Common Sense Approach to Chemical Accident Prevention Proposed Rule
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Rule Summary
On February 24, 2026, EPA published the Common Sense Approach to Chemical Accident Prevention rule, which proposes revisions to the Risk Management Program. These proposed changes would:
- reduce regulatory burden by ensuring regulatory consistency,
- avoid duplicative requirements, and
- eliminate unnecessary burdens placed on facilities where there is not specific data available to show that the current RMP rule would reduce or has reduced accidental releases.
EPA has extended the comment period and will accept comments on this proposal (Docket ID No.: EPA-HQ-OLEM-2025-0313) through May 11, 2026.
- Read the proposal in the Federal Register.
- Read through a fact sheet about this proposal.
- Read a prepublication version of the comment period extension notice (pdf) .
Public Hearing
In addition to accepting written comments during the public comment period, EPA held a virtual public hearing on March 10, 2026.
Rule History
In 2017, the RMP Amendments Final Rule issued new requirements for accident prevention, response, and public disclosure of information, but key provisions were paused, and most never went into effect. Instead, in 2019, the RMP Reconsideration Final Rule rescinded or modified some of the measures in the 2017 rule. In 2024, the RMP Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention Final Rule restored many of the requirements from the 2017 rule.
On March 12, 2025, EPA announced the agency is reconsidering the 2024 Risk Management Program Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention final rule.