Do you have questions about Tier II reporting requirements?

Please visit North Carolina's EPCRA/ Tier 2 website for additional information!

The mission of the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is to effectively plan for emergencies involving hazardous materials. The LEPC is tasked with the responsibility of:

• SARA Title III Environmental Compliance
• HAZMAT training and exercises
• Site-Specific Chemical Planning Program
• Emergency Lock Box Program
• Coordination of chemical information to emergency responders
• Maintenance of the county-wide incident management plan.
   

The Harnett County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is a federally mandated committee that is formed to provide a forum for emergency management agencies, responders, industry and the public to work together to evaluate, understand, train about, coordinate and communicate chemical hazards in the community and develop hazmat emergency plans, which provide information about chemicals in the community to citizens, government agencies and emergency responders. The Harnett County LEPC membership includes:

• Business and industry representatives
• Emergency response groups (fire, medical and law enforcement, etc)
• Community groups media
• Hospitals
• Environmental interest
• Universities
• The general public

The current LEPC Chairman is Ryan Dawson.  Dawson is the Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator for Harnett County Emergency Services.  He works with the LEPC board and its full committee to assure all mandated requirements are met at a minimum to work towards one common goal of safety for our residents, responders and the workers in these industries.  If you have questions about the Harnett County LEPC, you can contact Ryan by email at rdawson@harnett.org or by phone at 910-893-7580. 

 
What can the LEPC do for our residents? 

The LEPC can assist you in obtaining chemical-related information from industry in your neighborhood. Federal law requires LEPC's to establish procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public for information. The Emergency Management Division of Harnett County Emergency Services has been designated as the official agency to serve as coordinator of this information. Formal requests for information may be submitted to the LEPC Chair identified above.  Once your information is received it will be evaluated by the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Public Information Coordinator and returned within an appropriate amount of time.
  

What information does the LEPC have?
 

Businesses and industries in Harnett County must provide three types of information to the LEPC, including:

1. In case of an accidental release of certain chemicals, the industry must immediately notify appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, including the LEPC. Once submitted, release information is maintained on file with the LEPC.
2. If business stores, uses, or manufactures one of approximately 360 chemicals that the U.S. EPA considers extremely hazardous, they must report to the LEPC the amount, general location, and hazards caused by that chemical's use or storage. Contact the Emergency Management Office for further information at 910-893-7580. Tier II reporting is conducted by the use of EPLAN automated web-based reporting system.  Please contact the Emergency Management Office for assistance in this process.
3. Annually, the industry must submit to the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) and to the U.S. EPA. This inventory reports on the amounts of toxic chemicals they routinely emit into the air, water, or ship off-site for treatment or disposal.

When does the LEPC meet and who can attend?

We encourage the business community, both large and small, to become involved in the LEPC.  Our goal is to ensure a strong emergency preparedness program that guarantees the safety of all of our citizens. The LEPC meets annually and the public is invited to attend.  All meetings will be announced via Harnett County Emergency Services social media sites. The LEPC Committee consists of the following: