The Trump administration is seeking to repeal Biden-era requirements intended to prevent catastrophic chemical accidents at thousands of industrial plants and other operations around the country.
In a newly released proposal, EPA seeks to scrap or rework significant portions of the “accidental release” regulations put in place two years ago for refineries, chemical manufacturers and other facilities that must file risk management plans because they store or distribute hazardous chemicals.
The draft rule would, for example, eliminate language specifically requiring some operations to account for the risks posed by higher odds of flooding and other perils tied to climate change. It would also drop provisions requiring oil refineries that use hydrofluoric acid — a compound that can be lethal even at low levels — to study the practicability of safer options for making high-octane gasoline.
Along similar lines, the proposal would end a mandate for some 1,500 existing plants to conduct “safer technologies and alternatives” analyses, although that requirement would still apply to new facilities. It would also rescind a requirement for plants to make chemical hazard data available upon request to nearby residents. Instead, EPA would provide information through an online portal.
