Certified Unified Program Agency

Certified Unified Program Agencies or CUPAs are local agencies that are certified by the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) to consolidate six hazardous materials and hazardous waste regulatory programs to improve coordination and consistency in enforcing these regulations in California. Collectively these regulatory programs are known as the Unified Program. These programs are the California Accidental Release Program (CalARP), the Hazardous Materials Business Plan Prevention Program (HMBP), regulation of onsite hazardous waste generation and treatment, Underground Storage Tank (UST) regulation and aboveground petroleum storage regulation. The purpose of these regulatory programs is to ensure that businesses with large quantities of toxic gases have release prevention plans; that hazardous wastes are properly managed; that hazardous materials in facilities throughout California are accurately reported, catalogued and disseminated to emergency responders and the public and that above and underground tanks storing hazardous materials have adequate leak detection and containment equipment to protect the waters of the state.

The Unified Program was established by California Senate Bill 1082 in 1993. Regulations were written to implement and enforce this law and the first CUPAs were certified in 1996. There are now 83 CUPAs in California and Cal/EPA regularly evaluates them for compliance with established statutory and regulatory standards.

The mission of the Unified Program is, To protect public health and safety, and to restore and enhance environmental quality, and sustain economic vitality through effective and efficient implementation of the Unified Program.

More information about the CUPAs and the Unified Program is available at Cal/EPA’s Unified Program Home page at: http://www.calepa.ca.gov/cupa/default.htm and at the California CUPA Forum website at: http://www.calcupa.net/