Hazardous Materials
and Environmental Compliance Programs
Program History
The Fire Department's
oversight of environmentally-related programs began in 1983
with the adoption of a local Underground Tank Ordinance. The
hazardous materials disclosure program was implemented in
1985 to identify hazardous materials used, stored and processed
by City businesses. Subsequent State legislation created the
Unified Hazardous Waste and Hazardous Materials Management
Regulatory Program (Unified Program) and the Fire Department
was certified as the City's Unified Program Agency (CUPA)
in 1997.
Unified Program
(CUPA)
There are six state
programs that regulate business and industry's use, storage,
handling and disposal of hazardous materials and hazardous
wastes which were consolidated under Senate Bill 1082 in 1994
to be part of a single environmental control program managed
by a Certified Unified Program Agency (CUPA) at the city or
county level. In Los Angeles County, El Segundo, Glendale,
Long Beach/Signal Hill, City of Los Angeles, Santa Fe Springs,
Santa Monica, Vernon, and the County have been certified by
the state to be CUPA's for their areas of jurisdiction.
The Fire Department
has entered into an agreement with the County of Los Angeles
perform the Hazardous Waste components of the Unified Program.
CUPA Program
Elements:
Requires that
businesses and industry which use, store, or handle hazardous
materials above threshold amounts (generally 55 gallons
for liquids, 500 pounds for solids, or 200 cubic feet for
gases) must file a Hazardous Materials Business Plan to
the local emergency response agency (Los Angeles Fire Department).
Additional
requirements (Los Angeles Municipal Code):
Permit Amounts
based on LAFD Standard 68 (Uniform Fire Code Hazardous
Materials Categories). See "Hazardous
Material Categories and Disclosure Amounts"
Regulates underground
storage tanks, which contain any hazardous material (including
gasoline or diesel).
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