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EPA Set to Propose Rollback of Nation’s Clean Air Act Controversial Action to Increase Air Pollution & Harm Public HealthPolluters Get New Lethal Loopholes While Nation's Attention on TerrorismDecember 18, 2001 Louisiana Bucket Brigade, North Baton Rouge Environmental Association, Refinery Reform Campaign of the Texas SEED Coalition MEDIA ADVISORY - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE What: Press Conference to Expose EPA’s Sneaky Action During the Holiday Season Why: To prevent a roll back of the Clean Air Act and highlight the Louisiana communities that would be hurt by this action. When: Wednesday, December 19th, 11 AM Where: TO be determined, at the capitol or in front of Exxon Media friendly event Carolers with Holiday Songs re written to highlight the problem Great media visual 10 foot coffin emblazoned with refinery flare. (December 18, 2001 Baton Rouge) Lumps of coal and Christmas carolers are greeting the EPA’s announcement, expected later this week, to weaken the nation’s Clean Air Act and stop enforcement actions against polluters. Oil refinery communities from Louisiana and their supporters are calling the pending rollback of regulations and legal action a "death sentence" for families living in industrial neighborhoods. An alliance of oil refinery neighbors and watchdog groups in Texas and Louisiana are holding a series of protests aimed at refineries and elected officials with a ten foot coffin emblazoned with a blazing flare stack. "The EPA proposal to weaken our most basic clean air laws is nothing more than a death sentence for thousands of refinery neighbors who are already sick from tons of daily pollution," said Juanita Stewart of the North Baton Rouge Environmental Association and a refinery neighbor. "The EPA might as well being throw dirt over us and burying our whole community." The Exxon-Mobil facility in Baton Rouge will benefit from the EPA rollback because the facility has been under investigation for violating the New Source Review provisions of the Clean Air Act. Similar investigations against Shell’s facilities in Norco and Convent Louisiana resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement for failing to install upgraded pollution controls when they expanded. The changes being proposed by EPA will render pending legal actions moot due to the new interpretation of the Clean Air Act. "The EPA should not pardon the polluters by changing the rules in the middle of the game," said Anne Rolfes of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. "EPA’s proposal will be a Christmas gift for all the polluters who have failed to clean up dirty old plants as required by law." The rollback of NSR could be damaging to major cities seeking to clean up smog problems as well. Many Texas and Louisiana cities will need NSR to help them clean up the industrial contribution to unhealthy air pollution. For example:
There are many chemical plants and other industrial plants in these ozone non-attainment areas that will benefit from an NSR rollback, while air quality continues to suffer. The EPA delayed their previous announcement about the roll back last summer and since then the process has been shrouded in secrecy. EPA insiders are reporting that the announcement will be made as late as Friday, December 21st, late in the day to avoid rebuttals by opponents. "While the nation’s attention is focused on terrorism far away, EPA is doing a sneak attack on our clean air laws," said Denny Larson of the Texas SEED Coalition. "By delaying the announcement until the Christmas holidays, EPA confirms that this new policy is polluter inspired." |
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