter the submitter’s name and e-mail address. You will then be assigned an Access ID number, which is a unique identifier for your facility. You will then be taken to the “E-Plan Online Filing Submission Management” page where you will need to either Enter new Data for your facility or upload your Tier2, .zip, t2s or CAMEO .zip file from the previous year into the system.
If you are a state, local authority, or first responder wanting to access E-Plan facility information, go to https://erplan.net/eplan/user/accountSignup.htm and follow the registration steps under the “First Responders” section. Enter in the information as an Account Type is USER.
As a part of completing the registration, you will be asked to select an Authorizing Authority. The Authorizing Authority is someone from your state or county that has been tasked with ensuring you are an individual that has a need to be an E-Plan user. The certification may take up to one week. Following your approval by the Certifying Official, you will receive a confirmation e-mail from the E-Plan Administrative Team that will include your user name and password. Please reference the Authorizing Authority .pdf document.
That’s it. If you are a first responder, you can begin using the information in E-Plan to ensure your responders are fully knowledgeable of the hazards posed by the chemicals in a facility within their jurisdiction.
To assist you in understanding E-Plan and its available functions, there are a number of tutorials available. Links to these tutorials can be found on the E-Plan Home Page, or directly at: eplannews.utdallas.edu/Training.htm. Please review the attached instruction page for more information.
Questions should be directed to Brian Maske, Tier II Program Manager, 601-933-6369 or bmaske@mema.ms.gov