New government regulations have been announced by the Biden administration to cut down toxic pollution in the country.
They cite that the enforcement of the health and well-being of nearby communities take precedent in the decision.
New Regulations for Toxic Emissions
In an ongoing effort to charge the lead on environmental justice, Biden and VP Kamala Harris have announced a new set of regulations focusing on toxic pollution from industrial plants.
The ruling will be placed under the Environmental Protection Agency and focus on more than 200 chemical plants to reduce harmful waste, toxic water run-off, and radiation.
Companies Linked To Carcinogenic Chemicals
The companies being targeted have been known to create massive waste and air pollution linked to cancer levels in nearby communities.
The run-off from chemical plants has been proved to be carcinogenic in recent reports. The government hopes to eliminate some of the toxic pollution to protect citizens.
Two Specific Pollutants Are Being Targeted
In the documents, two chemicals are the target of the cancer-causing hunt: ethylene oxide and chloroprene.
Ethylene oxide is used as a sterilizer and chloroprene is a toxin used to make rubber footwear.
Ruling Focusing on Specific Manufacturers
The majority of the 200 companies who are currently using these chemicals are located along the Gulf Coast, Ohio River Valley, and West Virginia.
The neighborhoods surrounding these areas have high levels of cancers linked to toxic pollution.
Black and Hispanic Communities at Risk for Developing Cancers
Because the housing nearby these massive factories are usually filled with low-income families, many of them have higher than average levels of Black and Hispanic families.
In Louisiana, the area just outside of a string of factories has been called “cancer alley”. An 85-mile stretch of communities from the Mississippi River to Baton Rouge where the cancer rate is 700 times the national average.
Federal Government Focused on the Disparities
Real people and large communities have been affected by the massive cancer rates for decades. The main cause in many communities are pollution and toxic radiation coming from large factories and manufacturers.
Now, the Biden administration is focused on holding big companies accountable for causing the massive cancer rates in these communities from water run-off and air pollution.
Air Pollutants Expected To Decrease Massively
Due to the new ruling, experts think that the air pollutants from these companies will decrease by 6,200 tons.
Massive industrial plants are one of the biggest causes of pollution in America today. These new regulations could have a positive sweeping effect throughout public health in the country.
Biodiversity of the Environment Also an Important Factor
Aside from the massively beneficial changes to human health, the new ruling is also expected to have a positive outcome on the national environment.
New EPA guidelines will help the U.S. reach its net-zero 2050 goal and will improve overall air quality. The decision by the Biden team is the first big change to EPA regulations in two decades.
What Is a Net-Zero Goal?
After Biden launched his plan for a cleaner environment, he promised to reach a “net-zero greenhouse gas emission” by 2050.
The goal essentially means that the country will negate the amount of greenhouse gasses emitting from human activity. This doesn’t mean that there can be no emissions at all, but rather, any toxic fumes emitted will have to have a balanced positive action to cancel out any harm done.
Biden Has Built His Platform on Environmental Protection
A big part of the federal democratic platform has been the focus on environmental protections in the U.S.
Just last month, Pres. Biden increased the space of two National Monuments in California to expand the size of protected land in the state. The San Gabriel Mountains and the Berryessa Snow Mountain ranges were expanded in an effort to push environmental protections and allow access to lower-income families in L.A.
Protection Agencies Marking the Ruling as a Big Win
Patrice Simms, the Earthjustice Vice President for Healthy Communities rejoiced in a public press release about the ruling.
He said that “today marks a victory in the pursuit of environmental justice, with the final rule poised to significantly reduce the toxic air pollution that harms communities in Texas’s Gulf Coast, Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, and throughout the U.S.”
