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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5406-9]

Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management

Programs Under Section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act as Amended; Draft

Guidances

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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. The following

three draft guidance documents are available for review in Docket No.

A-91-73 Category VIII-A: ``Offsite Consequence Assessment''; ``Generic

Guidance Risk Management Program (RMP) for Ammonia Refrigeration

Facilities''; and ``Risk Management Plan Data Elements.'' The Agency is

interested in continued dialogue on the guidances with interested

members of the public and will issue guidance at the time it

promulgates the Risk Management Program regulations.

DATES: Those who wish to express their views concerning the material

contained in the guidances should submit written comments by February

29, 1996, to Docket A-91-73 Category VIII-B, at the address below, or

via e-mail to A-and-R-D[email protected].

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

A and available for public inspection and copying between 8 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

SW., Washington, DC 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://earth1.epa.gov/

ceppo). 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.

Comments and data may also be submitted electronically by sending

electronic mail (e-mail) to: A-and-R-D[email protected]. Electronic

comments must be submitted as ASCII file avoiding the use of special

characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be

accepted on disks in WordPerfect in 5.1 file format or ASCII file

format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by

the docket number A-91-73 Category VIII-B. No Confidential Business

Information (CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. Electronic

comments on this draft guidance may be filed online at many Federal

Depository Libraries.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information on the

``Generic Guidance Risk Management Program (RMP) for Ammonia

Refrigeration Facilities'' or the draft ``Risk Management Data

Elements'', contact Lyse Helsing, (202) 260-6128. For technical

information on the draft ``Offsite Consequence Assessment'', contact

Craig Matthiessen, (202) 260-9781. To order 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, DC area.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA announces the availability of draft

guidances that will assist stationary sources in complying with the

provisions of CAA section 112(r)(7)(B), including the requirement to

prepare risk management plans. The documents made available today are

drafts of guidances and would not, when finalized, create any

obligations on the part of entities subject to CAA section

112(r)(7)(B); thus, these documents are neither regulations nor

proposed regulations.

EPA proposed Risk Management Program regulations to implement CAA

section 112(r)(7) on October 20, 1993 (58 FR 54190) and March 13, 1995

(60 FR 13528). For information on the proposed regulations, please see

the above-referenced notices. Furthermore, for information on

chemicals, sources, and processes subject to CAA section 112(r)(7),

please see 40 CFR part 68 and the notice establishing these provisions

(59 FR 4478, January 31, 1994).

The draft ``Offsite Consequence Assessment'' guidance contains all

the methodologies and reference tables that would be necessary to

develop and analyze the consequences of worst case and more likely

(``alternative case'') scenarios for the regulations under CAA section

112(r)(7)(B). This guidance is designed to help those sources subject

to section 112(r)(7) comply with the offsite consequence requirements

without specific expertise or access to computer-based and more

sophisticated modeling tools. EPA contemplates that sources will be

able to use the modeling results contained in a final guidance or other

appropriate modeling results in complying with the section 112(r)(7)

regulations.

The draft ``Generic Guidance Risk Management Program (RMP) for

Ammonia Refrigeration Facilities'' is a model program and plan that

will help owners and operators of ammonia refrigeration facilities

comply with the CAA section 112(r). The draft 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)

refrigerated ammonia release modeling.

The Risk Management Program regulation will require submission of

risk management plans. The draft 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

[[Page 3032]]

accident history, prevention program, and emergency response program.

Dated: January 23, 1996.

Jim Makris,

Director, Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office.

[FR Doc. 96-1706 Filed 1-29-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P