Today, EPA announced the finalization of historic protections against pollution from chemical manufacturing facilities. The rule covers more than 200 facilities across the country, limiting the emissions of cancer-causing air toxics.
Tell EPA and President Biden: Thank You for Strong Chemical Manufacturing Pollution Protections
These manufacturing facilities generate an extraordinary amount of pollution through the production of chemicals used to make plastics, paints, synthetic fabrics, pesticides, vinyl flooring, and other petrochemical products.
The burden of this pollution falls heavily on communities near these facilities. As Moms Clean Air Force Senior Petrochemical Analyst Cynthia Palmer writes in a statement, “Communities living near chemical manufacturing plants know all too well that toxic air pollution from these facilities can cause cancer and other devastating health harms.”
Living near chemical pollution has been linked to higher cancer rates. Sadly, this issue is close to Cynthia’s heart. In her statement, she writes, “This rule is also deeply personal for me. My best friend grew up near nine of the chemical manufacturing facilities in Texas that will be covered in this new rulemaking. She died of cancer when her children were in preschool. Far too many people living in impacted communities like my friend have died from their exposures to toxic pollution.”
Most chemical manufacturing facilities are located in Texas and Louisiana, but there are others in virtually every state, including a growing number in the Ohio River Valley. Some of these facilities are as large as hundreds of football fields. Often, they’re located in historically marginalized communities of color that are impacted by multiple pollution sources.
Moms Clean Air Force celebrates the proposed standards. As Cynthia says, “Today’s rulemaking will reduce the pollution burden for communities living near some of the most dangerous petrochemical facilities in the nation. It is an important step forward for environmental justice.”
Learn more about Moms’ work on petrochemical pollution.
Tell EPA and President Biden: Thank You for Strong Chemical Manufacturing Pollution Protections