United States 114th Congress Status: Died 1 R cosponsors

S 88 — General Duty Clarification Act of 2015

Last action — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. Died in session

This bill died with 114th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

General Duty Clarification Act of 2015 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to revise the general duty clause, which addresses the prevention of accidental releases of hazardous air substances. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must: (1) promulgate regulations defining the terms "extremely hazardous substance," "appropriate hazard assessment techniques," and "design and maintain a safe facility"; and (2) issue guidelines to ensure enforcement of those provisions by EPA's regional offices in a uniform and appropriate manner across all regions of the United States. (The general duty clause requires owners and operators of stationary sources that produce, process, handle, or store hazardous substances to identify those substances at their facilities and take the necessary steps to prevent and minimize accidental releases of those substances.) This bill excludes an emission resulting from an act intended to cause harm from the definition of "accidental release." Under the revised definition, the EPA may not use the general duty clause to regulate accidental release due to terrorist attacks. In exercising its authority under the clause, the EPA is prohibited from requiring a stationary source to consider or implement particular designs, approaches, or technologies relating to manufacturing, processing, handling, or storage of hazardous substances.

Bill Text

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Action History

  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (546)

546 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

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Subjects

Accidents Administrative law and regulatory procedures Air quality Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental regulatory procedures Hazardous wastes and toxic substances Environmental protection
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Frequently asked questions

What does S 88 do?
General Duty Clarification Act of 2015 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to revise the general duty clause, which addresses the prevention of accidental releases of hazardous air substances. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must: (1) promulgate regulations defining the terms "extremely hazardous substance," "appropriate hazard assessment techniques," and "design and maintain a safe facility"; and (2) issue guidelines to ensure enforcement of those provisions by EPA's regional offices in a uniform and appropriate manner across all regions of the United States. (The general duty clause requires owners and operators of stationary sources that produce, process, handle, or store hazardous substances to identify those substances at their facilities and take the necessary steps to prevent and minimize accidental releases of those substances.) This bill excludes an emission resulting from an act intended to cause harm from the definition of "accidental release." Under the revised definition, the EPA may not use the general duty clause to regulate accidental release due to terrorist attacks. In exercising its authority under the clause, the EPA is prohibited from requiring a stationary source to consider or implement particular designs, approaches, or technologies relating to manufacturing, processing, handling, or storage of hazardous substances.
Who sponsors S 88?
S 88 is sponsored by David Vitter (R).
What is the current status of S 88?
This bill died with 114th Congress. It reached “In Committee” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track S 88?
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