Drummond praises proposed EPA rule to rollback misguided risk management program

OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 20, 2026) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond said today he is pleased the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is rolling back its risk management program rule with its Common Sense Approach to Chemical Accident Prevention proposal. Drummond sued the Biden Administration over the rule in May 2024.

Drummond also testified before a U.S. House subcommittee in 2024 that the revised risk management rule would have devastating consequences for Oklahoma and other states, noting it was bad for business, harmful to consumers and outright hostile to America’s oil and gas industry.  The expanded rule was aimed at petroleum refineries, chemical manufacturers and facilities that handle threshold quantities of specific chemicals.

In the lawsuit filed May 9, 2024 in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Drummond led 13 states and the Arizona Legislature in asking the court to declare the final rule unlawful and vacate the EPA’s final action because it exceeded the agency’s statutory authority.

“I am pleased the EPA is now taking action to correct what was an egregious overreach,” Drummond said. “Rolling back the risk management program rule is in the best interest of businesses and consumers.”

The EPA announced its Common Sense Approach to Chemical Accident Prevention rule late last week, noting the proposed changes would reduce regulatory burden by ensuring consistency, avoid duplicative requirements and bolster economic growth.