Twelve AGs Pushed EPA to Further Protect Fenceline Communities from Chemical Exposure

MARCH 22, 2022

New York Attorney General Letitia James led a coalition of 12 attorneys general in comments to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in response to a proposed screening methodology designed to evaluate chemical exposures to communities that are located close to high-risk facilities like industrial plants under the Toxic Substances Control Act. The proposal aimed to remedy a prior policy decision to not assess exposure pathways that fell under other statutes. The AG coalition acknowledged EPA’s efforts, but wrote that the screening “has not gone far enough,” as it examines only one pathway of exposure and thus fails to assess the entire scope of chemicals putting communities at risk by examining. The AGs also argued that the proposal failed to consider the cumulative impact of exposures in low-income neighborhoods, communities of color, and Indigenous populations who are more likely to “live, work, or play at the fenceline of polluting facilities and sites.”