Under Section 301 of Title III, the EPCRA Program is required to designate emergency planning districts within the state, and appoint members to a "Local Emergency Planning Committee" (LEPC) for each planning district. The EPCRA Program originally designated seven emergency planning districts for the entire state, and appointed members to an LEPC for each district. When the "Minnesota Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act" (MN Statutes, Chapter 299K) became law in July 1989, the LEPCs were re-designated as Regional Review Committees (RRCs).
Each Regional Review Committee has nine members representing emergency response organizations, facilities regulated under the law, and the public. Applicants for RRC membership apply to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM). HSEM reviews both the application and the recommendation before taking action on the appointment. Members serve staggered three-year terms that begin on January 1 each year.
The primary duty of an RRC is to review the emergency operations plans (EOPs) of the political jurisdictions in its district, in accord with the State’s four-year planning/exercising cycle. At a minimum, RRCs review EOPs to determine if they adequately address the required SARA Title III planning elements, as identified in Minnesota’s Local Emergency Operations Plan Crosswalk (the MNWALK). When reviewing EOPs, RRCs note deficiencies and offer suggestions regarding plan improvements.
Resources
RRC Operating Policies and Procedures (Updated March 2022)
2022 Regional Review Committee Recruitment Process
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