CHEMICAL SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP IN

UNCLAS SHANGHAI 000589 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR OES-I- ANN COVINGTON EPA FOR INTERNATIONAL - MCASKILL E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV PREL PHUM CH SUBJECT: CHEMICAL SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS WORKSHOP IN NANJING ¶1. Summary: Over 100 Jiangsu Province Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) officials, representing both the provincial and local EPBs, attended a Chemical Safety and Emergency Preparedness Workshop in Nanjing on August 21-22. At the workshop, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) trainers provided technical training on chemical safety and risk management planning, and emergency prevention, preparedness and response. The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. EPA, ConGen Shanghai, Jiangsu Environmental Bureau and four major U.S. chemical manufacturers who were eager to spend their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budget on increasing the capacity of the municipal EPB officials. The success of the workshop demonstrated that there can be successful cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese governments as well as the private sector on such technical issues. End Summary. ¶2. In cooperation with the U.S. EPA, ConGen Shanghai and the Jiangsu Environmental Bureau hosted an August 21-22, Chemical Safety and Emergency Preparedness Workshop in Nanjing. The training was financially supported by four major U.S. chemical manufacturers interested in using their sizeable CSR budgets to increase the capacity of the local EPBs. ¶3. Over 100 EPB officials, both local and provincial attended the two-day workshop. The first day of the workshop focused on chemical safety and risk management planning. US EPA trainer Mary Wesling, outlined the laws and regulations in place in the United States and the experiences US EPA has had with enforcement. She also demonstrated available software and international programs. The second day focused on emergency prevention, preparedness and response. Harry Allen, the second US EPA trainer, provided numerous case studies for the audience. Both days of the workshop closed with extensive question-and-answer sessions that illuminated how eager EPB officials were for information. The workshop also included a presentation on the present state of chemical safety and emergency preparedness in Jiangsu by Nanjing University Professor Li Aimin. -------------- Working in Concert -------------- ¶4. The workshop was sponsored by four major U.S based chemical manufacturers, Dow Chemical, Dow Corning, Rohm and Haas, and Arch Chemicals. The companies were interested in providing financial support for the training for two major reasons: 1) concern about lack of capacity within the local EPBs and the impact it has on equal enforcement; and 2) available Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) budgets. ¶5. In early 2007 Congenoffs were approached by representatives of several U.S.-based chemical manufacturers who were looking for ways to engage with the local EPBs in Jiangsu Province, where many of them have their manufacturing facilities. They were concerned that the EPBs lacked the capacity to handle a major chemical spill and that the uneven enforcement of existing regulations made a major accident a real possibility. ¶6. Many multinational corporations have large CSR budgets for China, but the tenuous existence of many NGOs, and the resulting lack of capacity, has left many companies looking for creative ways to spend their CSR budgets. The representative of one sponsor said that he was interested in the training, but more than that, desperate for a responsible outlet for his CSR budget. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶7. The success of the workshop demonstrated to all involved that there are possibilities for cooperation between the U.S. and Chinese officials, as well as industry representatives. The sponsoring companies all felt that the workshop was a worthwhile endeavor and their CSR money well-spent, while the EPB officials were enthusiastic about the safeguarding techniques they had learned and were eager to implement these techniques. JARRETT