An Obama-era rule amending federal Risk Management Program (RMP) requirements for chemical facilities, oil refineries and other industries is delayed again, this time until February 19, 2019, according to an article from JD Supra. The announcement of the 20-month extension of the rule’s effective date by Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt follows a three-month delay initiated in of March of this year.
The current extension will reportedly give the EPA time to review and consider the rule and questions raised in petitions, and provide additional public commenting opportunities. According to the article, the RMP amendments, which are designed to reduce accidental releases and improve emergency response, were drafted after the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion and issued just a week before President Trump took office.
Read the entire article here.