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60,000 FACILITIES NEED TO PREPARE RISK MANAGEMENT PLANS

Release Date: 6/17/1999
Contact Information: Leo Kay, U.S. EPA, (415)744-2201

     SAN FRANCISCO -- Under the EPA's chemical accident prevention rule, 60,000 facilities across the country that manufacture, store, distribute, handle or use any of 140 regulated toxic and flammable substances above certain levels will be required to submit risk management plans by June 21.              

     The risk management rule is designed to prevent chemical accidents that could affect the public health and the environment, and to improve the response to any accidents that do occur.

     Approximately 3,200 facilities in California will be required to meet the June 21 deadline, as well as 340 in Arizona, 200 in Nevada and 110 in Hawaii.  The EPA and state and local agencies will make the information available to the public later this summer.

     "The risk management program will go a long way in preventing future accidents, while arming communities and local emergency response units with information on what types of chemicals are being used in their neighborhoods," said Felicia Marcus, regional administrator for the EPA's San Francisco Office.  "Public awareness of the potential danger from accidental releases of hazardous substances has increased over the years as serious chemical accidents have occurred around the world.  It's a no brainer to make the prevention of accidental releases of hazardous chemicals a top priority for industry."

     Affected facilities include chemical manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers of any of 140 listed hazardous substances, as well as municipal facilities including public drinking water systems, wastewater treatment works and public utilities.  Facilities that fail to comply with the program will be subject to federal penalties.

     Risk management plans consist of:

     a five-year history of certain accidental chemical releases;

     offsite consequence analysis which evaluates potential release scenarios, including worst-case and alternative (most likely to occur) scenarios;
                               
     an integrated prevention program to manage risks;

     an emergency response program;

     a management system to supervise the implementation of program elements;

     a risk management plan, revised at least once every 5 years, that summarizes and
documents these activities for all covered processes.

     Companies whose worst case scenarios could affect the public are required to analyze more realistic alternative scenarios, and develop a prevention program that includes identification of hazards, written operating procedures, training, maintenance and accident investigation.  Facilities whose employees respond to accidental releases must implement an emergency response program.
               
     There are threshold quantities established for regulated toxic and flammable substances covered under the RMP rule.  Toxics range from 500 to 20,000 pounds and flammables range from 10,000 - 67,000 lbs.

     "Risk management planning makes common sense -- and ties into local emergency preparedness and response, to pollution prevention at facilities and to worker safety," Marcus said. "While most businesses talk about it, these rules require that they do something about it."

     On April 27, the U.S. Court of Appeals granted a stay of the rule as it applies to propane.  Propane facilities will not have to file risk management plans while the court's stay is in effect.  

     In addition, on May 21, the EPA issued an administrative stay for flammable hydrocarbons -- include propane, butane, ethane, methane, and others -- which are only used as fuel and stored in quantities no greater than 67,000 lbs. in a process.   Industries now covered by the EPA's stay include distributors and users of natural gas/liquified natural gas, utilities, and exotic fuel users.

     Small and medium-sized businesses may receive information through the Small Business Assistance Program in each state, the Federal Small Business Assistance Program, the network of Small Business Development Centers across the country, the toll-free hotline of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act and a number of electronic outlets.

     For more information on the risk managment program, call 800/424-9346 or visit the
program's web site at: "www.epa.gov/swercepp/".

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