&EPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5104)
550-F98-002
January 1998
www. epa. gov/ceppo
Risk Management
Program:
RMP*Submit™
RMP*Info™
CLEAN AIR ACT Section 112(r)
FACTSHEET
Section 112(r) of the Clean Air Act (CAA)
Amendments of 1990 requires EPA to publish
regulations focusing on the prevention of chemical
accidents. These new regulations build on both the
chemical safety work begun under the Emergency
Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act
(EPCRA), and the Process Safety Management
regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA). A milestone in legislation,
EPCRA helps local communities prepare for and
respond to chemical accidents. It requires
communities to develop emergency response plans,
based on information from industry concerning
hazardous chemicals. Under me CAA requirements,
stationary sources (facilities) must identify and assess
their chemical hazards and cany out certain activities
designed to reduce the likelihood and severity of
accidental chemical releases. Once information about
chemicals is openly shared, industry, government, and
the community can work to reduce the risk to public
health and the environment On June 20, 19%, EPA
published the final rule for CAA §112(r), otherwise
called the Risk Management Plan Rule (RMP Rule)
(40CFRpart68).
An estimated 64,000 facilities are subject to the RMP
Rule based on the quantity of regulated substances
they have onsite. These facilities are required to
implement a Risk Management Program and submit a
summary of the program (called the risk management
plan, or RMP) to a central location specified by EPA
by June 20, 1999. The RMP data will assist state and
local governments responsible for chemical
emergency preparedness and prevention. The data
gathered will also be useful to environmental groups,
community organizations, and the public in under-
standing the chemical risks in their communities.
EPA will use the RMP data to set priorities, target
resources, and measure the success of the Risk
Management Program (e.g., through the reduction of
severe accidents). In addition, EPA hopes the
availability of this information will stimulate the
dialogue between industry and the public to improve
accident prevention and emergency response practices
at the local level.
In October 1996, EPA convened a workgroup to
examine the technical and practical issues associated
with creating a national electronic repository of
RMPs. The workgroup membership consisted of the
following stakeholder groups: state and local
government, industry, environmental and public
interest groups and EPA. The workgroup was charged
with recommending how the regulated community
would submit their risk management plans, as well as
how EPA, state and local governments, and the public
would have access to this information. The
workgroup decided on an electronic submission
system, named RMP*Submit They also chose an
Internet-based public access system called RMP*Info.
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office
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RMP* Submit
RMP* Submit will provide RMP facilities with an
automated tool for submitting RMPs. Here are the
Electronic Submission Workgroup's
recommendations:
4 Develop a user-friendly, PC-based RMP
Submission System available on diskettes and via
the Internet;
• Require electronic submission on diskette;
however, an "electronic waiver" is available for
facilities that are unable to comply;
+ Use a standards-based, open systems architecture
so private companies can create compatible
software;
+ Perform data quality checks, accept limited
graphics, and provide on-line help including
defining data elements and instructions; and
^ Accommodate, as appropriate, additional state
chemicals (i.e., those listed under state, but not
federal EPA risk management program
regulations) and lower thresholds.
The software will run on Windows 3.1 and above.
There will not be a DOS or MAC version.
TIMELINE
1. April 5-9, 1998 —The first demonstration of the
RMP*Submit and RMP*Info prototype at the
1998 Hazardous Material Spills Conference
(www.nrt.org/nrt/hazmat98.nsf)
2. August 1998—The final Method and Format for
RMP submissions will be published in the
Federal Register.
3. January 4,1999—RMP*Submit diskettes and
paper forms will be available to the regulated
community.
4. June 20, 1999 — deadline for compliance with
the Risk Management Program.
RMP*Info
BMROFACTS
The RMP Access System, named RMP*Info, will
provide the public easy access to RMPs. To
accomplish this, the Workgroup offered the following
recommendations:
4 Establish a central system (RMP*Info) to provide
access to RMPs for all stakeholders;
4 All RMP data will be available on the Internet.
However, a decision has not yet been made on
whether or not the Offsite Consequence Analysis
data will be available on the Internet;
+ Make RMP*Info available through EPA's
EnviroFacts, a relational database that provides
access to seven EPA program databases;
+ Make RMP*Info available to the public on
January 4,1999, with the caveat that it will not
be complete until sometime after June 21,1999;
* Allow RMP*Info to contain historical records for
fifteen years;
^ Ensure that RMP*Info provides search, report,
and help features;
+ Automatically notify State and local
Implementing Agencies when an RMP in their
jurisdiction has been updated; and
* Develop a Technical Assistance help line that
will distribute RMP*Info data on diskettes and
paper for those who do not have Internet access.
5. After June 21, 1999-
available.
RMP*Info will be
FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Contact the Emergency Planning and
Community Right-to-Know Hotline
(800) 424-9346 or (703)412-9810
TDD (800) 553-7672
Monday-Friday, 9am to 6pm, EST
Visit the CEPPO Home Page:
http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/
Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office
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