In a major step to protect public health, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule on Tuesday requiring more than 200 chemical plants across the United States to significantly reduce emissions of toxic chemicals linked to elevated cancer risks in nearby communities.
The rule targets emissions of ethylene oxide, chloroprene, and other hazardous air pollutants.
Slashing Toxic Emissions to Protect Vulnerable Communities
The new regulation will cut toxic air pollution by over 6,200 tons per year from 218 chemical facilities, many located in Texas, Louisiana, and the Ohio River Valley.
These plants manufacture synthetic organic chemicals, polymers, and resins used in plastics, paints, and other products.
Studies show that the 104,000 people living within 6 miles of these plants, who are disproportionately low-income and people of color, face cancer risks exceeding 1 in 10,000 – a level EPA considers unacceptable.
The rule is expected to cut cancer cases by 60% for residents within 31 miles.
Fenceline Monitoring to Detect Leaks
A key feature of the rule is the requirement for facilities to install real-time fenceline air monitoring for six toxic pollutants, including ethylene oxide, chloroprene, and benzene.
This will enable companies to quickly detect and repair leaks. The monitoring data will be made publicly available by EPA.
Fenceline monitoring will help protect nearby communities by giving them more accurate information about the quality of the air they breathe,
Said Harold Wimmer, CEO of the American Lung Association.
Targeting “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana
The rule delivers on promises made by Administrator Regan during his 2021 “Journey to Justice” tour to address environmental injustice.
It specifically targets the Denka Performance Elastomer plant in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, the only U.S. facility manufacturing the likely carcinogen chloroprene.
The plant has long been the focus of protests in the region known as “Cancer Alley.” While Denka claims it already complies with air permits, the EPA determined in 2016 that chloroprene emissions from the plant were the main contributor to the highest cancer risk in the country – 47 times the acceptable limit in one census tract. The new rule will cut the plant’s chloroprene emissions by 80%.
Industry Pushback vs. Public Health
Chemical companies argue the rule will threaten access to critical products and that EPA’s risk analysis is flawed.
But environmental advocates stress that the industry can well afford the modest $6.7 million annual compliance costs given their billions in profits.
There’s always more to do to demand that our laws live up to their full potential, but EPA’s action today brings us a meaningful step closer to realizing the promise of clean air, the promise of safe and livable communities, and the promise of more just and more equitable environmental protections,
Said Patrice Simms of Earthjustice.
The rule, set to be published in the Federal Register, is part of the Biden administration’s strategy to advance environmental justice and reduce cancer rates through the revived “Cancer Moonshot” initiative. It comes on the heels of a related EPA rule last month cutting ethylene oxide emissions from commercial sterilizers.
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