API: Final RMP Rule Undermines Safety, Risks Higher Energy Costs

The American Petroleum Institute (API) today released the following statement from API Vice President of Downstream Policy Will Hupman on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final Risk Management Plan (RMP) Rule:

“The safety and security of employees and local communities are top priorities for our industry, and America has seen significant performance improvements across workplaces under the existing Risk Management Program regulations. The EPA has failed to demonstrate a need for its rigid approach in this new rule, which could have adverse impacts to workers and consumers alike by undermining ongoing safety improvements, impacting energy production and diminishing the ability of U.S. refineries to compete in global markets. We will explore all options to address the flaws in this misguided policymaking while ensuring continued safety improvements.”

The final rule incudes a requirement intended to discourage the use of HF alkylation technology which some refiners use to make gasoline and other high octane fuels. Restricting the use of this proven technology could have significantly impact refiners’ ability to produce the fuels that American consumers’ rely on every day.

API and its members devote substantial resources to assuring safe operations through numerous programs, technical standards, training and information sharing activities, including API’s Process Safety Site Assessment Program (PSSAP). As a result, the natural gas and oil industry consistently ranks as one of the safest industries to work in, with occupational injuries and illnesses significantly lower than the rest of the U.S. private sector.

API represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry, which supports nearly 11 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. Our approximately 600 members produce, process and distribute the majority of the nation’s energy, and participate in API Energy Excellence, which is accelerating environmental and safety progress by fostering new technologies and transparent reporting. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization and has developed more than 800 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.