Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management Programs Under Section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act as Amended; Guidances

SUMMARY: Section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended,

requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop guidance

documents, including model risk management plans, to assist stationary

sources in the development of risk management programs. EPA is issuing

three guidance documents that are available for review in Docket No. A-

91-73 Category VIII-A: ``RMP Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance'';

``Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia Refrigeration''

and ``Risk Management Plan Data Elements.'' The Agency views the

Guidances issued today as ``evergreen'' documents and is interested in

continued dialogue on the Guidances with interested members of the

public. The Agency anticipates it will revise and update these

Guidances from time to time as stakeholders and the Agency proceed in

implementing the Risk Management Program regulations.

ADDRESSES:

Docket. These documents are in Docket A-91-73 Category VIII-A and

available for public inspection and copying between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30

p.m., Monday through Friday, including all non-Governmental holidays,

at EPA's Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, room M1500,

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (6102), 401 M Street S.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20460.

Electronic Access. These documents can be accessed in electronic

format through the Internet system and through EPA's Technology

Transfer Network (TTN), a network of electronic bulletin boards

operated by the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. The

Internet address of EPA's gopher server is GOPHER.EPA.GOV. This

information is also available using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) on

FTP.EPA.GOV or using World Wide Web (WWW) (http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/

). The TTN service is free, except for the cost of a phone call. To

access the TTN, dial (919) 541-5742 for up to a 14,400 bits per second

(bps) modem. If more information on TTN is needed, contact the systems

operator at (919) 541-5382.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information on the

``Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia Refrigeration''

and ``Risk Management Plan Data Elements,'' contact Dr. Lyse Helsing,

at (202) 260-6128. For technical information on the ``MP Offsite

Consequence Analysis Guidance,'' contact Craig Matthiessen, at (202)

260-9781. To obtain copies of these documents, please FAX requests to

the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Information Hotline

(Hotline) at (703) 412-3333. The Hotline is also available to answer

questions at (800) 535-0202 or (703) 412-9877 when calling from local

Washington, D.C. area.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA announces the availability of Guidances

that will assist stationary sources in complying with the provisions of

the regulations implementing CAA section 112(r)(7)(B), part 68,

including the requirement to prepare risk management plans. The

documents made available today are guidances and do not create any

obligations on the part of entities subject to part 68. These Guidances

do not substitute for EPA's regulations, nor are they regulations

themselves. The Guidances do not impose legally binding requirements on

EPA, States, or the regulated community, and may not apply to a

particular situation based upon the circumstances. EPA may change these

Guidances in the future, as appropriate.

Elsewhere in today's Federal Register, EPA has promulgated Risk

Management Program regulations under part 68 in order to implement CAA

section 112(r)(7). For information on these regulations, please see the

above-referenced notice. Furthermore, for information on chemicals,

sources, and processes subject to part 68, please see 40 CFR part 68

and the notice establishing these provisions (59 FR 4478, January 31,

1994). Finally, readers should note that, elsewhere in today's Federal

Register, EPA has promulgated a stay of certain provisions of part 68

promulgated in the January 1994 rulemaking.

The ``RMP Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance'' contains all the

methodologies and reference tables that will be necessary to develop

and analyze the consequences of worst case and alternative case

scenarios for part 68. This Guidance is designed to help those sources

subject to part 68 comply with the offsite consequence requirements

without specific expertise or access to computer-based and more

sophisticated modeling tools. Sources will be able to use the modeling

results contained in this Guidance or other appropriate modeling

results in complying with part 68.

The ``Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia

Refrigeration'' is a model program and plan that will help owners and

operators of ammonia refrigeration facilities comply with part 68. The

Guidance includes a section on hazard assessment and on emergency

response, and four appendices: (A) selection of scenarios; (B)

background information on ammonia modeling; (C) effect of ammonia

releases on structures; and (D) information about accidental ammonia

releases.

EPA views both of the above-mentioned Guidances to be

``evergreen.'' That is, while EPA is issuing these Guidances today, EPA

will continue to seek public input and revise these documents as

appropriate.

Part 68 requires the submission of risk management plans in a form

and manner to be specified by EPA. The Risk Management Data Elements

maps out the kinds of information that would be submitted by each

source as its risk management plan. The draft includes an executive

summary, registration, data on worst case and alternative releases for

toxics and for flammables, five-year accident history, prevention

program, and emergency response program. Like the other Guidances

today, EPA intends to continue to seek public input on the format of

submittal of the data required by part 68. In particular, EPA will

study new methods for information submittal and public access to such

information when it develops the information collection.

Dated: May 31, 1996.

Jim Makris,

Director, Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office.

[FR Doc. 96-14627 Filed 6-19-96; 8:45 am]

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