EPA Proposes Rolling Back 2024 Chemical Safety Rule Affecting 11,000 Facilities
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EPA Proposes Rolling Back 2024 Chemical Safety Rule Affecting 11,000 Facilities
What Changed
The EPA has proposed rescinding major portions of the 2024 amendments to the Risk Management Program, the Clean Air Act regulation designed to prevent catastrophic chemical releases at manufacturing, warehouse, and storage facilities across the United States. The proposal targets three core provisions added in 2024: requirements for companies to evaluate and adopt safer technologies, mandatory third-party safety audits after accidents, and rules allowing community members and workers to participate in facility-specific safety discussions.
The agency estimates the rollback would save industry approximately $240 million per year, with more than half of those savings coming from eliminating the safer technology review requirements alone.
Why It Matters for Chemical Operations
The Risk Management Program applies to roughly 11,000 chemical-related facilities nationwide, including manufacturing plants, chemical warehouses, distribution centers, and storage operations. Any site that handles threshold quantities of listed hazardous chemicals must maintain a Risk Management Plan and comply with prevention, emergency response, and reporting requirements.
The 2024 amendments represented the most significant update to RMP in years. They responded to decades of chemical incidents, including explosions, toxic releases, and fires that killed workers and affected surrounding communities. Rolling back these provisions would remove several layers of oversight that were added to address those failures.
For EHS managers at affected facilities, the practical impact depends on timing. The current 2024 rule remains in effect until a final rule is published, but enforcement priorities may shift during the rulemaking process.
Key Details of the Proposed Changes
- Safer technology evaluations eliminated — Companies would no longer be required to assess whether safer chemicals or processes could replace hazardous ones at their facilities
- Third-party audits after incidents removed — The 2024 rule required independent safety audits following accidental releases; this requirement would be dropped
- Community and worker participation scaled back — Provisions allowing community members and employees to participate in facility safety discussions would be eliminated
- Employee participation in manufacturing decisions reduced — Worker input into process safety decisions would be narrowed
- $240 million annual savings claimed — EPA estimates this figure across all affected facilities
The American Chemistry Council supports the proposal, calling it a return to "data-driven, performance-focused" regulation. The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers praised the end of what they called "rigid prescriptive approach" mandates.
Opponents, including the United Steelworkers union and multiple state attorneys general, have challenged the rollback. Earthjustice is representing environmental and community groups in a lawsuit defending the 2024 rule, arguing that the provisions were necessary responses to documented chemical disasters.
What Affected Facilities Should Do Now
- Do not drop 2024 compliance work prematurely — The current rule remains enforceable until a final rule is published, which could take a year or more
- Track the rulemaking timeline — EPA will hold public meetings after the proposed rule appears in the Federal Register; comment periods will follow
- Maintain RMP documentation — Core RMP requirements (hazard assessments, prevention programs, emergency response plans) remain in place regardless of the outcome
- Keep SDS and chemical inventories current — Accurate documentation is required under all versions of the RMP rule and remains essential for compliance
- Monitor state-level action — Some states may adopt their own chemical safety rules if federal provisions are weakened, as has happened with other EPA rollbacks
Alliance's Take
Regardless of how RMP rulemaking plays out, the fundamentals of chemical safety remain the same: accurate documentation, proper handling procedures, and transparent hazard communication. Facilities that maintain strong safety programs and current documentation will be positioned for compliance under any regulatory framework.
Alliance Chemical provides complete Safety Data Sheets and Certificates of Analysis with every order. Whether you manage a laboratory, a water treatment facility, or an industrial operation, our documentation supports your RMP compliance, chemical inventory management, and employee training programs.
Need updated SDS documents or product specifications for your Risk Management Plan? Contact us at sales@alliancechemical.com to request documentation or discuss your facility's chemical supply requirements.
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