Section
112(r) of the Clean Air Act requires facilities with more than a threshold
quantity of a regulated substance in a single process to comply with the
Accidental Release Prevention - Risk Management Program regulations.
Covered facilities must submit a Risk Management Plan (RMP) to EPA and
other local entities by June 21, 1999. The primary elements of the
RMP are the hazard assessment, the prevention program, the emergency response
plan, the accident history, and the off-site consequence analysis.
Building on EPCRA, RMPs will increase the public availability of information
pertaining to facilities that use, manufacture, or store toxic and flammable
substances. The goal of Section 112(r) is to prevent accidental chemical
releases that threaten health, safety, and the environment. "Preventing
accidental releases of hazardous chemicals is the shared responsibility
of industry, government, and the public. The first steps toward accident
prevention are identifying the hazards and assessing the risks. Once
information about chemicals is openly shared, industry, government, and
the community can work together toward reducing the risk to public health
and the environment." (Preamble to EPA RMP regulations.)