96-1706. Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management Programs Under Section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act as Amended; Draft Guidances

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3031-3032]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-1706]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5406-9]


Accidental Release Prevention Requirements: Risk Management 
Programs Under Section 112(r)(7) of the Clean Air Act as Amended; Draft 
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. The following 
three draft guidance documents are available for review in Docket No. 
A-91-73 Category VIII-A: ``Offsite Consequence Assessment''; ``Generic 
Guidance Risk Management Program (RMP) for Ammonia Refrigeration 
Facilities''; and ``Risk Management Plan Data Elements.'' The Agency is 
interested in continued dialogue on the guidances with interested 
members of the public and will issue guidance at the time it 
promulgates the Risk Management Program regulations.

DATES: Those who wish to express their views concerning the material 
contained in the guidances should submit written comments by February 
29, 1996, to Docket A-91-73 Category VIII-B, at the address below, or 
via e-mail to [e-mail].

ADDRESSES: Docket. These documents are in Docket A-91-73 Category VIII-
A and available for public inspection and copying between 8 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 
SW., Washington, DC 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://earth1.epa.gov/
ceppo). The TTN service is free, except for the cost of a phone call. 
To access the TTN, dial [phone] for up to a 14,400 bits per 
second (bps) modem. If more information on TTN is needed, contact the 
systems operator at [phone].
    Comments and data may also be submitted electronically by sending 
electronic mail (e-mail) to: [e-mail]. Electronic 
comments must be submitted as ASCII file avoiding the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Comments and data will also be 
accepted on disks in WordPerfect in 5.1 file format or ASCII file 
format. All comments and data in electronic form must be identified by 
the docket number A-91-73 Category VIII-B. No Confidential Business 
Information (CBI) should be submitted through e-mail. Electronic 
comments on this draft guidance may be filed online at many Federal 
Depository Libraries.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical information on the 
``Generic Guidance Risk Management Program (RMP) for Ammonia 
Refrigeration Facilities'' or the draft ``Risk Management Data 
Elements'', contact Lyse Helsing, [phone]. For technical 
information on the draft ``Offsite Consequence Assessment'', contact 
Craig Matthiessen, [phone]. To order copies of these documents, 
please FAX requests to the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-
Know Information Hotline (Hotline) at [phone]. The Hotline is 
also available to answer questions at [phone] or [phone] 
when calling from local Washington, DC area.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA announces the availability of draft 
guidances that will assist stationary sources in complying with the 
provisions of CAA section 112(r)(7)(B), including the requirement to 
prepare risk management plans. The documents made available today are 
drafts of guidances and would not, when finalized, create any 
obligations on the part of entities subject to CAA section 
112(r)(7)(B); thus, these documents are neither regulations nor 
proposed regulations.
    EPA proposed Risk Management Program regulations to implement CAA 
section 112(r)(7) on October 20, 1993 (58 FR 54190) and March 13, 1995 
(60 FR 13528). For information on the proposed regulations, please see 
the above-referenced notices. Furthermore, for information on 
chemicals, sources, and processes subject to CAA section 112(r)(7), 
please see 40 CFR part 68 and the notice establishing these provisions 
(59 FR 4478, January 31, 1994).
    The draft ``Offsite Consequence Assessment'' guidance contains all 
the methodologies and reference tables that would be necessary to 
develop and analyze the consequences of worst case and more likely 
(``alternative case'') scenarios for the regulations under CAA section 
112(r)(7)(B). This guidance is designed to help those sources subject 
to section 112(r)(7) comply with the offsite consequence requirements 
without specific expertise or access to computer-based and more 
sophisticated modeling tools. EPA contemplates that sources will be 
able to use the modeling results contained in a final guidance or other 
appropriate modeling results in complying with the section 112(r)(7) 
regulations.
    The draft ``Generic Guidance Risk Management Program (RMP) for 
Ammonia Refrigeration Facilities'' is a model program and plan that 
will help owners and operators of ammonia refrigeration facilities 
comply with the CAA section 112(r). The draft 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) 
refrigerated ammonia release modeling.
    The Risk Management Program regulation will require submission of 
risk management plans. The draft 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 

[[Page 3032]]
accident history, prevention program, and emergency response program.

    Dated: January 23, 1996.
Jim Makris,
 Director, Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office.
[FR Doc. 96-1706 Filed 1-29-96; 8:45 am]
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