Seventeen AGs Called for Stronger Protection of Communities from Hazardous Spills

JULY 26, 2022

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 17 AGs, as well as Harris County, Texas, in sending comments urging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Emergency Management to strengthen its proposal around regulating facilities that run the risk of releasing hazardous substances into nearby bodies of water. The coalition urged EPA to widen the criteria for determining which facilities pose a threat and provide guidance to facilities on how to incorporate climate impacts into response plans. The comments also called on EPA to strengthen the environmental justice aspects of the regulations by flagging facilities that are located near EJ communities and putting a list of these facilities online so that communities can be aware of the risk.