"States Want Access to Chemical Trade Secrets Before Spills"

"States could soon respond quicker to chemical accidents armed with information EPA has. But first, they’ll have to prove they can protect chemical makers’ trade secrets.

States don’t yet know what data get they’ll get or the steps they’ll have to take to access that information, but the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to spell out those requirements in guidance coming soon, a state official told Bloomberg BNA.

Previously, states responding to emergencies had to get a company’s “blessing” before the EPA could share that information, Ken Zarker, an environmental manager with the Washington State Department of Ecology, told Bloomberg BNA. States want broad access to the available information, and they want to be able to have access approved before an emergency, said Zarker, who is coordinating an Environmental Council of the States group working with the federal agency about its upcoming guidance. "

Pat Rizzuto reports for Bloomberg BNA September 29, 2017.