What happens when a hurricane unleashes toxic chemicals? The EPA is putting off figuring it out.
Judges just ordered the agency to stop dawdling.
By Jennifer Lu Yesterday at 11:10am
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that the Environmental Protection Agency must implement "life-saving protections" that prevent the accidental release of toxic chemicals into the air and help emergency workers respond to chemical disasters.
These protections were supposed to take effect in March 2017 in the form of the Risk Management Plan, but the EPA sought a delay in June of last year—less than three months before Hurricane Harvey hit the Houston area and power cuts left the Arkema chemical plant unable to keep volatile chemicals from spontaneously combusting. First responders, overwhelmed by the fumes from the fire, were left Googling for more information about the chemicals they were being exposed to, the Texas Tribune reported. The EPA used a 20-month delay “to enable non-compliance,†judges said. Through the delay, the EPA essentially repealed the Risk Management Plan without going through the necessary legal process process to undo or revise the rule.
https://www.popsci.com/epa-chemical-hazard-protection
