EPA Strengthens Chemical Plant Safety Rules, Addresses Climate Threats

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reinforced safety regulations for chemical plants and industrial sites, overturning relaxations introduced during the Trump administration.

EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe declared these rules as the "strictest safety requirements ever" to prevent chemical accidents, The New York Times reported. The updated regulations, initially enforced after a fatal 2013 Texas fertilizer plant explosion, had been eased in 2019 under Trump.

The revived measures include mandatory assessments of safer technologies and "root cause" analyses post-accidents. The EPA now mandates facilities to address climate-related threats like wildfires and floods explicitly.

Simultaneously, the Biden administration issued rules requiring nearly 12,000 chemical plants and industrial sites to address potential disasters, especially those linked to climate change. Facilities with previous accidents will undergo independent audits, and more information must be shared with nearby communities.

In a separate development, the EPA plans to finalize rules in April, cutting greenhouse gas pollution from existing coal-fired and future natural gas plants. According to a report on The Hill, the exclusion of limits for existing gas-fired plants has drawn criticism from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who finds the decision inexplicable. The senator emphasizes the urgent need for comprehensive regulations covering existing gas-fired plants by year-end, calling the EPA's pace lethargic.

These moves come amid broader actions by the Biden administration that some argue may dilute climate-focused initiatives in an election year, reflecting a shift in strategy to balance environmental concerns with broader political considerations, reported E&E News.