Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
The group should represent all elements of the community and be able to work
cooperatively.
A component of the community emergency response planning is the Local
Emergency Planning Committee, or LEPC. This is a voluntary organization
established to meet the requirements of the federal Emergency Planning arid
Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), also known as the Superfund Amend-
ment and Reauthorization Act (SARA Title III), for emergency response planning.
EPCRA contains four major provisions:
1. Emergency planning
2. Emergency release notification
3. Hazardous chemical storage reporting requirements
4. Toxic chemical release inventory
Each one of these components is associated with specific reporting require-
ments, which will not be discussed here. Instead, the following sections briefly
touch upon the planning process, the key steps in the development of the response
plan, the content of the plan and procedures, and the integration of the plan with
other response plans.
PLANNING PROCESS
As discussed in previous sections, the planning process is the key to success.
Agreeing to use a document prepared by others substantially reduces the value of
the planning process and diminishes the commitment of those who must prepare
the plan. The relationships of the industry, government, and the local community
are often fragile. The process itself provides an opportunity to interact with the
participants so they become aware of their strengths and weaknesses.
Hazards Analysis
The planning team is responsible for several key components. Hazards identi-
fication, vulnerability analysis, and risk analysis together make up the hazards
analysis task. Help with this process is available. The EPA has developed a pub-
lication jointly with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to assess the hazards related to poten-
tial airborne releases of extremely hazardous substances [“Technical Guidance
for Hazards Analysis” (“Green Book”)]. Information on this and other relevant
publications is available elsewhere. 16
Hazards Identification Identification of the hazards determines whether a
plan is really needed. High-priority hazards should be addressed first. For facilities
or transportation routes where the identified hazard is toxic or flammable material,
the identity, location, and quantity must be precisely determined. The facility that
manufactures, processes, stores, or uses such material is the logical source of this
information.
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