The federal government just pushed back the cut-off date for comments on the Chemical Disaster Rule, giving us a few more weeks to get critically needed petition signatures to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Why Act? In a recent 10-year span, there were 2,200 chemical incidents in the U.S. Fifty-nine people were killed and over 17,000 injured. Tens of thousands of USW members work in facilities like these that use or store dangerous chemicals and are densely located across the country. We need to be doing everything we can to make our workplaces and communities safer, NOT gutting commonsense regulations like the Chemical Disaster Rule. We have a responsibility to weigh in on the devastating consequences of proposed rollbacks to this rule.You can find more details in our InfoAlert released last month.

Please make sure the EPA is hearing from the people that have the most at stake – us!

Here’s what you can do to help:

• Print out the petition on page two. Circulate copies in your workplace and have members sign. 
   
• Please return completed petitions including the cover sheet to your District Rapid Response Coordinator or get them to our national office by one of the following methods by August 15th (Please note the new date. Petitions must be received by this date in order to meet the federal deadline).

Scan & Email: [email protected]
Fax: 412-562-2266
Mail: USW Rapid Response, 60 Blvd. of the Allies, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Thank you to the locals who have already sent in petitions. For those locals who have not, or those that want to make a second round to be sure everyone has had the opportunity to engage in this important action, please do so.

Click HERE to download a printable version to share in your workplace.