Dear John,

Everyone has a right to be protected from harmful chemicals, no matter how much money they have in their pockets, the color of their skin, or the neighborhood they call home. Yet for many Americans safety is not guaranteed.
 
Today, many neighborhoods are located near industrial manufacturing or disposal facilities — subjecting families to harmful releases that put residents at increased risk of exposure to chemicals linked to cancer, cognitive impairment, asthma, and more. 

The EPA’s current plan to address this issue underestimates the risks faced by communities living on the “fencelines” of industrial facilities — including from chemical spills, accidental releases, or a combination of exposures. The EPA has more to do to protect communities.

Send a comment in now demanding the EPA examine all chemical risks threatening the safety of our communities.

Simply put, the EPA’s plan to evaluate risks doesn’t fully reflect the reality of threats posed by contaminated food or groundwater, or from chemical spills. These risks are magnified for low-income communities, communities of color and other families living on the fencelines of industrial facilities, who face possible exposure to toxic chemicals from multiple sources on a daily basis.

That’s why we’re calling on the EPA to take the next step to protect America’s, “fenceline” communities from toxic chemicals. In order to hold polluters accountable and deliver on the administration’s promise for environmental justice, the EPA needs to: 
 

• Comprehensively evaluate chemical risks to fenceline communities, including potential exposures from accidental releases, waste, and groundwater;
   
• Consider the combination of chemical exposures faced by communities located near multiple manufacturing or disposal facilities; and
   
• Evaluate the total risks from exposures to similar chemicals that pose the same harm, such as asthma or cancer.
   

Thank you for your leadership,

Wes Rogerson
Manager, Grassroots Advocacy & Activism