Today I take pen in hand to write and urge greater oversight and hearings on the operations of the Environmental Protection Agency and their lack of focus and or attempts to exploit loopholes of the Clean Air Act for industry.
As you well know, the Clean Air Act is a vital piece of legislation that protects public health by regulating hazardous air pollutants from industrial facilities.
The Trump administration's EPA under Lee Zeldin and his cronies, is attempting to undermine these protections by exploiting a narrow exemption meant for exceptional cases. [Section 112 special exemptions]
They are encouraging corporations to self-declare exemptions — via email no less — from installing pollution control technology, with no public input or credible justification.
This dangerous deregulatory agenda favors polluting industries over the well-being of communities exposed to toxic chemicals. The so-called Cancer Alley communities in Louisiana are just one example, and there are equally dirty industries to the fossil fuel and chemical industries in all 50 states.
The exemption process violates the spirit and purpose of the Clean Air Act, which gives the EPA authority to cut emissions of hazardous air pollutants that cause illness and disease. People will get sick, adding a burden on their families and the health care agencies.
Suspensions were intended for rare national security matters when compliance is truly unavailable, not for sweeping deregulation benefiting petrochemical plants, plastic production, and other major polluters.
Formal rule-making with public participation and a factual basis is required to change clean air standards, not unilateral industry giveaways. It’s all been propagated upon lies that these regulations are too burdensome for these dirty industries, and cost them money: The honor system of self-regulation often cited by industry, and that ‘they’ll be careful’ doesn’t work and haver has.
I urge opposition to this exploitative attempt to weaken vital clean air protections in favor of corporate polluters.
The EPA should uphold its mandate to safeguard public health and environmental quality, not provide loopholes for unchecked toxic pollution that endangers frontline communities. I strongly urge robust oversight, and ask them to explain what they are doing with enforcement of the Clean Air Act's hazardous air pollutant regulations.
I’m asking for more heatings. Ge them under oath and on the record. If they don’t give good answers, seek court orders to block the roll back of their ‘email exemptions’, and other flouting of the law.
As stewards of our air, water and other natural resources, it is to have these regulations enforced for environmental justice and a livable future.
Thank you for your service.
Sign Petition
