SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
An oil refinery is seen before the arrival of Hurricane Harvey on August 25, 2017 in Corpus Christi, Texas. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Saying Trump EPA Made 'Mockery of the Statute,' Court Orders End to Illegal Delay of Chemical Disaster Rule
"Families who live under the shadows of chemical facilities deserve safer practices to prevent future disasters."
Aug 17, 2018
Chemical manufacturers must immediately comply with the Chemical Disaster Rule, a set of requirements aimed at keeping communities safe from toxic disasters, following a federal court ruling on Friday which called the Trump administration's delay of the rule "arbitrary" and illegal.
"This is a victory first and foremost for the neighborhoods most susceptible to dangerous and toxic chemical releases. Families who live under the shadows of chemical facilities deserve safer practices to prevent future disasters," said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
President Donald Trump delayed implementation of the rule, which had been developed by the Obama administration, when he entered office. The regulations required the chemical industry to coordinate with emergency responders ahead of a likely emergency, to maintain transparency with their surrounding communities regarding possible chemical threats, to fully investigate disasters, and to assess whether the use of different technologies by their facilities could prevent chemical emergencies.
The Union of Concerned Scientists noted earlier this year that the delay of the rule likely exacerbated disasters including the Arkema plant explosion outside Houston last August after Hurricane Harvey hit.
"The rule would have begun to prevent and reduce chemical disasters in communities near over 12,500 facilities nationwide if the Trump administration had not abruptly suspended it one year ago, in March 2017," wrote Gretchen Goldman.
The court's decision came "not a moment to soon," for the 177 million Americans who live in places where their safety could be put at grave risk in the event of a chemical emergency, said the climate action group Earthjustice.
"The government cannot withdraw critical safety rules based on political whim--people's lives should come first," said Gordon Sommers, an attorney with Earthjustice. "The court's order means industry will have to start implementing these critical safety measures immediately--with the new hurricane season underway, there is no time to wait."
Others also applauded the ruling, including some who noted that it was just the latest recent blow to the Trump administration's pro-industry agenda--one that has consistently put the bottom line of the chemical and fossil fuel industries over the safety of Americans.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Chemical manufacturers must immediately comply with the Chemical Disaster Rule, a set of requirements aimed at keeping communities safe from toxic disasters, following a federal court ruling on Friday which called the Trump administration's delay of the rule "arbitrary" and illegal.
"This is a victory first and foremost for the neighborhoods most susceptible to dangerous and toxic chemical releases. Families who live under the shadows of chemical facilities deserve safer practices to prevent future disasters," said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
President Donald Trump delayed implementation of the rule, which had been developed by the Obama administration, when he entered office. The regulations required the chemical industry to coordinate with emergency responders ahead of a likely emergency, to maintain transparency with their surrounding communities regarding possible chemical threats, to fully investigate disasters, and to assess whether the use of different technologies by their facilities could prevent chemical emergencies.
The Union of Concerned Scientists noted earlier this year that the delay of the rule likely exacerbated disasters including the Arkema plant explosion outside Houston last August after Hurricane Harvey hit.
"The rule would have begun to prevent and reduce chemical disasters in communities near over 12,500 facilities nationwide if the Trump administration had not abruptly suspended it one year ago, in March 2017," wrote Gretchen Goldman.
The court's decision came "not a moment to soon," for the 177 million Americans who live in places where their safety could be put at grave risk in the event of a chemical emergency, said the climate action group Earthjustice.
"The government cannot withdraw critical safety rules based on political whim--people's lives should come first," said Gordon Sommers, an attorney with Earthjustice. "The court's order means industry will have to start implementing these critical safety measures immediately--with the new hurricane season underway, there is no time to wait."
Others also applauded the ruling, including some who noted that it was just the latest recent blow to the Trump administration's pro-industry agenda--one that has consistently put the bottom line of the chemical and fossil fuel industries over the safety of Americans.
Chemical manufacturers must immediately comply with the Chemical Disaster Rule, a set of requirements aimed at keeping communities safe from toxic disasters, following a federal court ruling on Friday which called the Trump administration's delay of the rule "arbitrary" and illegal.
"This is a victory first and foremost for the neighborhoods most susceptible to dangerous and toxic chemical releases. Families who live under the shadows of chemical facilities deserve safer practices to prevent future disasters," said Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
President Donald Trump delayed implementation of the rule, which had been developed by the Obama administration, when he entered office. The regulations required the chemical industry to coordinate with emergency responders ahead of a likely emergency, to maintain transparency with their surrounding communities regarding possible chemical threats, to fully investigate disasters, and to assess whether the use of different technologies by their facilities could prevent chemical emergencies.
The Union of Concerned Scientists noted earlier this year that the delay of the rule likely exacerbated disasters including the Arkema plant explosion outside Houston last August after Hurricane Harvey hit.
"The rule would have begun to prevent and reduce chemical disasters in communities near over 12,500 facilities nationwide if the Trump administration had not abruptly suspended it one year ago, in March 2017," wrote Gretchen Goldman.
The court's decision came "not a moment to soon," for the 177 million Americans who live in places where their safety could be put at grave risk in the event of a chemical emergency, said the climate action group Earthjustice.
"The government cannot withdraw critical safety rules based on political whim--people's lives should come first," said Gordon Sommers, an attorney with Earthjustice. "The court's order means industry will have to start implementing these critical safety measures immediately--with the new hurricane season underway, there is no time to wait."
Others also applauded the ruling, including some who noted that it was just the latest recent blow to the Trump administration's pro-industry agenda--one that has consistently put the bottom line of the chemical and fossil fuel industries over the safety of Americans.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.