What is the Emergency Planning & Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA)?

The Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) was signed into federal law in 1986. Title III of SARA is also known as the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act or the Community Right-to-Know regulation.  A State Emergency Response Commission (SERC) was established to oversee implementation of requirements imposed by SARA Title III, including the formation of the local emergency planning committees and the development of a statewide master plan for hazardous materials incident response.

The Community Right-to-Know provisions help increase the public’s knowledge and access to information on chemicals at individual facilities, their uses, and releases into the environment. States and communities, working with facilities, can use the information to improve chemical safety and protect public health and the environment.

Under this regulation, both small and large businesses are required to plan for possible emergencies and report chemical information to the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), the local fire department, and tribal nations.

Lincoln County LEPC Members