Function Statement

Through the enactment of R.S. 30:2364, the Louisiana Legislature created the Louisiana Emergency Response Commission (LERC) within the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to:

• Establish emergency planning districts;
• Appoint local emergency planning committees;
• Supervise and coordinate the activities of local emergency planning committees;
• Provide the Environmental Protection Agency with information concerning notification received on certain releases of hazardous materials and substances;
• Designate, as necessary, facilities subject to hazardous material reporting procedures;
• Recommend a standardized inventory form for gathering required information and develop reporting procedures which reduce duplication of reporting;
• Recommend, as necessary, additional substances which should be defined as hazardous materials;
• Act as the central advisory body for coordinating state and federal Right-to-Know activities with regard to hazardous substances;
• Establish procedures for recalling and processing public requests for information;
• Review local emergency planning committee emergency response plans and recommend revisions as necessary.

Goals Statement

The goals of the Louisiana Emergency Response Commission (LERC) are to:

• Analyze the past and present LERC operations strengths and weaknesses and consider future opportunities and threats;
• Help each LEPC to complete a hazardous materials emergency response plan;
  Plan for chemical emergencies;
• Provide hazardous chemical inventory reporting tools and data;
• Provide toxic chemical inventory reporting tools and data;
• Study and learn from the HazMat climate (commodity flow, hazard analyses, and spill data);
• Amend related Louisiana laws as needed.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of the Louisiana Emergency Response Commission (LERC) is to coordinate the state's planning and preparedness activities for hazardous materials compliance with the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) also known as Title Ill of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). The LERC is to develop and support programs of state and local governments and local university sponsored programs that are designed to improve emergency planning, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery capabilities, with special emphasis associated with hazardous chemicals. The purpose of the SERC is to:

• Enhance public safety and environmental protection through efficient implementation of hazardous material emergency planning and community right-to-know laws;
• Designate local emergency planning districts and appoint a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) and members for each district;
• Supervise and coordinate the activities of the LEPCs;
• Coordinate other state agency activities in the area of hazardous materials emergency planning and community right-to-know laws to ensure legal and jurisdictional autonomy of each of these agencies is preserved;
• Promote, assist, and guide local, regional, and state government activities to integrate hazardous materials emergency planning and accident prevention programs in order to prevent unnecessary overlaps;
• Establish procedures for receiving, processing and providing information to the public on hazardous materials;
• Review LEPC regional emergency plans and make recommendations to the LEPC on revisions of the plan that may be necessary to ensure coordination of such plan with regional emergency plans of other LEPCs;
• Receive verbal and written follow-up emergency notifications of the release of extremely hazardous substances or hazardous chemicals;
• Provide a forum for the consideration of ideas and concerns of public and private interest in the implementation of hazardous material emergency planning and accident prevention programs;
• Provide a mechanism for timely review and processing of requests for hazardous material information legally available to the public.

Vision Statement

The vrsron of the Louisiana Emergency Response Commission (LERC) is to promote emergency response planning and community awareness by ensuring and overseeing the implementation of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA), with the intention of assuring protection for the citizens, property, and the environment of the State of Louisiana. The LERC shall maintain an open forum to consider ideas from the public and private interest while promoting a comprehensive and effective hazardous materials program.