The chemical industry and a coalition of environmental, labor, and other activist organizations are clashing over whether stricter regulations are needed to enhance safety at the nation’s industrial facilities. At issue is an effort by the Environmental Protection Agency to update its Risk Management Plan (RMP) regulations. The two-decade-old RMP is an accident prevention program under the Clean Air Act for high-risk chemical facilities. The agency’s action comes in response to an executive order President Barack Obama issued in August 2013 after a string of chemical disasters, notably the tragic explosion earlier that year at a fertilizer storage and distribution facility in West, Texas. That incident killed 15 people and injured more than 200. Since Obama issued the order, a multiagency group has explored ways to improve chemical facility safety standards. To that end, EPA is contemplating the broadest regulatory changes within the federal government. These include proposals to expand ...