"The Trump administration is slowly dismantling the federal disaster management system that protects the nation from chemical catastrophes, such as fires and explosions at high-risk facilities. The US Environmental Protection Agency's Response Management Program (RMP) requires more than 12,500 high-risk facilities to develop protocols to prevent catastrophes, or limit fallout, and was largely designed to protect workers, first responders, and fence-line communities."
"The Trump EPA is stacked with former industry lobbyists, and its attempt to dismantle the RMP is a case study in the administration putting industry profits ahead of public safety, said Marc Bloom, a former EPA policy advisor and senior director with the Environmental Protection Network. These standards exist because catastrophic explosions and toxic releases are not theoretical risks—they are real events that devastate communities."
"The US experienced a chemical accident that harmed humans or the environment every other day on average between 2004-2025. Among recent high-profile incidents are a Clairton, Pennsylvania steel plant explosion that injured 10, and a Roseland, Louisiana oil facility explosion that caused oil to splatter onto homes as far as 20 miles away."
The Trump administration is systematically weakening the EPA's Response Management Program (RMP), which requires over 12,500 high-risk facilities to prevent chemical catastrophes or limit damage. The 2024 Biden administration finalized a 12-year effort to strengthen protections for workers, first responders, and nearby communities. However, the Trump EPA is reversing these rules after industry pressure citing implementation costs. The administration eliminated a public website disclosing facility chemicals, targeted the Chemical Safety Board that investigates accidents, and staffed the EPA with former industry lobbyists. Chemical accidents occur approximately every other day in the US, with recent incidents including a Pennsylvania steel plant explosion injuring 10 and a Louisiana oil facility explosion affecting homes 20 miles away. Approximately 180 million people live within several miles of affected facilities.
#chemical-safety-regulation #epa-policy-rollback #industrial-disaster-prevention #environmental-protection #public-health-risk
Read at www.theguardian.com
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