Volume 145, No. 88 covering the 1st Session of the 106th Congress (1999 - 2000) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“FUELS REGULATORY RELIEF ACT” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Senate section on pages S7369 on June 21, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
FUELS REGULATORY RELIEF ACT
Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, I rise today to express my strong support of S. 880, the Fuels Regulatory Relief Act. This bill will provide relief to hundreds of propane suppliers, farmers, and ranchers in my State of South Dakota.
The Fuels Regulatory Relief Act would exempt propane from being included under the Environmental Protection Agency's Risk Management Program, or RMP, rule. The RMP rule was crafted as a way to increase awareness among state and local governments and the public of hazardous chemicals in communities. The thinking behind this rule was that if chemical companies had to develop and make public information about a worst case scenario in the event of an accidental release, the companies would take steps to lower the possibility of such an accident. Also, the authors of this rule thought local emergency teams would be able to respond more quickly and efficiently to an accident at a hazardous chemical site if the teams knew in advance how much damage to expect.
I do not have any problems with the RMP rule in that respect. I think communities can benefit from knowing the potential for chemical accidents that could happen within their borders. I do, however, have deep concerns about the inclusion of substances that are not toxic but are flammable. The RMP rule was not created to regulate flammable substances, as demonstrated by the EPA's decision not to include gasoline under the rule. Yet propane is included under the rule, and people who have more than 16,000 pounds of propane on their property will have to submit an RMP.
Complying with this rule is a great burden on propane suppliers, farmers, and ranchers, as the cost per site may be as much as several thousand dollars. I have been contacted by a number of propane suppliers in my State who have expressed their frustration with having to submit an RMP, and the American Farm Bureau has voiced its concerns about the effects of this rule on farmers who use propane for fuel purposes. Small business owners, farmers, and ranchers who possess and use large amounts of propane should not be forced to comply with a rule directed at curbing accidents involving hazardous chemicals, especially when flammable substances are subject to a number of other federal regulations.
For these reasons, I am proud to be a cosponsor of S. 880, the Fuels Regulatory Relief Act. I believe that exempting propane from inclusion under the RMP rule is consistent with the purpose of the rule, as it does not change the way hazardous and toxic chemicals are regulated. The Fuels Regulatory Relief Act will save propane users and suppliers in my State thousands of dollars in compliance costs, and I urge my colleagues to support its expeditious passage.
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