42 U.S.C. § 11001 — State Commissions, Planning Districts, and Local Committees
Represent the statutory establishment, coordination, participation, and public-information responsibilities of emergency response commissions and local emergency planning committees.
Other Information
Status: Independent draft prepared October 20, 2026. This rendition covers the main text of 42 U.S.C. § 11001, corresponding to EPCRA § 301. It is a requirements template, not an adopted governmental performance plan, legal opinion, or finding of compliance.
Source and currency: Official Office of the Law Revision Counsel section page, https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-120/t42/s11001/ , accessed October 20, 2026. The page identifies currency through Public Law 119-120, October 7, 2026. Source excerpts below preserve statutory wording with whitespace normalized.
Inferred statements: Vision, Mission, Values, goal groupings, concise noun Names, active-verb summaries, stakeholder role descriptions, measurement dimensions, and verb-based target descriptors were inferred with ChatGPT assistance. They are not official adopted statements and create no additional legal obligations.
Historical deadlines: The six-, nine-, and ten-month deadlines following October 17, 1986 are historical establishment provisions. The local-committee appointment deadline uses the earlier of 30 days after district designation and ten months after October 17, 1986. That paired condition is preserved rather than rewritten as a universal new 30-day deadline.
Permissions and conditions: Designation of existing organizations, interstate arrangements, revisions, and membership petitions are permissions. Their nonexercise is not automatically a performance failure. Technical expertise in commission appointments is required to the extent practicable.
Participation: Subsection (c) expressly requires committee rules addressing public notification, public meetings about the emergency plan, public comments, committee responses, and plan distribution. Asynchronous tools may supplement these arrangements but are not presented as eliminating the statutory public-meeting provision.
Measurement: Target descriptors express intended completion states, not actual achievement. Qualitative UnitOfMeasurement uses ... solely as a display convention. No actual results, baselines, unsupported numerical targets, or noncompliance findings are supplied. Missing evidence does not establish failure.
Relationships: Public-information procedures connect to §§ 11022 and 11044; emergency plans and notifications connect to §§ 11003 and 11004. Definitions and other applicable requirements must be checked before assigning duties to a named jurisdiction or body. This rendition does not comprehensively convert implementing regulations, state law, or subsidiary notes.
Potential support, inferred: StratML could connect committee responsibilities, membership categories, public-information procedures, emergency plans, and evidence of fulfillment. Discovery services and asynchronous coordination could help stakeholders find related objectives and contribute between required public meetings.
🏢United States of America The jurisdiction whose emergency-planning organizational requirements are represented in this independent template.
Stakeholders:
👥 | Source & SubmitterSource:https://uscode.house.gov/us/usc/119-120/t42/s11001/ Period: to Published: |
Vision
Coordinated emergency-planning institutions with informed and participating communities.
Mission
To connect emergency-planning organizational responsibilities with responsible parties, assessable requirements, and evidence of fulfillment.
Values
Goal 1: State Commissions 🔗
Establish state emergency response commissions and coordinate local planning and public-information responsibilities.
Other Information
Source: § 11001(a). Source text: Not later than six months after October 17, 1986, the Governor of each State shall appoint a State emergency response commission. The Governor may designate as the State emergency response commission one or more existing emergency response organizations that are State-sponsored or appointed. The Governor shall, to the extent practicable, appoint persons to the State emergency response commission who have technical expertise in the emergency response field. The State emergency response commission shall appoint local emergency planning committees under subsection (c) and shall supervise and coordinate the activities of such committees. The State emergency response commission shall establish procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public for information under section 11044 of this title, including tier II information under section 11022 of this title. Such procedures shall include the designation of an official to serve as coordinator for information. If the Governor of any State does not designate a State emergency response commission within such period, the Governor shall operate as the State emergency response commission until the Governor makes such designation.
Objective 1.1: Commission Establishment 🔗
Appoint a state emergency response commission within the historical statutory period, using the permitted existing-organization alternative if selected, and appoint technically qualified persons to the extent practicable.
Stakeholders:
👥Governors Commission Establishment : Establish the commission and perform the statutory interim commission role when applicable. (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(a). The initial deadline is six months after October 17, 1986. Existing emergency response organizations must be state-sponsored or appointed. If the Governor did not designate a commission within that period, the Governor shall operate as the commission until designation. No current absence of a commission is presumed.
Performance Indicators
1.1.1: Commission Establishment
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Appointed or Designated | Appoint the commission within the historical six-month period or designate qualifying existing organizations, satisfy the technical-expertise condition to the extent practicable, and have the Governor operate as the commission until designation if the statutory fallback applies. |
Other Information
Assess the complete establishment and fallback conditions. The descriptor is a target state; no actual appointment or designation is asserted.
Objective 1.2: Committee Coordination 🔗
Supervise and coordinate local emergency planning committee activities.
Stakeholders:
👥State emergency response commissions Supervision and Coordination (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(a). Local committee appointment requirements are represented under Goal 3.
Performance Indicators
1.2.1: Committee Activities
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Supervised and Coordinated | Supervise and coordinate the activities of local emergency planning committees. |
Objective 1.3: Information Procedures 🔗
Establish state procedures for receiving and processing public requests under § 11044, including Tier II information under § 11022, and designate an information coordinator.
Stakeholders:
👥State emergency response commissions Information Procedures (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(a). The procedures must include designation of an official as coordinator for information. Substantive disclosure conditions and deadlines must be read with the referenced sections.
Performance Indicators
1.3.1: Information Procedures
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Established and Designated | Establish the required public-request procedures and designate the information coordinator. |
Goal 2: Planning Districts 🔗
Designate emergency planning districts and maintain applicable district and committee arrangements.
Other Information
Source: § 11001(b). Source text: Not later than nine months after October 17, 1986, the State emergency response commission shall designate emergency planning districts in order to facilitate preparation and implementation of emergency plans. Where appropriate, the State emergency response commission may designate existing political subdivisions or multijurisdictional planning organizations as such districts. In emergency planning areas that involve more than one State, the State emergency response commissions of all potentially affected States may designate emergency planning districts and local emergency planning committees by agreement. In making such designation, the State emergency response commission shall indicate which facilities subject to the requirements of this subchapter are within such emergency planning district.
Objective 2.1: District Designations 🔗
Designate emergency planning districts within the historical nine-month period, using existing political subdivisions or multijurisdictional planning organizations where appropriate, and indicate covered facilities within designated districts.
Stakeholders:
👥State emergency response commissions District Designation (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(b). The historical deadline is nine months after October 17, 1986. Use of existing subdivisions or planning organizations is permitted where appropriate, not required universally. Facility identification is part of the statutory designation provisions.
Performance Indicators
2.1.1: District Designations
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Designated and Indicated | Designate planning districts under the applicable statutory arrangements and indicate the covered facilities within them. |
Objective 2.2: Interstate Arrangements 🔗
Designate districts and local committees by agreement among commissions of all potentially affected states if they exercise this authority for a multistate planning area.
Stakeholders:
👥Commissions of potentially affected states Interstate Designation (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(b). This is a permitted agreement mechanism. No agreement or multistate designation is presumed necessary in every district.
Performance Indicators
2.2.1: Interstate Arrangements
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Designated by Agreement if Exercised | Designate the multistate district and local committee by agreement among all potentially affected state commissions when this permitted mechanism is exercised. |
Objective 2.3: Designation Revisions 🔗
Revise district designations and committee appointments under subsections (b) and (c) if the state commission deems revision appropriate.
Stakeholders:
👥State emergency response commissions Revisions (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(d). Source text: A State emergency response commission may revise its designations and appointments under subsections (b) and (c) as it deems appropriate. Interested persons may petition the State emergency response commission to modify the membership of a local emergency planning committee. Revision is discretionary. Membership petitions are represented under Objective 3.4.
Performance Indicators
2.3.1: Designations and Appointments
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Revised if Exercised | Revise the applicable designations and appointments when the commission exercises its statutory discretion. |
Goal 3: Local Committees 🔗
Establish representative local committees with leadership, public-participation rules, and information-request procedures.
Other Information
Source: § 11001(c). Source text: Not later than 30 days after designation of emergency planning districts or 10 months after October 17, 1986, whichever is earlier, the State emergency response commission shall appoint members of a local emergency planning committee for each emergency planning district. Each committee shall include, at a minimum, representatives from each of the following groups or organizations: elected State and local officials; law enforcement, civil defense, firefighting, first aid, health, local environmental, hospital, and transportation personnel; broadcast and print media; community groups; and owners and operators of facilities subject to the requirements of this subchapter. Such committee shall appoint a chairperson and shall establish rules by which the committee shall function. Such rules shall include provisions for public notification of committee activities, public meetings to discuss the emergency plan, public comments, response to such comments by the committee, and distribution of the emergency plan. The local emergency planning committee shall establish procedures for receiving and processing requests from the public for information under section 11044 of this title, including tier II information under section 11022 of this title. Such procedures shall include the designation of an official to serve as coordinator for information.
Objective 3.1: Committee Membership 🔗
Appoint a local committee for each district by the earlier of the statutory appointment deadlines and include representatives of every required group or organization category.
Stakeholders:
👥State emergency response commissions Committee Appointments (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(c). Required categories and the paired historical deadlines are preserved in Goal 3 OtherInformation. No unsupported total membership size, seat allocation, or appointment cycle is inferred.
Performance Indicators
3.1.1: Committee Membership
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Appointed and Represented | Appoint the committee within the applicable historical timing conditions and ensure representation of all categories listed in § 11001(c). |
Objective 3.2: Leadership and Rules 🔗
Appoint a chairperson and establish committee rules providing for public notification, public meetings about the emergency plan, comments, committee responses, and plan distribution.
Stakeholders:
👥Local emergency planning committees Leadership and Procedures (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(c). The statute expressly includes public meetings. Supplementary asynchronous participation does not remove that required provision. Establishment of rules and evidence that the rules are followed are distinct assessments.
Performance Indicators
3.2.1: Leadership and Rules
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Appointed and Established | Appoint the chairperson and establish rules containing every public-participation and plan-distribution provision required by subsection (c). |
Objective 3.3: Information Procedures 🔗
Establish local procedures for receiving and processing public requests under § 11044, including Tier II information under § 11022, and designate an information coordinator.
Stakeholders:
👥Local emergency planning committees Information Procedures (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(c). These local procedures are distinct from the state commission procedures under Objective 1.3. Both must include designation of an official as information coordinator.
Performance Indicators
3.3.1: Information Procedures
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Established and Designated | Establish the required local public-request procedures and designate the information coordinator. |
Objective 3.4: Membership Petitions 🔗
Petition the state emergency response commission to modify local committee membership when an interested person elects to exercise this right.
Stakeholders:
👥Interested persons Membership Petitions (Performer)
Other Information
Source: § 11001(d). This is a permitted petition mechanism. The section does not require every interested person to petition, guarantee acceptance, or specify a petition-response deadline.
Performance Indicators
3.4.1: Membership Petitions
| Type | Start Date | End Date | ... | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Target | Submitted if Exercised | Submit a membership-modification petition to the state commission when an interested person exercises the statutory right. |