EPA sets rules for Risk Management Program

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued final regulations for the Risk Management Program mandated by the 1990 Clean Air Act. Facilities will have three years to come into compliance with the rules. Aimed at preventing accidents involving hazardous chemicals and keeping local communities informed about what chemicals plants are using, the program has the same goals as and complements the Occupational Safety & Health Administration's (OSHA) Process Safety Management Standard. Under the Risk Management Program, EPA will require many facilities that handle hazardous chemicals to publish emergency release plans, worst-case accident scenarios, and fiveyear accident histories. The rules cover chemical manufacturers, drinking water systems, wastewater treatment plants, ammonia refrigeration systems, utilities, certain other manufacturers and wholesalers, and federal facilities. At press time, the rules were about to be published in the Federal Registe The rules list 139 regulated substances, with threshold reporting quantities ranging from 500 to 10,000 lb. There are significant differences between EPA's ...