Remarks for the Hazardous Organic NESHAP (HON) Rulemaking, As Prepared for Delivery
Michael Regan
Louisiana
Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for that introduction.
It’s great to see you and Dr. Wright here today. Thank you both for your work to advance community-driven solutions that place equity at the center of environmental protection. We would not be here today without your tireless advocacy.
We’re also grateful to have with us Acting Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Roger Gingles. Thanks for joining us.
Congressman Carter, thank you for welcoming us to your district, we’re grateful for your tremendous leadership.
Hello, everyone! It’s great to be back in Louisiana. I’ll never forget my first trip here as Administrator back in November 2021.
On our first Journey to Justice tour, I visited a school that was only a stone’s throw away from a facility that manufactures toxic chemicals. The children who studied at this school looked just like me — they looked just like my son.
But this story is all too familiar. In St. John the Baptist Parish, I met with a number of folks all across this community, and nearly every person I spoke to knew someone who suffered from an illness they believe is connected to pollution from the air they breathe.
I was able to see first-hand the generational and widespread effects pollution can have on so many. And it was that first Journey to Justice tour that cemented this EPA’s commitment to environmental justice – not just for me, but also for the staff who worked on these issues for years, but had never before seen the impacts their work had on real people
When you visit a place like St. John the Baptist Parish, you simply can’t just look away
Before I left, I vowed that EPA would take action in response to the egregious conditions we saw while on the ground. I pledged to prioritize the health and safety of this community and others like it that have been historically overburdened by air pollution.
That’s what Journey to Justice is all about: listening to the folks on the ground and working together to tackle the persistent inequities that exist.
And we did.
EPA has taken numerous steps to reduce the harmful pollution that I saw on my Journey to Justice tour.
Most recently, EPA and DOJ filed a legal action in February to address an endangerment to public health in this community. But our work is not done.
Today I’m proud to announce that EPA is building on our commitment and issuing a proposal that would reduce more than 6,000 tons of toxic air pollution per year and slash emissions of the highly toxic chemicals ethylene oxide, or EtO, and chloroprene.
If finalized, the proposal will drastically reduce the risk of cancer caused by exposure to EtO and chloroprene, in Louisiana and Texas, where the vast majority of manufacturing plants are located.
The proposed rule would also cut emissions of nearly 80 additional air toxics from plants that make synthetic and organic chemicals in other parts of the country.
And to ensure that six key air toxics stay below levels of concern where people live, EPA is proposing to require plants to monitor at their fencelines if they use, produce, store, or emit them.
As part of this action, our agency is using innovative tools to equip the public with the best-available information about the impacts the proposed reductions will have on their community.
A first-of-its kind community risk assessment determined that EPA’s proposed rule for synthetic organic chemical manufacturers would dramatically reduce the numbers of people with elevated cancer risk from breathing air toxics. And in communities near chemical plants, the number of people with elevated risk would drop by 96 percent overall.
Folks, this is a holistic and comprehensive approach to improving air quality across our nation, and a significant step forward in our agency’s commitment to environmental justice.
The proposed rule will undoubtedly be a gamechanger — especially for low-income communities and communities of color — those who are often on the frontlines of pollution.
And the proposal will significantly benefit our children, who are one of the most vulnerable groups at risk from exposure to pollutants. This is personal to me. As the parent of a nine-year-old, I can say with certainty, there is no higher priority for me than protecting our children.
From day one, President Biden and this administration have been committed to fighting for vulnerable communities, and today’s action only solidifies that commitment.
I’ll never forget my first time visiting Louisiana. It’s an experience that is forever ingrained in my memory, and one that I often reflect on in my work.
We will never stop fighting for the people of St. John the Baptist Parish, and the people of this country. Everyone — no matter the color of their skin, the money in their pocket, or the community they live in — deserves clean air to breathe, clean water to drink, and the opportunity to lead a healthy life. And this EPA is working every day to make certain that future is indeed a reality.
Thank you.