Virginia Emergency Response Council (VERC)

In Virginia, the State Emergency Response Commission may be reached in care of:

Virginia Department of Environmental Quality
SARA Title III Program
P.O. Box 1105
Richmond, Virginia 23218
(804) 698-4193

The Virginia Emergency Response Council is chaired by the Director of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, and includes representatives from other state agencies: the Department of Environmental Quality; the Department of Fire Programs; the Department of Health; the Department of Labor and Industry; the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy; and the State Police.

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

The SARA Title III Program at DEQ receives, processes and analyzes all the SARA Title III reporting data from the regulated community of business and industry. This office is the state point of contact for all "community right-to-know" information requests.

Exception: In the event of emergency, immediate notification contact is Virginia Emergency Response Council (VERC) c/o Virginia Dept. of Emergency Management at 1-800-468-8892.

Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs)

Virginia has 114 local emergency planning committees (LEPCs). These include cities or towns, counties or joint LEPCs (which include a cooperating group of a county and one or more cities or towns).

A committee is intended to broadly represent the community and must include members from each of five constituent groups:

• Elected state and local officials.
• Law enforcement officials, civil defense workers and firefighters.
• First aid, health, hospital, environmental and transportation workers.
• representatives of community groups and the news media.
• Owners and operators of industrial facilities, including other businesses using, storing, processing or distributing chemicals.

Local emergency planning committee contacts in Virginia

Role of LEPC

• Appoint LEPC members.
• Prepare and distribute a comprehensive chemical emergency response plan.
• Review this plan at least once a year.
• Evaluate the local resources needed to implement the program. There is no funding from the State. LEPC may apply for federal grants.
• Provide for public participation in these SARA Title III emergency planning and preparedness activities.
• Publish an annual reminder to the public on the availability of a local, chemical emergency response plan for review.
• Establish procedures for receiving and processing facility reporting information related to EPCRA Sections 302, 303 (Chemical Emergency Release Contingency Plan), 304, 311, and 312.
• Establish procedures for processing request from the public for the aforementioned information.
• Note: Many of LEPCs have taken the Sect. 312 - Tier II reporting and downloaded into the Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO) program or the Emergency Information System (EIS) used in the field during emergency response.