EPA MUST take action to prevent chemical disasters!
Submit a public comment before October 31 urging the EPA to finalize the strongest possible Risk Management Plan (RMP) that protects fenceline communities from the daily threat of toxic air exposure, chemical spills, and even death.
Nearly 125 million people in America, predominantly from communities of color and low-income communities, live within 3 miles of very dangerous chemical facilities.
These “fenceline zones” put residents in daily danger simply by living near facilities that are at constant risk of toxic chemical leaks, noxious fumes filling the air, or even fires or explosions that could destroy the communities around them.
Thankfully, President Biden’s EPA is proposing new lifesaving measures aimed at protecting residents and workers from the hazards of highly dangerous chemical facilities. But these measures — authorized under the Clean Air Act — are not strong enough.
There are more than 12,000 high-risk chemical facilities across the country, frequently located close together, that manufacture, use, and store hazardous chemicals.
And many fenceline zones are in areas that are also vulnerable to extreme weather, like storms and floods, due to climate change, significantly increasing the likelihood of a “double disaster”.
When incidents at these high-risk facilities — including fires and explosions — happen, it can cause injury and death to workers, first responders, and fenceline communities and trigger evacuation and shelter-in-place orders, as well as property damage.
Making matters worse, the Trump administration rolled back critical safeguards for these facilities in a blatant giveaway to chemical industry allies, putting fenceline communities at risk of toxic air exposure, chronic illness such as cancer, and even death.
The Biden administration’s new proposal would undo much of the harm done by Trump and his industry cronies — but the EPA’s plan still does not go far enough. As proposed, the rule would only require 5% of all RMP facilities (about 600 of the 12,000 facilities) to assess whether they could swap out hazardous chemicals and processes for safer alternatives.
But that’s not all: even if those 5% of facilities assess the risks involved, they’re under no obligation to take action and make the switch, leaving risky practices in place and communities that live near hazardous facilities in the crosshairs of another chemical incident. The EPA must do better: Submit your comment before October 31 calling on the EPA to pass a stronger Risk Management Plan.
Specifically, the EPA’s new rule should include:
A requirement that all facilities switch to safer chemicals and processes
A requirement that all facilities take action to prepare for climate hazards, including things like enough back-up power to safely run or shutdown the entire facility when the power goes out
A requirement for all facilities to have real-time fenceline air monitors and multilingual emergency response plans and alerts, and penalties for intentionally removing air monitors from service
A requirement that workers or worker-selected representatives are at the decision-making table with veto power in all stages of the facility's RMP development and implementation, that workers can issue stop work authority at all RMP covered processes and facilities, and that anonymous worker reports go directly to the EPA
A requirement for the EPA to manage an online multilingual database of all facilities regulated by the rule
An updated list of chemicals covered by the rule, and a requirement that where any part of the facility is currently covered, the entire facility is subject to the rule
A requirement that facilities conduct a cumulative impacts assessment and take action to eliminate the hazards identified.
Giant chemical companies and trade associations like the American Chemistry Council, Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Associates, The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, and the National Association of Chemical Distributors are already lobbying hard to scrap some of or delay these important changes to the EPA’s proposal — to protect their own profits and bottom lines.
And even if you don’t directly live in a fenceline zone, there is a high chance your work, school, or hospital may be in one. This issue affects all of us.
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