Missouri gets EPA ammonia safety grant

Kansas City, Kan.-U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 has awarded the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) and the state’s Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) a total of $75,000 to carry out programs that reduce the risk of accidental anhydrous ammonia releases at fertilizer facilities that handle more than 10,000 pounds of the chemical and are subject to the agency’s chemical safety requirements. The grants are part of EPA’s Clean Air Act risk management program and are designed to prevent releases and protect the health and safety of area residents, employees at the facilities, emergency responders, and the environment. MDA will receive $30,000 to develop a program to conduct on-site audits and follow-up safety assessments at 189 agricultural retail anhydrous ammonia facilities in the state. SEMA will receive $45,000 to conduct workshops and on-site audits of 205 non-agricultural facilities. The SEMA grant focuses on enhancing communication among local first responders, planners, and all regulated facilities. Region 7’s George Hess noted that these grants have been given out on a competitive basis for approximately 10 years. “Over the years we have given them to the departments of agriculture in Iowa and Kansas to focus on activities associated with the Clean Air Act-Section 112r and specifically the risk management program,” Hess reported. “Region 7 has approximately 2,500 facilities, and approximately 80 percent are anhydrous ammonia retailers. I believe ours is the only EPA region to give out these types of grants at this time.” According to EPA, Region 7 receives more accidental release reports for ammonia than for any other chemical. In addition to releases caused by transportation accidents, human error, and equipment failure, a number have been caused by anhydrous ammonia thefts because it is a key ingredient in the illegal production of methamphetamine. Retailers were first required to be in risk management compliance in 1999, when EPA started facility inspections and enforcement of the program, which includes five components: hazard assessment system, management, accident prevention, emergency response, and submittal of a risk management plan.