It was Obama who set the rulemaking in motion more than three years ago with an executive order urging the agency to take action, just three months after a fatal fertilizer explosion in West, Texas.
The changes ordered by the new rule focus on coordination of emergency response efforts as well as local preparedness, but leave it up to companies to decide whether or not to implement safer alternatives in their practices, such as a using a less toxic chemical or a less dangerous industrial process.
“They could have done a stronger rule and had it enforced out of the range of the Congressional Review Act,” Hind said, referring to a provision of law allowing an incoming administration to claw back any so-called “midnight rules” passed in the final weeks of a presidential term. “As terrorism has reared its ugly head once again, it’s amazing the administration didn’t prioritize this as also a security issue,” he added.
But Mathy Stanislaus, EPA’s Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, stood behind the finalized rule, saying it was the culmination of years of work that carefully considered security and public safety, along with industry concerns.
“The timing really reflected the extensive engagement with all the stakeholders,” said Stanislaus. “We struck the right balance.”
Those advocating on behalf of industry saw things differently.
“They were so determined to get this rule out,” said Shannon Broome, who represents the Chemical Safety Advocacy Group, an industry coalition. “It was completely rushed.”
Broome said she was still parsing through the rule itself, which is several hundred pages, but said she was concerned about the speed with which the rule was finalized following the comment period. She pointed out the EPA also declined to meet with stakeholders after the comment period closed, which she found “troubling.”
The EPA received more than 60,000 comments on the rule before it was finalized.
