WASHINGTON (August 19, 2022) — The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed changes to the Risk Management Plan (RMP) program:
“ACC and its members are committed to continual improvement of our industry’s overall safety performance. We remain committed to working with EPA in preventing accidental chemical releases. ACC members demonstrate their commitment to the health and safety of their employees, the communities in which they operate and the environment as a whole through implementation of Responsible Care®, a mandatory program for membership. We will review and provide detailed comments on the Agency’s proposed changes to the RMP program.
“We are very concerned this new proposal will depart from a collaborative and data-driven process to impose a scattershot approach of complex, unnecessary regulatory mandates.
“The current RMP rule requires facilities to assess the potential impacts of chemical incidents and to maintain comprehensive accident prevention and emergency response programs. This approach has proven to be very effective in minimizing the risk of accidental chemical releases, a fact supported by EPA data showing that RMP incidents have declined by nearly 75% over the past several decades.
“We urge EPA to rethink its approach and focus on building on the success of the current program, which continues to deliver tangible safety benefits while sustaining the supply of critical everyday goods.”