La Plata County Commissioner Gwen Lachelt has been appointed to serve on a 12-member commission that will oversee state- and local-level emergency-response planning.
Lachelt will serve a two-year term on the State of Colorado Emergency Planning Commission, which was created in response to Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know provisions included in the 1986 Federal Superfund and Reauthorization Act.
The act was a follow up to the 1980 Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, enacted by Congress to clean up the nation’s hazardous waste sites and provide for emergency response after the release of hazardous substances into the environment.
The act also is referred to as Superfund and the toxic sites as Superfund sites. Congress passed the reauthorization in response to continuing community concern about hazardous materials and chemical-release incidents.
Colorado’s emergency planning commission is responsible for complying with the requirements the act establishes for state and local governments. Those responsibilities include increasing public knowledge and access to information about hazardous chemicals present in the area and helping communities prepare themselves to respond to chemical emergencies.
“I was interested in being the local government representative because I’ve always been interested in how the state implements federal laws, and it will give me a great opportunity to understand how Colorado works in terms of this issue,” Lachelt said.
The commission meets quarterly.
ecowan@durangoherald.com
