Health and Safety Protections Against Chemical Emergencies Eliminated and Weakened in New Trump EPA Proposal

Washington, D.C. —

Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to delay, weaken, and dismantle key safeguards against chemical emergencies and disasters, while millions of people nationwide, including children, live daily in harm’s way near industrial chemical facilities.

The latest Trump plan threatens the lives and safety of the over 177 million Americans who live in worst-case scenario zones near chemical facilities. The proposal increases the likelihood of chemical emergencies and disasters for workers, first responders, and children and families who live within a chemical danger zone,  breaking the administration’s promises to “make America healthy.”

“Once again, we’re seeing the Trump administration gamble with the health of entire communities, prioritizing the chemical industry’s profits, instead of doing its job to keep families safe from industrial chemical emergencies,” said Emma Cheuse, senior attorney at Earthjustice. “This proposal to end and weaken protections from chemical fires, explosions, releases, and other safety incidents would take away solutions that are needed to help save lives, prevent injuries, and protect families and children from toxic chemical exposure. EPA should do its job to protect communities’ health instead of going backward on safety.”

In March 2024, EPA unveiled significant protections against chemical disasters under the 2024 Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Rule. One year later, after corporate lobbyists pressed the agency to dismantle safeguards against chemical disasters, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency would reconsider the rule. Now the Trump administration is proposing changes that would weaken and delay those protections by:

• Removing requirements for industrial chemical facilities to assess and plan for natural hazards and power loss.

• Ending the requirement that chemical facilities put safer technologies or other safer measures in place.

• Ending community notification requirements, including the requirement to provide information in multiple languages for affected communities.

• Taking away vital employee participation measures ensuring that workers inside a chemical facility can help prevent or stop an unfolding emergency.

• Delaying and sunsetting independent compliance auditing after harmful incidents occur.

Background

Chemical emergencies and disasters at industrial facilities have disrupted thousands of lives. Since 2004, over 20,000 people have been injured or had to seek medical treatment, and 113 lives lost. More than 760,000 community members, including children, have faced toxic threats and had to evacuate or shelter in place, locked down and in danger, instead of being able to go about their daily lives, work and school days.

EPA’s Risk Management Program (RMP) is supposed to provide safeguards that require over 11,000 chemical facilities to plan, prevent, and mitigate harm and risks of explosions, fires, and other hazardous industrial incidents, which frequently occur and harm neighboring communities. Since 2004, over 3,900 industrial chemical releases were reported to EPA, including at least 2,814 that caused reported harm to human life, injury, shelter in place or evacuation, or property or environmental damage.

Chemical disasters have caused over $6.5 billion in damages, affecting families, businesses, and our nation’s economy – and have made homes and neighborhoods less affordable by decreasing neighbors’ property value. The average amount of monetized damages from industrial chemical emergencies was over $540.2 million per year.

Earthjustice is representing the following community, environmental, health, and scientist groups in a lawsuit to defend the 2024 Safer Communities rule: Air Alliance Houston, California Communities Against Toxics,  Center for Environmental Health, Coalition For A Safe Environment, 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.

Quotes from our clients and partners 

“Kids lose out again with the actions taken by this Trump Administration,” said Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics. “Millions of children live, play, and pray near chemical plants that blow up regularly in this country.  This rule rolls back important protections that help protect children and the communities they live in from these explosions.”

“The EPA’s decision to eliminate the 2024 requirement to consider natural hazards like hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires in management plans leaves communities vulnerable to ‘double disasters’ of extreme weather and chemical incidents amid the worsening climate crisis,” said Darya Minovi, senior analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “With at least one-third of RMP facilities in areas at high risk of natural hazards, it is negligent to give chemical facilities a pass from explicitly planning and preparing for extreme weather.”

“The Trump Administration has done it again, bending to the dictates of corporate executives at the expense of working people and their communities who suffer the consequences of chemical disasters,” said Debra Coyle, executive director of the New Jersey Work Environment Council.

“Here in Houston, we experience a chemical leak, fire, or spill on average every six weeks,” said Jennifer Hadayia, executive director of Air Alliance Houston. “Some close down our roads, schools, and waterways; all pose risks to our health and well-being. Most are actually preventable, if our state and federal regulators would act more boldly. Frankly, Houstonians are sick and tired of the Trump Administration doing what is easiest for the industries that cause us harm instead of acting in the best interest of the people. We had the opportunity to make life better for Houstonians with this new chemical accident rule. This administration failed again, and it’s only a matter of weeks until the next preventable chemical incident occurs as a result.”