Clean Air Act Advisory Committee: Accident Prevention Subcommittee Meeting

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6457-5]

Clean Air Act Advisory Committee: Accident Prevention

Subcommittee Meeting

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The Clean Air Act section 112(r) required EPA to publish

regulations to prevent accidental releases of chemicals and to reduce

the severity of those releases that do occur. These accidental release

prevention requirements build on the chemical safety work begun by the

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) which sets

forth requirements for industry, State and local governments.

[[Page 55711]]

The goal of the Risk Management Program is to reduce chemical risk

at the local level. Risk Management Plans (RMPs), which contain a

summary of information about each facility's Risk Management Program,

were required to be submitted by June 21, 1999 by regulations under

section 112(r). Making the RMPs available to the public is intended to

stimulate communication between industry and the public to improve

accident prevention and emergency response practices at the local

level.

Over 14,000 RMPs were submitted from many different industry

sectors, and from both large and small businesses. Facilities are

required to update RMPs at least every 5 years, or more frequently if

there are important changes, such as the introduction of a new

regulated chemical into their production process. RMPs will be stored

in RMP*InfoTM for 15 years from the date of receipt.

On August 5, 1999, President Clinton signed legislation that

removed from coverage by the RMP program any flammable fuel when used

as a fuel or held for sale as fuel by a retail facility. The

legislation also limits access to the Off-Site Consequence Analysis

(OCA) sections of the RMP.

The Accident Prevention Subcommittee was created in September 1996

to advise EPA's Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office

(CEPPO) on these chemical accident prevention issues, specifically,

section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act.

DATES: The Accident Prevention Subcommittee of the Clean Air Act

Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting on November 5, 1999 from

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Hall of States, 444 North

Capitol St., NW, Washington DC, near Union Station. Members of the

public are welcome to attend in person.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Members of the public desiring

additional information about this meeting, should contact Karen

Schneider, Designated Federal Official, U.S. EPA (5104), 401 M. St.,

SW, Washington DC 20460, via the Internet at:

[email protected], by telephone at (202) 260-2711 or FAX

at (202) 401-3448.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Agenda

8:30-9:00--Opening Remarks--Jim Makris (8:30-9:00)

9:00-12:00--Discussion of Public Law 106-40, the Chemical Safety

Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act: focusing on

Section 2 of the law regarding flammable fuels removed from coverage

1:30-4:00--Discussion of Public Law 106-40, the Chemical Safety

Information, Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act: focusing on

Section 3 of the law regarding public access to Off-Site Consequence

Analysis information

4:00-4:30--Comments from the Public

Members of the public who wish to make a brief oral presentation in

person in Washington DC to the Subcommittee at the meeting, must

contact Karen Schneider in writing (by letter, fax, or email--see

previously stated information) no later than November 3, 1999, in order

to be included on the agenda. Written comments may be submitted to the

Accident Prevention Subcommittee up through the date of the meeting.

Please address such material to Karen Schneider at the above address.

The Accident Prevention Subcommittee expects that public statements

presented at its meetings will not be repetitive or previously

submitted oral or written statements. In general, opportunities for

oral comment will be limited to no more than three minutes per speaker

and no more than thirty minutes total. Written comments (twelve copies)

received sufficiently prior to a meeting date (usually one week prior

to a meeting or teleconference), may be mailed to the Subcommittee

prior to its meeting.

Additional information on the Accident Prevention Subcommittee is

available on the Internet at: http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/acc-pre.html.

If you would like to automatically receive future information on

the Accident Prevention Subcommittee and its Workgroups by email, you

can subscribe to the EPA-RMP Listserve by sending the following message

to [email protected]: SUBSCRIBE EPA-RMP

Example: SUBSCRIBE EPA-RMP John Smith.

Dated: October 7, 1999.

Karen Schneider,

Designated Federal Official.

[FR Doc. 99-26859 Filed 10-13-99; 8:45 am]

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