Air Alliance Houston strongly opposes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rollback of key protections included in the 2024 Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention (SCCAP) Risk Management Program rule. As an organization dedicated to reducing the public health impacts of air pollution through research, education, and advocacy, we believe these proposed changes place workers, first responders, and fenceline communities at greater risk from preventable chemical disasters.

The proposed revisions remove critical safeguards designed to strengthen accountability, improve emergency preparedness, and better protect communities near industrial facilities. In a region like Houston — where petrochemical infrastructure exists side by side with homes, schools, and neighborhoods due to lax zoning policies — weakening these protections would have serious consequences for public health and safety.

One of the most alarming proposals is the removal of requirements for facilities to plan for power outages and natural hazards such as hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires. These risks are not hypothetical for Gulf Coast communities. After Hurricane Harvey, industrial facilities in the Houston region released nearly 2.2 million pounds of pollution within 48 hours due to flooding, power failures, and equipment malfunctions. Similarly, during Winter Storm Uri, prolonged power outages contributed to the release of millions of pounds of excess pollution across Texas. Climate-driven extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more severe, making robust emergency planning essential — not optional.

Air Alliance Houston also opposes the EPA’s proposal to weaken independent third-party audit requirements. Restricting these audits to only facilities with multiple accidents within a short period sends the dangerous message that some level of preventable chemical releases is acceptable. Independent oversight is necessary to identify systemic safety failures and ensure facilities are held accountable for maintaining effective prevention programs. Self-audits alone are insufficient to protect public health.

The proposed elimination of key worker protection measures is equally concerning. Employees are often the first to identify unsafe conditions that could lead to catastrophic accidents. Removing stop-work authority, scaling back employee training requirements, and eliminating anonymous reporting mechanisms silences workers and discourages the reporting of safety concerns. These changes prioritize industry cost-cutting over worker safety and community well-being.

Air Alliance Houston also strongly opposes efforts to weaken Safer Technologies and Alternatives Analyses (STAA). When safer technologies and practices are available, facilities should be required to evaluate and implement them whenever possible. Reducing these obligations ignores the long-term health and safety benefits that safer alternatives provide to workers and nearby communities.

In addition, the proposal would significantly limit public access to critical safety information. Eliminating requirements for companies to directly share information with residents living near facilities, reducing language accessibility, and weakening public mapping tools would leave communities less informed and less prepared during emergencies. These changes disproportionately harm limited-English proficient communities and deepen existing environmental inequities.

The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. Weakening the Risk Management Program does the opposite. Air Alliance Houston urges the EPA to abandon these proposed rollbacks and fully implement the 2024 SCCAP rule. Communities living alongside industrial facilities deserve stronger protections, greater transparency, and meaningful safeguards against chemical disasters — not weaker ones.

You can submit your own comments online by clicking here. The deadline to comment is Mayo 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST.