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Meetings are held the third Tuesday of every
month, 8:30am at the EMS building on Main Street |
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Officers
Anita Taylor Gem County Emergency Manager
Michele Sherrer Public Information Officer
Judy Bedal LEPC Co-Chair
Mike Knittel LEPC Co-Chair
Joanna Taylor LEPC Secretary
The
Local Emergency Planning Committee is a product of federal
legislation passed by
Congress after the disaster
in Bhopal, India, where thousands of people died from an accident involving hazardous
chemicals. To prevent similar accidents in our communities, in 1986 Congress
passed the
Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA), also known
as SARA Title III. EPCRA established
requirements for businesses, and for federal, state, and local governments
regarding emergency planning,
and community-right-to-know reporting for hazardous chemicals. This helps
increase public awareness
about the presence of chemicals in their communities and any releases of
these chemicals into the
environment. The State of Idaho also enacted the
Hazardous Substance Emergency Response Act (Idaho Code: Title
39, Chapter 71).
LEPCs are the link between citizens, industry and the government. The
membership comes from the local area and is familiar
with factors that affect public safety, the environment, and the economy of
the community. In Gem County
the LEPC tasks have been expanded beyond just chemical hazards to include information and
discussion about emergency planning, training and exercising, for all
hazards.
For more information
contact the LEPC Coordinator at
lepc@co.gem.id.us
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