Plans by the Trump administration to roll back regulations on chemical facility safety will allow for the continued rise in industrial chemical accidents, which are already up by 50% since 2021, a watchdog group warned this week.
The administration is making an “appalling” divestment in chemical safety, according to Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), and the risk is heightened by the country’s aging industrial infrastructure.
“There doesn’t appear to be any concerted federal effort to either help industry or to monitor what’s going on,” said Jeff Ruch, senior counsel to PEER.