By: Amanda Rowoldt, Ohio Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: March 10, 2026
About: EPA Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2025-0313
To: Environmental Protection Agency
My name is Amanda Rowoldt, and I live in Franklin County in Dublin, Ohio. I am an Ohio Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, a mother of two young boys, a cancer survivor, and a concerned citizen strongly opposed to EPA’s proposal to weaken the Risk Management Program, also referred to as the Chemical Disaster Rule.
In Ohio, we live with significant petrochemical infrastructure, including petrochemical facilities that are operating near residential neighborhoods just a mile or two away and only separated by a line of trees. With petrochemical infrastructure and facilities woven throughout Ohio, the majority of Ohioans face some level of risk of chemical accidents or hazardous incidents.
In 2024, EPA finalized the Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention, a rule that was created to strengthen the existing EPA Risk Management Program. However, recently, EPA announced they would reconsider the Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention rule. If these proposed changes are made to the Risk Management Program, then over 177 million Americans who live in worst-case scenario zones near chemical facilities will be vulnerable to the possibility of more dangerous chemical accidents.
Petrochemical facilities in Ohio must continue to be regulated under the strongest form of the Risk Management Program for the safety and protection of Ohioans living near these facilities. The Risk Management Program in its current form has the power to provide Ohioans with strong protections from chemical accidents. If changes are made to weaken the Risk Management Program then safeguards will be eliminated that have been put in place to prevent and mitigate harm and risks of explosions, fires, and other hazardous incidents. Furthermore, any changes that weaken the Risk Management Program will increase the likelihood of chemical emergencies and disasters for workers, first responders, and children and families who live nearby. The Risk Management Program must stay in its strongest form so Ohioans are ensured the greatest amount of safety and protection possible.
For the protection of Ohio’s families, workers, and first responders, it’s critical to keep the EPA’s Risk Management Program as is, which includes the addition of a strong, comprehensive, and enforceable Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention rule. Only with the Safer Communities by Chemical Accident Prevention rule intact will there be strong enough safeguards in place to protect Ohioans from potential dangerous and harmful chemical disasters.
Thank you.