The EPA wants to hear from you as it revises the Clean Air Act’s Risk Management Program (RMP) rule. This rule is supposed to help community members and first responders understand and be better prepared to reduce risks from nearby chemical plants.

EPA must issue new, strong chemical disaster prevention rules to finally prevent chemical fires, explosions, toxic releases, and other disasters.

With this revision of the RMP rule, EPA aims to better protect communities from chemical accidents and address the impacts of climate change on chemical plant safety.

EPA says, “This rule is a critical piece of EPA’s work to address environmental justice issues as these facilities are often located in communities that have historically borne a disproportionate burden from pollution.”

Virtual Session 1:

June 16, 2021, 12:00 – 4:00 PM EST

Registration link

Deadline to pre-register: Today, June 14*

Session 2:

July 8, 2021, 4:00 – 8:00 PM EST

Registration link

Deadline to pre-register: July 6

Note that if you wish to comment during the sessions, it is best to pre-register by following the above links. 

To sign up to offer a 3-minute statement during the session: At the link, on the drop-down menu of the question “Please select your desired method of participation” choose: “Provide live oral testimony.”

* If you cannot sign up in advance, please click the link to get the information on how to join the session, and you should be allowed to speak, if time allows.

Please join and speak for 3 minutes (and then you can leave or you are welcome to observe the entire session).

Find more details in the EPA announcement and the EPA press release. 

For tips on what you can say and much more information, please also see this blog post: Talking to EPA on Chemical Plant Safety and Your Community

Please help spread the word about these listening sessions. Fire chiefs and volunteer firefighters and other first responders need to know about these sessions; it is especially important that people who have experienced chemical disasters or who live near chemical plants know about this opportunity to speak up for a stronger rule to help protect their families and communities. 

*Also Today:

June 14: WV Poor People’s Campaign Hosts  a Moral Monday March on Manchin

Coming Up Tomorrow:

June 15:  WV Center on Climate Change’s “Putting Together the Pieces of a Fair Energy Transition – Leaving No One Behind”

Photo in sidebar of Belle, WV chemical plant explosion (December 8, 2020) courtesy of Melissa Smoot.