Background

On August 1, 2013, President Obama signed Executive Order 13650, entitled Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security. The Executive Order directs the Federal Government to improve operational coordination with state and local partners; improve Federal agency coordination and information sharing; modernize policies, regulations, and standards; and work with stakeholders to identify best practices.

The Executive Order working group includes representatives from:

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
• U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
• U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Federal Workgroups Formed in Response to the Executive Order:

Section 3 - Improving Operational Coordination (Co-chaired by EPA and DHS, U.S. Coast Guard)

Section 4 - Improving Federal Agency Coordination (Co-chaired by EPA and DHS, U.S. Coast Guard)

Section 5 - Improving Information Collection and Sharing (Chaired by DHS, Infrastructure Security Compliance Division)

Section 6 - Modernizing Policies, Regulations, and Standards (Chaired by DOL, Occupational Safety and Health Administration)

• Request for Information on Process Safety Management and Prevention of Major Chemical Accidents
• Section 6(a) – Solicitation of Public Input on Options for Policy, Regulation, and Standards Modernization

Section 7 - Stakeholder Outreach and Identifying Best Practices (Chaired by DHS, Infrastructure Security Compliance Division)

Resource Materials

Public comments and additional materials are available in the public docket for Section 6 of the Executive Order. To access the docket, you can go to www.regulations.gov and perform a search for OSHA-2013-0026.

Executive Order

• Executive Order 13650: Improving Chemical Facility Safety and Security
• EPA's Webpage on Executive Order 13650

Request for Information

• Request for Information on Process Safety Management and Prevention of Major Chemical Accidents*

Guidance Documents

• Chemical Advisory: Safe Storage, Handling, Management of Ammonium Nitrate*
• Fertilizer Industry Guidance on Storage and Use of Ammonium Nitrate

Listening Sessions

• Announcement of Listening Sessions is published in the Federal Register [Docket No. DHS–2013–0075]