A new analysis by the nonprofit Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) reveals that US chemical accidents have surged by at least 51% since 2021, while deaths and injuries have increased by at least 20%. The report comes as the Trump administration moves to weaken federal protections against such disasters.
Rising Accidents Amid Policy Rollbacks
According to PEER, the number of chemical accidents, explosions, fires, and other emergencies releasing chemicals into the atmosphere grew from 83 in 2021 to 131 in 2025, based on reports filed with the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board. Accidents resulting in injuries or fatalities rose from 60 to 89 over the same period, up from 73 in 2024. These figures likely undercount the true scale, as they only include atmospheric releases, excluding incidents where workers are poisoned inside facilities.
The report follows two high-profile emergencies: a malfunctioning chemical tank in Garden Grove, California, which forced the evacuation of over 40,000 residents, and a chemical tank collapse at a plant in Longview, Washington, that killed 11 workers.
Trump Administration Targets Key Safety Rules
Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA's Risk Management Program (RMP) requires more than 12,500 high-risk facilities to develop protocols to prevent catastrophes and protect workers, first responders, and nearby communities. The Biden administration strengthened these protections in 2024, but the Trump administration is now pressing ahead with plans to dismantle the federal disaster management system.
Tim Whitehouse, PEER's executive director and a former EPA enforcement attorney, called the administration's actions "simply appalling." He added, "Like our public infrastructure, America's industrial infrastructure is ageing, making disastrous failures increasingly likely. Serious chemical accidents are becoming an almost daily occurrence."
Details of the Weakened Protections
The 2024 updated rules required hazardous facilities to adopt newer technology to prevent disasters, implement backup measures in case primary safeguards fail, and replace hazardous chemicals with safer alternatives. Measures included kill switches accessible to employees and automatic shut-offs for incapacitated workers. Facilities were also mandated to plan for "double disasters"—such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or wildfires striking chemical plants, as occurred with Hurricane Harvey in Houston in 2017.
The Trump EPA has already eliminated a public website that informed communities and first responders about chemicals used at facilities. It aims to undo most of the 2024 update and has targeted the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which reviews accidents and develops prevention plans, by eliminating its $14 million budget. Jeff Ruch, PEER senior counsel, noted that industry adopts about 90% of the CSB's safety recommendations, calling the board "highly effective for a low cost."
Criticism and Consequences
Marc Boom, a former EPA policy adviser and senior director with the Environmental Protection Network, said the report underscores the need for stronger regulations. "This report makes plain what communities, workers and first responders already know: chemical disasters are happening far too often, and are too often undercounted. Many are preventable, but instead of strengthening safeguards, this EPA is trying to weaken the rules designed to stop them."
Ruch warned that little can stop the administration from shredding protections, as new rules are being proposed under the rule-making process and will likely be finalized by fall. About 40% of Americans live within three miles of at least one of the more than 12,000 high-risk chemical facilities in the US. "You better hope you're lucky in that there's no proactive effort to make sure that these ultra-dangerous facilities are operating safely," Ruch said.
