Hazardous Industrial Operations

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Question:
Must the environmental review for the HUD-assisted project consider nearby hazardous industrial operations handling fuels or chemicals of an explosive or flammable nature?

Answer:
If there are industrial facilities handling explosive or fire-prone materials such as liquid propane, gasoline or other storage tanks adjacent to or visible from the HUD-assisted project site, compliance is required with HUD safety standards at 24 CFR Part 51, Subpart C and the HUD Hazards Guide. The environmental review must evaluate project sites that are located near hazardous industrial operations handling fuels or chemicals of an explosive or flammable nature: 24 CFR 58.5(i) or 24 CFR 50.4(k).

Acceptable Separation Distance from Hazardous Industrial Operations

Question:
When must the environmental review include a determination of acceptable separation distance (ASD) between the property and the hazardous industrial operations?

Answer:
The ASD is the actual setback required for the safety of occupied buildings and their inhabitants and the people in open (exposed) spaces. Hazardous industrial operations includes storage containers of explosive or flammable material. An ASD is required if the project proposes:

1. construction of a building;
2. conversion of a non-residential land use to a residential land use including making an uninhabitable building habitable;
3. rehabilitation that increases the density of a residential structure by increasing the number of dwelling or rooming units; or
4. the acquisition of undeveloped land. In the case of tanks containing flammable materials, the requirement for an acceptable separation distance (ASD) calculation excludes storage tanks that have a capacity of less than 100 gallons of common liquid industrial fuels. Also, see: A guide to HUD Environmental Criteria and Standards, HUD Handbook 1390.4, Subpart C, 3-34 - 3-53.

Information Sources on Local Hazardous Industrial Operations

Question:
How do I determine whether the property is located near hazardous industrial operations handling fuels or chemicals of an explosive or flammable nature?

Answer:
Information is available from local fire protection and emergency management agencies as to whether there are any hazardous industrial operations in the vicinity of the property proposed for the project -- including transport of fuels and of chemicals of an explosive or flammable nature through the neighborhood in which the property is located. HUD safety standards do not regulate the transportation of any hazardous substance through a neighborhood, however the environmental review should address the potential environmental impacts of such transport upon the assisted project.

Information regarding the type and volume of fuels and chemicals of an explosive or flammable nature is available from the local operator of the industrial operations.