Bob Morlino, the committee’s LEPC representative, summarized statewide emergency‑planning activity and recent hazardous‑materials events. He said the October LEPC meeting drew roughly 65 attendees and focused on notification procedures under Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation and federal rules for releases of hazardous substances. Morlino said the LEPC has scheduled quarterly meetings for 2026 on Jan. 13, April 14, July 14 and Oct. 13 and invited any interested local officials to attend.

Morlino reviewed exercises and real‑world incidents since the last meeting. “We had about 65 attendees at that meeting,” he said, and described tabletop and field exercises that included a white‑powder/bioterrorism drill at the Vermont Department of Health in Colchester and two anhydrous‑ammonia leak scenarios, one conducted with Cabot Creamery in Cabot on Oct. 12. Morlino also listed several actual releases: a roughly 200‑gallon sulfuric/nitric acid spill at a cider production facility, a carbon‑dioxide rail‑car release, and a hydrochloric‑acid rail incident in the Brattleboro/Brighton area.

Morlino urged continued emphasis on exercises and notification compliance so that industry and local responders follow state and federal reporting procedures. The representative said the LEPC will continue to publish meeting dates and after‑action materials on the Vermont State Library website.