(01/27/2022) Senator Michael Moore has joined 70 elected officials from 16 states in a letter which urges EPA Administrator Michael Regan to strengthen the Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule by reforming federal policy that is intended to prevent chemical disasters.

“The rate in which incidents occur at high-risk chemical facilities is both alarming and unacceptable,” said Senator Moore (D-Millbury). “These incidents have led to thousands of injuries, billions of dollars in damages, and deaths in the worst cases. By having legislators from across the country joining in on this letter, we have made it clear to EPA that they need to take action to prevent these accidents from occurring in the future.”

The RMP Rule regulates over 12,000 high-risk chemical facilities nationwide. Explosions and leaks regularly occur at these facilities, which disproportionally affects workers, communities of color and low-income communities, thus making this an environmental justice issue.

The letter specifically urges the following measures be taken when updating RMP; prevent disasters by requiring hazard reduction, better prepare chemical facilities for climate impacts, include common-sense emergency response and incident management measures, increase enforceability, corrective action and accountability, expand coverage of the RMP program, and account for cumulative hazards from multiple facilities and underlying vulnerabilities.

By signing onto this letter, Senator Moore has reaffirmed his commitment to protecting residents of the Commonwealth from hazardous chemicals. One of the Senator’s main priorities continues to be the removal of the harmful PFAS chemicals, also known as forever chemicals, from food packaging. This priority has been addressed by the bill S.1494, which is currently in the Joint Committee on Public Health, and more information on it can be found here.

In signing onto this letter, Senator Moore has been joined by legislatures from Colorado, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington DC and West Virginia. The letter and full list of signatories can be found here.

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