Accidental Release Prevention

Section 112(r) was added to the amended Clean Air Act following several catastrophic explosions and other releases of toxic chemicals which resulted in loss of life and property due to the lack of proper safety precautions. Its objective is to prevent accidental releases of regulated substances and other extremely hazardous substances to the air and to minimize the consequences of such releases if they do occur by emphasizing preventative measures for those chemicals which are believed to pose the greatest risk.

Among the provisions of Risk Management Plan rule (40 CFR Part 68) are the identification of hazards within a facility which could result in a release, the design and maintenance of a safe facility, and the development of response actions to be taken in the event of a release. RMP rule includes three Program levels; each Program level reflects relative potential for public impacts and the level of effort needed to prevent accidents that may arise from activities conducted by an affected source. An affected source must submit a risk management plan and comply with the requirements of the applicable Program level.

• Rule and Implementation Information for Accidental Release Prevention Program
  • Accidental Release Prevention/Risk Management Plan Rule Fact Sheet
  • General Duty Clause Fact Sheet
  • Guidance for Facilities on Risk Management Programs
  • Risk Management Program Frequent Questions Database
• Notification Report: An owner or operator of a stationary source that has more than a threshold quantity of any regulated substance listed under § 68.130 of the RMP rule is required to submit a notification report to Illinois EPA no later than the latest of the following dates: July 1, 1998; the date on which a regulated substance is first listed under § 68.130; or the date on which a regulated substance is first present above a threshold quantity in a process. Note: the owner or operator shall submit the RMP to USEPA no later the applicable date specified under § 68.190. This form is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
• Program Development Guide: This guide is intended to outline the implementation requirements of the Accidental Release Prevention Program under section 112(r). Also available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file for easier printing.
• Risk Management Plan Data Elements: The owner or operator of a stationary source subject to the risk management program rule shall submit a single Risk Management Plan. This document describes the elements that should be submitted. Also available as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file

These links are to pages that are not on the Illinois EPA's web server, but which contain related information that you might find useful.

• U.S. EPA Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office: These pages are operated by the Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO) of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response at the U.S. EPA.
• Chemical Accident Prevention and Risk Management Planning: This is the most relevant portion of the U.S. EPA's CEPPO pages.
• Clean Air Act Section 112(r) Frequently Asked Questions: This file at the U.S. EPA answers many of the most frequently asked questions about section 112(r).
• Federal Register excerpt [FR Doc. 98-10145]: This excerpt from the April 17, 1998 issue of the Federal Register includes the relevant proposed rule. It is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.