Electronic Reporting and Hazardous Materials Business Plan Requirements

Per California Health & Safety Code 25503.5, all businesses that manage hazardous materials and/or hazardous wastes in quantities of 55 gallons (liquids), 200 cubic feet (compressed gases) and/or 500 pounds (solids) shall submit a Hazardous Materials Business Plan (HMBP) to the local enforcement agency within 60 days of starting business or within 30 days of a significant change in operations.

The local enforcement agency in Mono County is the Mono County CUPA.

The HMBP consists of a minimum of 5 documents: Business Owner/Operator Information, Business Activities, Hazardous Materials Inventory, Site Map (attached below) and Contingency Plan (attached below).

If you have underground storage tanks (USTs), are subject to the requirements of the Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act (by having 1,320 gallons or more of petroleum stored in containers of 55 gallons or larger), or are subject to the requirements of the California Accidental Release Program, you may be required to submit additional documents as well. (Some larger documents - such as an SPCC or RMP -  may be maintained at the business location and provided to the regulator by request.)

No later than January 1, 2013, all of the above documents are required to be submitted to the local agency and the State of California electronically through the California Electronic Reporting System (CERS). For instructions on CERS submittals, please refer to the CERS Guidance Document below.

Most of the forms allow data to be directly entered on the website. Some of the documents are available through links on the website or are attached below and can be stored on your computer. The attached Site Map is not fully electronic, so you will need to print it, draw the site map with all applicable information required on the form, scan it and upload it. You may substitute your own Site Map as long as it has all the required information on it. Facilities at remote locations should attach overview maps and facility site maps.  

Follow the instructions on these forms carefully, as data will be lost unless the document is saved with a different name. If you save a document for upload to CERS, please name it as follows: Your Business Name Type of Document (e.g. Fred's Foundry Contingency Plan.doc) for easier use when provided to first responders.

No later than January 1, 2014, all UST data must be submitted to the local agency and the State of California elecronically through the California Electronic Reporting System (CERS).

As of January 1, 2012, Mono County CUPA no longer accepts paper submittals of the HMBP.

To submit your facility’s HMBP electronically, go to the following website and follow instructions for Businesses:

http://cers.calepa.ca.gov

If you have a single facility in Mono County and do not have other facilities in the State of California, your CERS business name should be the same as your facility name. 

If your business has more than one facility in Mono County or has more than one facility in the state, your first entry will be for the main business. The CERS business name should be something applicable to all of your facilities, rather than being the site-specific name – it is suggested that it be the corporate/legal business name. Once you enter the information for the business, you may add additional facilities under the CERS business.

If you establish the CERS business first, you will significantly reduce duplication of effort – the Business Owner/Operator Information form is carried over to each facility, and if your Contingency Plan is the same for each facility, you need only change the site address, business name (if different), and site-specific data as needed. Rename the document to reflect the facility name and location (to differentiate it from your other same-named facilities) and upload it as usual. 

Annual Renewal Certification is required within 365 days of the last submittal of the HMBP through CERS. To renew your HMBP, review the documents, make any changes necessary, and resubmit all documents inside the CERS system. If an uploaded document has not changed, do not re-load the document - just submit!

Signed paper renewal forms are no longer accepted.

Previously, Annual Renewal Certification was required between January 1 and March 1 of each calendar year. With the advent of CERS, to minimize the data load on the website, it is preferable that renewals are submitted at varying times of the calendar year, as long as it is within 365 days of the last HMBP submittal. For example, you submitted your HMBP to CERS on June 15, 2012. You may submit your annual renewal as late as June 15, 2013, or at any time between those 2 dates.

If you have questions or need assistance with getting started with CERS or completing your submittals, contact Louis Molina, at (760) 924-1845 during regular business hours or by email at lmolina@mono.ca.gov.