Despite deadly Washington implosion, chemical industry poised to see less government oversight

Science NewsDespite deadly Washington implosion, chemical industry poised to see less government oversightThe Trump administration is attempting to roll back reforms to the EPA program designed to prevent chemical disasters — and to shut down the safety board that investigates them.Add NBC News to GoogleSix bodies recovered from Washington paper mill after chemical tank implosion02:09Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 29, 2026, 9:34 PM EDTBy Evan BushTwo major chemical crises in the last week — the deadly implosion at a paper mill in Washington and the damaged tank that caused a multiday evacuation in Southern California — reveal long-standing gaps in the federal systems meant to protect communities and workers.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Both incidents occurred as the Trump administration is trying to roll back reforms to the primary program meant to prevent chemical disasters and to shutter the safety board tasked with investigating them. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Risk Management Program, or RMP, is the main federal program designed to prevent hazardous chemical incidents and spell out emergency procedures. But experts say it has been understaffed for years — since long before Trump took office. And the list of chemicals it covers has not changed substantially since it was created in 1990, leaving out some high-risk chemical facilities.The GKN Aerospace facility where the threat of a chemical release prompted 50,000 Orange County, California, residents to evacuate last weekend is not part of the program because the chemical involved, methyl methacrylate, is not on the RMP list.Nor are the chemicals that make up “white liquor,” the mixture believed to have caused the implosion at the paper mill in Longview, Washington, that killed 11 people on Tuesday. However, the Nippon Dynawave plant where the disaster occurred is part of the government program because it stores la...