(112a) Update: EPA Actions - Chemical Safety and Security Executive Order

On August 1, 2013, the President signed an Executive Order (EO) designed to improve the safety and security of chemical facilities and reduce the risks of hazardous chemicals to workers and communities. The Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security EO, triggered by incidents such as the devastating explosion at a fertilizer plant in West, Texas in April, 2013, directed the Federal Government to:

• improve operational coordination with state and local partners;
• enhance Federal agency coordination and information sharing;
• modernize policies, regulations and standards; and
• work with stakeholders to identify best practices.  

The EO is managed by several Federal agencies including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and Department of Justice (DOJ). These agencies are also working with State homeland security advisors, State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs), Tribal Emergency Response Commissions (TERCs), Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), Tribal Emergency Planning Committees (TEPCs), State regulators, and first responders to make sure they have ready access to key information in a useful format to prevent, prepare for, and respond to chemical incidents. They will also examine how ammonium nitrate is regulated and determine if additional chemicals should be covered by existing Federal regulatory programs, such as EPA’s Risk Management Program (RMP), DHS’s Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATs), and DOL’s Process Safety Management Standards (PSM). Finally, the EO directs key Federal agencies to convene a wide range of interested stakeholders, including representatives from industry, state, local, and tribal governments, non-governmental organizations, and the first responder community, to identify and share successes to date and best practices to reduce safety and security risks in the production and storage of potentially harmful chemicals, including through the use of safer alternatives, adoption of best practices, and potential public-private partnerships.

This paper/presentation at the Center for Chemical Process Safety International Conference will provide an update of EPA’s actions under the EO.