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Columbia County to apply for $60,000 hazardous-materials preparedness grant
Summary
The local Emergency Planning Commission and county emergency management will apply to the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness program for $60,000 to update and combine rail, road, air and waterways hazardous-materials response plans; the county will serve as fiscal sponsor if the grant is awarded.
The chair of the local Emergency Planning Commission told the board Jan. 14 that the LEPC seeks authorization for Columbia County Emergency Management to submit an application to the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness (HMEP) program and serve as fiscal sponsor if awarded.
The LEPC chair said the request was revised upward to $60,000 (from an earlier $35,000 listing) to fund consultant work to update and combine the county’s separate hazardous-materials plans — including rail, road, air and waterways components — and to coordinate stakeholder meetings over a one-year performance period. Staff framed the project as creating a comprehensive hazardous materials transportation response plan covering multiple modes and addressing new industry changes and data needs.
"We're creating a comprehensive hazardous material transportation response plan," the LEPC chair said, explaining that combining several legacy plans and adding air and waterways components expanded the scope and justified the revised ask.
The board authorized the submission and delegated signature authority to the finance director as the county fiscal agent. Commissioners discussed award conditions and noted they will evaluate the grant terms and accept the award only if the county can meet any required stipulations.
The plan to update and consolidate response documents is intended to accelerate county readiness for hazardous-materials incidents and to ensure consistent response procedures across transportation modes.
