The Hazardous Material Emergency Planning And Response Act
The Hazardous Material Emergency Planning and Response Act Annual Report 2008
The Hazardous Material Emergency Planning and Response Act, Pennsylvania Act 1990-165, was promulgated in December 1990 and amended in February 2001. It implements the planning and preparedness requirements of Federal SARA Title III.
Act 165 is NOT an unfunded mandate. It establishes a system of fees and grants to help support local efforts in compliance. There are provisions for establishment at the county level of both planning and per-chemical fees to be collected and utilized by the county for its hazmat programs. There is also a state-level program which collects fees from Tier II and TCR/TRI facilities and channels most of those funds back to the counties in the form of matching grants to supplement their hazmat programs.
The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Council (PEMC) serves as the SERC required by SARA Title III. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is the executive administrative agent for the PEMC.
Each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties is designated as a Local Emergency Planning District and each is required to have a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC).
LEPC responsibilities are essentially those established by SARA Title III, with additional specific requirements under Act 165. In Pennsylvania, an offsite emergency response plan is required for each SARA planning facility. This plan becomes a supplement to the county emergency operations plan.
More than 3,200 SARA planning facilities have been identified in Pennsylvania and more than 97% of the required plans have been reviewed by PEMA on behalf of the PEMC and have been found to provide adequately for the health and safety of the public.
LEPC members are appointed by the PEMC from a list of nominees submitted by the governing body of the county.
Hazardous Materials Links
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