EPA to Reconsider Changes To Risk Management Program

The National Propane Gas Association (NPGA) reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will initiate new proceedings on changes to the Risk Management Program (RMP) that were finalized under the previous administration. The move follows a delay under President Trump’s regulatory freeze executive order.

EPA received three petitions for reconsideration on the changes added to RMP requirements, one by the American Chemistry Council, another by the Chemical Safety Advocacy Group, and a third from a collection of states. The primary criticism of petitioners is that there are several changes in the finalized rule that were not proposed in the rule making text, therefore the public was denied the opportunity to review and comment.

While EPA reexamines the changes through a new rule making proceeding, the effective date for the finalized rule is postponed until Feb. 19, 2019. RMP requirements apply to hazardous materials facilities that store a certain threshold quantity of specific chemicals, including facilities with more than 10,000 pounds of propane. However, there is an exemption for retail operations.

NPGA opposed several of the requirements in the initial proposal and joined other trade associations in a letter to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs urging review of the financial costs and burdens of the changes finalized under the Obama administration.