Taking a Page from the FDA's Prescription Medicine Information Rules: Reimagining Environmental Information for Climate Change
20 Pages Posted: 12 May 2018
Date Written: April 12, 2018
Abstract
Climate change increases the intensity and frequency of natural disasters, making weather-related chemical disasters far more likely. As the threat of such disasters increases, so does the need for access to the information necessary for emergency preparation and response. Chemical explosions like those at the Arkema plant in Crosby, Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey highlight the urgency of the need for access to relevant data.Yet, U.S. federal, state, and local governments too often fail to ensure that first responders, localities, and individuals have the information they need to prepare for chemical disasters. This paper identifies shortcomings in the current information access scheme and proposes taking lessons from the FDA’s information access model to inform the public about chemical hazards that pose risks in extreme weather events.
Keywords: climate change, information access, EPCRA, Clean Air Act, EPA, FDA
JEL Classification: K32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation