On October 17, 1986, the United States Congress passed the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) as part of Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act of 1986 (SARA Title III). The impetus for this legislation was two major chemical incidents during the previous two years, one in Bhopal, India, that received worldwide attention for killing thousands and injuring thousands more, followed by a less catastrophic incident in Institute, West Virginia. This reinforced that a chemical incident, potentially on a large scale, could happen in the United States, and measures needed to be instituted to ensure the safety of the public. EPCRA provides for comprehensive chemical emergency planning, preparedness, and response through the coordinated efforts of industry, local fire departments, Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC), and the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). EPCRA outlines the composition, jurisdiction, and responsibilities of the SERC and LEPCs. It further defines four basic regulatory areas of reporting geared to the regulated community. These are:
- Extremely Hazardous Substance (EHS) notification and emergency planning
- Emergency spill/release notification
- Chemical list and annual chemical inventory reporting
- Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting
Ohio Revised Code 3750.03 provides that the LEPC is the local emergency planning entity within the planning district as established by the SERC. In Ohio, the district is defined as a county.