Members
| Position | Incumbent | Term |
|---|---|---|
| Director, MEMA, Chair | Peter J. Rogers Director Maine Emergency Management Agency Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management 72 State House Station Augusta, Maine 04330-0072 |
Serves at the pleasure of the Governor |
| Commissioner or designee, Department of Environmental Protection | Christopher Hopper Bureau of Remediation and Waste Management 17 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333 |
Appointed by the President of the Senate |
| Commissioner or designee, Department of Health and Human Services | Bill Jenkins Director OPHEP Maine CDC 11 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0011 |
Serves at the pleasure of the Commissioner |
| Chief of the Maine State Police or designee | Lt. Aaron Hayden Maine State Police 20 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0020 |
Serves at the pleasure of the Commissioner |
| Commissioner or designee, Department of Labor | Steven Greeley Director, Workplace Safety and Health Division Maine Department of Labor 45 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0045 |
Serves at the pleasure of the Commissioner |
| Commissioner or designee, Department of Transportation | Dwight Doughty Hydrogeologist, Environmental Office Maine Department of Transportation 16 State House Station Augusta, ME 04333-0016 |
Serves at the pleasure of the Commissioner |
| Director or designee, Maine Emergency Medical Services | Vacant | Serves at the pleasure of the Commissioner |
| Representative of local government | Kevin Howell Town Manager 1 Safety Lane Carmel, ME 04119 |
Appointed by the Governor |
| Representative of the Maine Fire Chief's Association | Kenneth Brillant Fire Chief Brunswick Fire Department 21 Town Hall Pl Brunswick, ME 04011 |
Appointed by the Governor |
| Representative of professional firefighters | Gerry Gay 1st District Vice President Professional Firefighters Union 58 Chick Road Sanford, ME 04073 |
Appointed by the Governor |
| Representative of private commerce and industry | Robin Faulkner Health & Safety Manager, SAPPI 1329 Waterville Road Skowhegan, ME 04976 |
Appointed by the Governor |
| Representative of volunteer firefighters | Jared Blake Chaplain Sabattus Fire Department 72 Main Street Sabattus, ME 04280 |
Appointed by the Speaker of the House |
| Representative of organized labor | Matt Barnes Captain 21 Town Hall Place Brunswick, ME 04011 |
Appointed by the Speaker of the House |
| Representative of an environmental advocacy organization | Susan F. Breau, LG Environmental Representative 11 State House Station Augusta, ME 04330 |
Appointed by the President of Senate |
Duties
- Advise the Director, MEMA, on rules promulgated under Chapter 13, Title 37-B;
- Designate emergency planning districts to facilitate preparation and implementation of emergency response plans;
- Appoint members to Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPC) within each emergency planning district;
- Supervise and coordinate the activities of LEPC’s;
- Receive and process requests from the public regarding emergency response plans, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), inventory forms, toxic chemical release forms, and emergency release notices;
- Review and make recommendations on emergency response plans submitted by LEPC’s;
- Receive release notifications;
- Rule on trade secrets in cooperation with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA);
- Monitor, observe, participate, and review certain hazardous materials exercises;
- Review and monitor hazardous materials training programs;
- Conduct joint emergency operations from the State Emergency Operations Center (EOC);
- Undertake all other actions necessary for state implementation of SARA Title III (the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986) and Chapter 13, Title 37-B; and
- Provide oversight and control of the State Emergency Response Fund.
Funding
Facilities that manufacture, process, use, store and sometimes, transport chemicals are required to provide annual reports of their inventories of chemicals and pay fees to the State Emergency Response Fund. This fund is used to provide two positions in the Maine Emergency Management Agency which provide planning and data management services and administer the program. Some training programs are also provided from this level, as well as an annual Hazardous Materials Conference.
Funds are provided to the Local Emergency Planning Committees in each county to implement the program at that level, complete emergency response plans, provide public access to data, monitor facility exercises and provide training programs for public safety responders to prepare them to safely respond to chemical releases.