The new statistics published by PEER were made public as a result of a lawsuit PEER and other groups filed a petition to force the Chemical Safety Board to disclose emissions of industrial chemicals as required by the Clean Air Act. TO federal judge ruled in 2019 that communities have a right to know what dangerous chemicals are released nearby.
However, Trump’s EPA removed a public data tool designed to inform communities about nearby risks last year. President Trump has also sought to eliminate the Chemical Safety Board by withholding of fundsalthough Congress has continued to fund the agency.
Earlier this year, the administration proposed significantly weakening the RMP rules finalized in 2024.”to reduce regulatory burden” and accepted public comments on the rules until early May.
The Biden administration strengthened refrigerant management plan rules They require a series of measures to reduce the risk of catastrophic accidents, including analysis of safer alternatives, independent analyzes of the root causes of accidents, participation of workers in accident prevention plans, and preparations to adapt to climate change.
An EPA spokesperson said the agency is reviewing public comments and continuing to work to complete the final rule by the end of 2026.
“EPA’s proposal is based on a rigorous analysis of RMP-reportable incidents between 2014 and 2023, which shows that accidental releases unequivocally decreased significantly during that period,” the spokesperson said. “This means that RMP-regulated facilities had successful prevention programs in place before Biden’s EPA finalized its absurd and onerous 2024 rule.”
Biden’s EPA used the same data and came to the opposite conclusion, PEER’s Ruch said. Furthermore, he added, “the conclusion that any decline is due to industry prevention plans is an assumption that the current EPA has no data to support.”
Meanwhile, chemical accidents that result in evacuations, injurieseither multiple casualties They still happen at least once a week.
“With each passing year, the risk increases because the infrastructure continues to age,” Ruch said. At the same time, he added, “the federal response is being scaled back.”
This article originally appeared in Insider climate newsa nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization covering climate, energy and the environment. Subscribe to their newsletter here.
