1. Computer and Hazardous Materials Response Equipment Grant

2. Background
EPCRA – An Overview

3. What is EPCRA?

4. Industry Accidents Bhopal, India - December 3, 1984
Union Carbide India Limited pesticide plant
Methyl isocyanate (MIC) gas was released into areas located near the plant.
Thousands killed and thousands more injured
1) Methyl isocyanate is a toxic chemical used in making of pesticides.
Over 500,000 people were exposed to MIC gas and other chemicals. The toxic substance made its way into and around the shanty located near the plant.
Estimates vary on the death toll. The official immediate death toll was 2,259. The government confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. A government affidavit in 2006 stated that the leak caused 558,125 injuries, including 38,478 temporary partial injuries and approximately 3,900 severely and permanently disabling injuries. Others estimate that 8,000 died within two weeks, and another 8,000 or more have since died from gas-related diseases.
We tend to think it can’t happen here, but..

5. Industry Accidents (continued)
Institute, West Virginia - August 1985
Union Carbide plant
Small cloud of toxic chemicals (Aldicarb oxime plus others) escaped
135 residents treated for eye, throat and lung irritation
… it happened in 1985 in Institute, a town of 3,100 people that largely surrounds West Virginia State College, about 10 miles north of Charleston. Institute is an unincorporated community on the Kanawha River and lies off of Interstate 64 and WV Route 25.
The chemical that escaped was first identified as aldicarb oxime.
The company stated no MIC had been leaked and that aldicarb oxime was much less toxic than MIC.
Even though the company originally downplayed the leak, aldicarb oxime, the hydrolysis product of the carbamate ester pesticide aldicarb, can have nervous system effects, can cause nausea, and can cause skin, eyes, and respiratory tract irritation.
Union Carbide officials later said aldicarb oxime was only one constituent of the cloud of gas, which also contained several other chemicals; a very small percentage of which was MIC - the same chemical that killed thousands in India.
28 of those injured were admitted to hospitals

6. Community Awareness
EPCRA requires facilities manufacturing, storing or processing certain chemicals to report usage and spill data.
Must report to EPA, state and local governments and tribes
Spill data goes to DNR.
Storage and use of EPCRA regulated chemicals goes to WEM – available in WHOPRS.
Data is publicly available, unless it is protected by a valid trade secret claim.
Congress enacted EPCRA to facilitate community awareness of chemical hazards, largely through reporting requirements.  
EPCRA requires facilities manufacturing, storing, or processing certain chemicals to report usage and spill data to the EPA, state and local governments, and tribes, which in turn make the data publicly available, unless it is protected by a valid trade secret claim.
Facilities in Wisconsin can use WHOPRS to meet their EPCRA reporting requirements.

7. WHOPRS Wisconsin Hazmat On-line Planning & Reporting System
What is the intent of WHOPRS?
Designed for Wisconsin's facilities to meet their reporting requirements under state and federal regulations.
Provides facilities an on-line, single point of submission for Tier II Reports and Emergency Planning Notifications (EPN).
Used by state and LEPC to meet oversight requirements.
Provides first responders real-time access to facilities’ critical hazardous chemical information.
WHOPRS is Wisconsin’s customized version of IDSi’s* Tier II Manager software system, which is used by 14 states, 10 state level programs, over 2,700 local government agencies including LEPC, fire and hazmat teams and over 350,000 businesses.
When facilities file via WHOPRS, they meet their reporting requirements on providing LEPCs and fire department hard-copy information.
First responders are able to log into WHOPRS and view information on facilities in their jurisdiction – good planning tool.

8. LEPC Local Emergency Planning Committee
LEPC Responsibilities
Promote the community’s right to know about chemicals present in or near their homes and places of business.
Pursue compliance issues.
Bring together individuals from a variety of disciplines with diverse levels of expertise in order to plan for and respond to chemical emergencies.
Approve county’s application for funds available under the Computer and HazMat Response Equipment Grant.
LEPC - The body appointed by the State Emergency Response Commission (SERC), as required by EPCRA regulations, which develops comprehensive emergency plans... for Local Emergency Planning Districts (in Wisconsin each county).
LEPCs may request EPCRA information, such as SDS forms and chemical release reports, and provides this information to the public. (Again, by using WHOPRS, facilities meet their requirement to provide this information to the LEPCs, but LEPCs still can request information from a facility and it must be provided to them.)
The LEPC make-up is determined locally, but by law must contain representatives from 5 groups, shown on the next slide.
They are ultimately responsible for approving the Computer and HazMat Equipment Grant applications submitted by the counties. In some counties, signatory rights are delegated to the County Board Chair, Chief Elected Office, or County Emergency Manager.

9. LEPC Composition
LEPC must consist of representative from each of the following groups:
Group 1 – Elected state and local officials
Group 2 – Law enforcement, civil defense, firefighting, first aid, health, local environmental, hospital, transportation personnel
Group 3 – Broadcast and print media
Group 4 – Community Group
Group 5 – Owners and operators of facilities subject to EPCRA requirements
These are representatives from your communities. They could be helpful to you when you need information from a farm, facility, bath plant or temporary construction site in your area regarding any information covered by EPCRA - such as chemicals housed or used in a facility the meet or exceed the Threshold Planning Quantities or an Extremely Hazardous Substance.

10. Computer and Hazmat Response Equipment Grant
State funded and administered grant
Application / award process
LEPC applies and receives award annually.
Grant is on a 4-year cycle.
Maximum award is $10,000, based on available funding.
Purpose
Purchase of hazardous materials response equipment for hazmat teams.
Purchase of computers and peripherals for emergency management offices.

11. Eligibility Requirements
Computer portion of the grant
Available to all LEPCs.
Specifically for use within the county emergency management program.
To comply with ss and , Wis. Stats.
To comply with other hazardous materials planning requirements
There are two portions to the Computer and Hazardous Materials Response Equipment Grant …
The computers requested under this portion of the grant are for the county EM program.

12. Eligibility Requirements (continued)
Equipment portion of grant
County must have a designated county hazmat team or written contract with another county team.
If contract situation, funding must be used to purchase equipment used by the contracted team.
Team to be capable of responding to a Level B release occurring any place in the county.
Team members must meet the standards for hazardous materials technicians.
County (LEPC) must submit all the required POW documentation.
Hazmat team must report all responses in E-Sponder.

13. Eligibility Requirements (continued)
General Requirements
Expenses must be incurred during current grant period (January 1 – December 31).
Applications must be submitted by deadline date.
Only complete grant applications will be approved.
In-kind or cash match is required (20%).

14. Eligibility Requirements (continued)
Equipment must be on the Approved Equipment List (AEL).
Computer equipment.
Hazardous materials response equipment.
Request for reimbursement
May be made any time during the grant year.
State can not issue a reimbursement until after July 1 of the grant year.

15. General Grant Information
Not THE General Grant
Egrants will be used for submitting applications
4-Year Grant Cycle
Computer equipment max $2000 for 3 of the 4 years and $6000 for one of the four years
Combined total for computer and hazmat equipment is still $10,000 max
State funding allocation dependent

16. General Grant Information (continued)
All requests for equipment, both computer and hazmat, must be for equipment on the Approved Equipment List (AEL).
AEL included in grant announcement.
Available via . (Let us know if you would like a copy.)

17. Grant Guidance Subgroup
Purpose
Advise and make recommendations to the EPCRA Advisory Group (EAG)
Guidance and application materials
Priorities and standards for:
Equipment
Training
Planning
The purpose of the Grant Guidance Subgroup is to advise and make recommendations to the EPCRA Advisory Workgroup on:
1. Grant guidance and application materials distributed by Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) related to the EPCRA Computer and HazMat Response Equipment program and the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) program.
2. Priorities and standards for equipment, training, planning, and other initiatives funded by the above two grants.
The Grant Guidance Subgroup shall be responsible for:
1. Reviewing draft grant guidance and providing recommendations to the EPCRA Advisory Group.
2. Reviewing and testing application materials, including Egrants applications and formula spreadsheets.
3. Reviewing and making recommendations on eligible expenditures, including equipment, training, and planning expenses.
4. Serving as a liaison to stakeholders on issues related to EPCRA and HMEP grants.
5. Serving as a resource and making recommendations to the EPCRA Advisory group on grant and funding issues.
6. Performing any other functions as deemed necessary by the EPCRA Advisory Group.
Serve as a resource to the EAG
Grant Issues
Funding Issue

18. Grant Guidance Subgroup (continued)
The EPCRA Grant Guidance Subgroup shall consist of eleven (11) members.
Four representatives from hazardous materials response teams – one each from a Type 1, Type 2, Type 3 and county team.
Three county emergency management directors.
The WEM REACT program manager.
One WEM region director.
One member from the WEM EPCRA section.
One existing member of the EPCRA Advisory Group.

19. Grant Process
Hazmat teams make equipment requests through county Emergency Management (EM) offices
LEPC (County EM) submits request via Egrants to Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM)
WEM reviews application and notifies county of award amount

20. Grant Process (continued)
County requests reimbursement for covered expenses by submitting receipts from expenditures.
WEM reviews request for reimbursement and issues check to county treasurer, as appropriate.
Hazmat team is reimbursed by county, per county procedures.

21. WHOPRS DEMO

22. For your service to the citizens of the State of Wisconsin.
Thank You!
For your service to the citizens of the State of Wisconsin.
Contact information for all things EPCRA at WEM
Planning Section Supervisor
Susan Meilahn
(608)
EPCRA Program Manager
Dave Radisewitz (608)