Trump Administration EPA moves could dismantle safeguards against chemical disasters
Earthjustice recently issued a press release on the EPA’s move to weaken protections against chemical disasters following pressure from corporate lobbyists.
“The primary purpose of the EPA is to protect public health and safety from dangerous contaminants released by industry,” UPHE’s president, Dr. Brian Moench, added to the Earthjustice press release. “There is no one else to do that critical job, and the EPA needs to take it as seriously as the public does.”
The rollback targets the Risk Management Program (RMP) Rule, which was set to take effect in 2024 and aimed to strengthen disaster prevention, increase worker and community involvement, and account for extreme weather risks. The rule was designed to protect workers, first responders, and fenceline communities from toxic chemical releases, fires, and explosions—incidents that already occur at an alarming rate.
In Utah, where we already struggle with air pollution, weakening these protections would only increase the risk of toxic exposure. Fenceline communities and first responders shouldn’t be collateral damage for corporate profit—stronger safeguards, not weaker ones, are needed to protect public health and environmental safety.
More from the Earthjustice press release:
Today, Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it will launch a rulemaking process after corporate lobbyists pressed the agency to dismantle safeguards against chemical disasters. This move targets nearly 12,000 chemical facilities operating under the Risk Management Program (RMP), and puts in the crosshairs safeguards to protect workers, first responders, and fenceline communities from chemical releases, fires, and explosions.
In January, the American Chemistry Council, the American Petroleum Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a dozen other corporate groups urged EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to roll back the RMP Rule, citing costs — despite ongoing chemical disasters that have led to deaths, injuries, and mass evacuations. Set to take effect next year, the 2024 RMP Rule strengthened accountability by requiring hazardous facilities to implement better disaster prevention plans, involve workers in safety planning, increase community transparency, and prepare for extreme weather risks.
“We’ve been here before, and the losers are always the families, workers, and first responders,” said Adam Kron, Earthjustice attorney. “Chemical explosions force entire neighborhoods to evacuate. First responders have died rushing into disasters they weren’t warned about. Workers have suffered burns, lung damage, and worse, all because companies cut corners to save money. The EPA should be implementing its chemical disaster safety, not rolling it back.”
The data is clear:
- 177 million Americans—over half the U.S. population—live in worst-case scenario zones of chemical disasters.
- Every 2.5 days on average, a fatal or life-threatening chemical incident occurs at a chemical facility.
- Over 19,000 people have been injured or face medical treatment, including 90 lives lost—and workers and first responders are hurt first, according to the best available data from 2004-2020.
- Over $5 billion in damages have resulted from these disasters, placing an enormous burden on communities and state and local governments.
Corporate interests are also pushing to cut off public access to health and safety data, and to remove the Risk Management Public Data Tool — even though under federal law the public has a right to know the chemicals handled in their vicinity. The Risk Management Public Data Tool provides basic information about RMP facilities, such as names of hazardous chemicals at a facility, as well as the facility’s accident history. RMP facilities include chemical plants, refineries, industrial agricultural facilities, and pulp and paper mills.
This is the second time the Trump administration targets safeguards against chemical disasters. Any rollback of health and safety protections from chemical disasters will face legal challenges. In fact, communities, workers, and states previously won a case in the D.C. Circuit, which struck down the first unlawful attempts to delay chemical disaster rules.
This EPA’s rulemaking process is expected to conclude by the end of next year.
Represented by Earthjustice, the following community and health groups intervened in industry’s lawsuit challenging the 2024 RMP Rule: Air Alliance Houston, California Communities Against Toxics, Center for Environmental Health, Coalition for a Safe Environment (Wilmington, CA), Del Amo Action Committee, Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform, New Jersey Work Environment Council, Sierra Club, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. States and the United Steelworkers also joined the case.
For data and maps on recent chemical disasters, visit the Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters website.