Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA), along with the Emergency Planning & Community Right-To-Know Act (EPCRA), was enacted by Congress to encourage and support emergency planning for responding to hazardous waste sites, and to provide local governments and the public with timely and comprehensive information about possible chemical hazards. To implement EPCRA, Congress required each state to appoint a State Emergency Response Commission (SERC). The SERCs were, in turn, required to divide their states into Emergency Planning Districts and name a Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) for each district.  The Wyoming SERC is divided into 23 Emergency Planning Districts, one in each county.

The Sweetwater County Local Emergency Planning Committee, hereinafter referred to as the "LEPC", is a State entity created pursuant to SARA Title III, The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986.  The LEPC is appointed by the State Emergency Response Commission.  The LEPC serves as a group of professionals in the community for the purpose of information, training, discussions, and education of the public about hazardous substances, emergency planning, health, and environmental risks.

The Sweetwater County LEPC represents the community with members from the following groups and organizations:

The Officers of the LEPC are:

Chair	Judy Valentine
Co-Chair	Phillip Luzmoor
Secretary	Judy Roderick

The LEPC's Tasks are to:

• Write emergency plans to protect the public from chemical accidents.
• Set up procedures to warn and, if necessary, evacuate the public in case of emergency.
• Provide citizens and local governments with information about hazardous chemicals and accidental releases of chemicals in their communities.
• Prepare public reports on annual releases of toxic chemicals into the air, water and soil.
  

An emergency plan must:

• Use the information provided by industry to identify the facilities and transportation routes where hazardous substances are present.
• Establish emergency response procedures, including evacuation plans, for dealing with accidental chemical releases.
• Set up notification procedures for those who will respond to an emergency.
  Establish methods for determining the occurrence and severity of a release and the areas and populations likely to be affected.
• Establish ways to notify the public of a release.
• Identify the emergency equipment available in the community, including equipment at facilities.
• Contain a program and schedules for training local emergency response and medical workers to respond to chemical emergencies.
• Establish methods and schedules for conducting "exercises" (simulations) to test elements of the emergency response plan.
• Designate a community coordinator and a facility coordinator to carry out the plan.
  

The LEPC has responsibilities besides developing an emergency response plan. The committee receives emergency release and hazardous chemical inventory information that is submitted by local facilities. The chemical release and chemical inventory information is available to the public upon request.  The LEPC also receives Toxic Release information each year.  This is information on toxic chemicals emitted to the atmosphere.