Shitstain Cutting System Requiring Emergency Plans For High-Risk Chemical Sites; Chemical Safety Board Also Targeted

[hatrack]

The Trump administration is slowly dismantling the federal disaster management system that protects the nation from chemical catastrophes, such as fires and explosions at high-risk facilities. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s Response Management Program (RMP) requires more than 12,500 high-risk facilities to develop protocols to prevent catastrophes, or limit fallout, and was largely designed to protect workers, first responders, and fence-line communities.

In 2024, the Biden administration finalized a rule 12 years in the making that meaningfully strengthened protections. However, industry in early 2025 asked the incoming Donald Trump EPA to undo it because, chemical companies claim, its provisions are too expensive to implement. The Trump EPA is now moving to kill most of the 2024 rules after it eliminated a public website that informs communities and first responders which chemicals are in use at facilities. The White House has also targeted the Chemical Safety Board, which reviews accidents and develops actions to avoid a repeat.

The US experienced a chemical accident that harmed humans or the environment every other day on average between 2004-2025. Among recent high-profile incidents are a Clairton, Pennsylvania steel plant explosion that injured 10, and a Roseland, Louisiana oil facility explosion that caused oil to splatter onto homes as far as 20 miles away.

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The rules also require facilities to develop plans for dealing with “double disasters” that occur when hurricanes, earthquakes or wildfires hit a chemical facility. When Hurricane Harvey hammered Houston in 2017, the flooding shut down refrigeration units at the Arkema chemical plant, causing a massive explosion, forcing an evacuation around the plant, and injuring first responders who were not warned of the toxic fumes they would be encountering. “The new Trump proposal erases most of those requirements,” said Emma Cheuse, an attorney with Earthjustice legal non-profit, a legal non-profit that has litigated on RMP issues. “These are common sense measures and yet they want to take them out completely.”

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/27/trump-fire-chemical-safety-system-epa

[jmbar2]

1. The Chemical Safety Board is one of the most important, least known agencies to the general public.

Every safety training course in every chemical plant, refinery, oil company, major factory uses their research, studies and simulations to train the next generation running those facilities. Their simulations alone are some of the best training materials available - simply top-notch teaching tools.

I cannot imagine the chemical industry supporting these moves. They know that passing on critical incident knowledge is essential to staying alive.

There are over 800 highly hazardous chemical facilities within 50 miles of the Gulf Coast. EVERY person who steps foot on their premises learns about the hazards thanks to the work of the CSB.

JFC, this hurts my heart.

(Former training/curriculum designer in the chemical, oil and gas industries).