Tell the EPA to protect workers & communities from chemical disasters!

The EPA has proposed to eliminate the Risk Management Plan, an EPA rule that requires companies to take steps to prevent chemical disasters that may result in fires and explosions based on previous accidents. The lifesaving protections in this rule require facilities that handle hazardous chemicals consider safer technology and practices, and that they share information with first responders to improve local emergency preparedness. Rescinding these amendments would remove safeguards requiring safer technology, independent audits, incident investigations, and local emergency coordination.

Currently, over 177 million Americans live close enough to an industrial facility to be at risk from the impacts of a chemical accident. One out of every three school children attend a school in a vulnerability zone for an industrial chemical plant. Low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately at risk. The Chemical Disaster Rule was a response to community members who called for increased protections for years.

Under former administrator Scott Pruitt, the EPA delayed the implementation of the rule after industry groups filed multiple petitions. Now, the EPA is proposing completely eliminating these safeguards. We have seen the impact of a lack of EPA attention to hazardous chemical facilities in West, Texas and again when communities in Texas and along the Gulf were hit by climate-driven hurricanes like Maria and Harvey.

The original Chemical Disaster Rule will improve public safety and prevent future deaths and injuries. Rolling it back puts communities at greater risk from toxic exposure and health impacts.

Tell the EPA to protect the lives of workers, first responders, and communities over polluting corporations by submitting a comment before August 23rd.

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Protect workers & communities from chemical disasters

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Eliminating or weakening the Chemical Disaster Rule (EPA-HQ-OEM-2015-0725-0890) would put industrial workers, first responders, and communities living near chemical facilities that use hazardous chemicals at risk. The Chemical Disaster Rule (Amendments to the Accidental Release Prevention Requirements for Risk Management Programs (RMP) under the Clean Air Act) provides vital safeguards for over 12,500 facilities that handle hazardous chemicals. This proposal would remove important requirements that help prevent, and appropriately prepare for, deadly chemical accidents. These include important components such as coordination with local emergency responders, investigations of accidents to prevent future disasters, independent third-party audits, and evaluating safer technology and practices that could decrease the number of people injured or killed if a problem occurs at one of these facilities. Currently, over 177 million Americans live, work, and go to school close enough to an industrial facility to feel the impacts of a chemical accident. Low-income and minority communities are disproportionately represented in this group. Between 2004 and 2013, there were over 1,500 reported chemical releases or explosions at RMP-covered facilities. Workers at these facilities work in potentially dangerous situations every day, and first responders put their lives on the line without proper information when an accident occurs. I urge the EPA to put the lives of children, workers, first responders, and countless communities over the interests of the oil and chemical industry by withdrawing this dangerous proposal to weaken these protections by rescinding amendments and changing compliance dates.

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