Local Emergency Planning Committee

The Hawaii County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) is a federally mandated body under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) that develops and maintains the county's hazardous materials emergency response plan. It coordinates between industries that store or use hazardous chemicals, emergency responders, and the public to ensure that plans, information, and training are in place to respond to a hazmat incident on the Big Island. The LEPC also facilitates public access to chemical inventory data that regulated facilities must report.

Big Island residents who live near industrial facilities, fuel storage sites, or agricultural operations that use hazardous chemicals have a right to know what substances are present and what plans exist if something goes wrong. The LEPC is the channel through which that information is organized and communicated to the public.