[Federal Register: June 20, 1996 (Volume 61, Number 120)]
[Notices]               
[Page 31733]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5517-1]
 
Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management 
Programs Under Section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act as Amended; 
Guidances

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act (CAA), as amended, 
requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop guidance 
documents, including model risk management plans, to assist stationary 
sources in the development of risk management programs. EPA is issuing 
three guidance documents that are available for review in Docket No. A-
91-73 Category VIII-A: ``RMP Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance''; 
``Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia Refrigeration'' 
and ``Risk Management Plan Data Elements.'' The Agency views the 
Guidances issued today as ``evergreen'' documents and is interested in 
continued dialogue on the Guidances with interested members of the 
public. The Agency anticipates it will revise and update these 
Guidances from time to time as stakeholders and the Agency proceed in 
implementing the Risk Management Program regulations.

ADDRESSES:

    Docket. These documents are in Docket A-91-73 Category VIII-A and 
available for public inspection and copying between 8:00 a.m. and 5:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, including all non-Governmental holidays, 
at EPA's Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center, room M1500, 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (6102), 401 M Street S.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20460.
    Electronic Access. These documents can be accessed in electronic 
format through the Internet system and through EPA's Technology 
Transfer Network (TTN), a network of electronic bulletin boards 
operated by the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. The 
Internet address of EPA's gopher server is GOPHER.EPA.GOV. This 
information is also available using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) on 
FTP.EPA.GOV or using World Wide Web (WWW) (http://www.epa.gov/swercepp/
). The TTN service is free, except for the cost of a phone call. To 
access the TTN, dial (919) 541-5742 for up to a 14,400 bits per second 
(bps) modem. If more information on TTN is needed, contact the systems 
operator at (919) 541-5382.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information on the 
``Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia Refrigeration'' 
and ``Risk Management Plan Data Elements,'' contact Dr. Lyse Helsing, 
at (202) 260-6128. For technical information on the .``MP Offsite 
Consequence Analysis Guidance,'' contact Craig Matthiessen, at (202) 
260-9781. To obtain copies of these documents, please FAX requests to 
the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Information Hotline 
(Hotline) at (703) 412-3333. The Hotline is also available to answer 
questions at (800) 535-0202 or (703) 412-9877 when calling from local 
Washington, D.C. area.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA announces the availability of Guidances 
that will assist stationary sources in complying with the provisions of 
the regulations implementing CAA section 112(r)(7)(B), part 68, 
including the requirement to prepare risk management plans. The 
documents made available today are guidances and do not create any 
obligations on the part of entities subject to part 68. These Guidances 
do not substitute for EPA's regulations, nor are they regulations 
themselves. The Guidances do not impose legally binding requirements on 
EPA, States, or the regulated community, and may not apply to a 
particular situation based upon the circumstances. EPA may change these 
Guidances in the future, as appropriate.
    Elsewhere in today's Federal Register, EPA has promulgated Risk 
Management Program regulations under part 68 in order to implement CAA 
section 112(r)(7). For information on these regulations, please see the 
above-referenced notice. Furthermore, for information on chemicals, 
sources, and processes subject to part 68, please see 40 CFR part 68 
and the notice establishing these provisions (59 FR 4478, January 31, 
1994). Finally, readers should note that, elsewhere in today's Federal 
Register, EPA has promulgated a stay of certain provisions of part 68 
promulgated in the January 1994 rulemaking.
    The ``RMP Offsite Consequence Analysis Guidance'' contains all the 
methodologies and reference tables that will be necessary to develop 
and analyze the consequences of worst case and alternative case 
scenarios for part 68. This Guidance is designed to help those sources 
subject to part 68 comply with the offsite consequence requirements 
without specific expertise or access to computer-based and more 
sophisticated modeling tools. Sources will be able to use the modeling 
results contained in this Guidance or other appropriate modeling 
results in complying with part 68.
    The ``Model Risk Management Program and Plan for Ammonia 
Refrigeration'' is a model program and plan that will help owners and 
operators of ammonia refrigeration facilities comply with part 68. The 
Guidance includes a section on hazard assessment and on emergency 
response, and four appendices: (A) selection of scenarios; (B) 
background information on ammonia modeling; (C) effect of ammonia 
releases on structures; and (D) information about accidental ammonia 
releases.
    EPA views both of the above-mentioned Guidances to be 
``evergreen.'' That is, while EPA is issuing these Guidances today, EPA 
will continue to seek public input and revise these documents as 
appropriate.
    Part 68 requires the submission of risk management plans in a form 
and manner to be specified by EPA. The Risk Management Data Elements 
maps out the kinds of information that would be submitted by each 
source as its risk management plan. The draft includes an executive 
summary, registration, data on worst case and alternative releases for 
toxics and for flammables, five-year accident history, prevention 
program, and emergency response program. Like the other Guidances 
today, EPA intends to continue to seek public input on the format of 
submittal of the data required by part 68. In particular, EPA will 
study new methods for information submittal and public access to such 
information when it develops the information collection.

    Dated: May 31, 1996.
Jim Makris,
Director, Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office.

[FR Doc. 96-14627 Filed 6-19-96; 8:45 am]
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