Congressional Democrats Urge EPA To Strengthen Proposed RMP Rule To Protect Americans From Chemical Accidents

2023-06-03

On January 27, 2023, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), Chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), as well as 47 other congressional colleagues, sent a letter to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan urging the Agency to strengthen protections for workers, environmental justice communities, and first responders under its August 2022 proposed Risk Management Program (RMP) rule. According to the letter, the final RMP rule “should prioritize hazard reduction and prevention measures, including transitioning to inherently safer chemicals and processes and requiring third-party audits to verify compliance.” To ensure adequate protection for those living near RMP facilities, the final rule should improve requirements for outreach to inform the public about RMP facility hazards and emergency response plans before and during incidental releases and require that this information be made available in multiple languages. To foster information access and transparency, EPA should maintain a publicly accessible RMP database and commit to delivering that database on the fastest possible timeline.

JDSupra, 06-03-23
; https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/wrap-up-of-federal-and-state-chemical-2408877/