On the recordFebruary 26, 2019
Every parent deserves to have confidence that the air they and their children breathe is safe. That is why we have environmental standards and why we have an Environmental Protection Agency to monitor, update, and enforce the rules. So, when communities face a known public risk, new or recently reclassified, we rightly expect the EPA to act--quickly, comprehensively, and transparently. In the Chicago area, this, sadly, has not been the case. Ethylene oxide, or EtO, was reclassified as a known carcinogen more than 2 years ago, yet we just recently learned facilities around Chicago could be emitting it at elevated levels. The EPA has been unacceptably slow to respond and has failed to keep affected communities informed. This month, I partnered with Senators Durbin and Duckworth and other colleagues in my delegation to introduce legislation that would require the EPA to immediately revise and update its EtO standards and to keep the public fully informed. We are also demanding that EPA evaluate ambient levels of EtO in these communities immediately, something it should be doing already. Our communities deserve more from the EPA. This is about our families and their public health. ____________________
