COMING CLEAN INC

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:NETWORK-WIDE GENERAL STRAGEGY MEETING COMING CLEAN AND EJHA CO-CONVENED A 3-DAY GATHERING OF COMING CLEAN MEMBER-ORGANIZATIONS AND EJHA AFFILIATES IN LOS ANGELES. THE EVENT WAS LOCALLY-HOSTED BY PHYSICIANS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY- LA. OVER 100 INDIVIDUALS FROM 45 ORGANIZATIONS PARTICIPATED IN THE MEETING. THIS WAS COMING CLEANS FIRST GENERAL STRATEGY GATHERING SINCE THE PANDEMIC. MEMEBERS RENEWED OUR COMMITMENT TO CENTER THE LOUISVILLE CHARTER FOR SAFER CHEMICALS IN OUR COLLECTIVE WORK, AND MOVE AGGRESSIVELY TOWARD THE VISION OF THE CHARTER. HAZARDOUS FACILITIES IN SPRING 2024, AFTER A MULTI-YEAR COLLECTIVE ADVOCACY EFFORT, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) FINALIZED THE SAFER COMMUNITIES BY CHEMICAL ACCIDENT PREVENTION RULE WHICH UPDATED THE RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM (RMP) RULE TO FURTHER PROTECT VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES FROM CHEMICAL ACCIDENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE LIVING NEAR FACILITIES IN INDUSTRY SECTORS WITH HIGH ACCIDENT RATES. STRENGTHENING THE RMP RULE HAS BEEN A LONGSTANDING PRIORITY FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE HEALTH ALLIANCE FOR CHEMICAL POLICY REFORM (EJHA) AND COMING CLEAN NETWORKS AS IT REGULATES AROUND 12,000 HIGH-RISK FACILITIES THAT MANUFACTURE, USE AND STOCKPILE HIGHLY HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS SUCH AS THOSE USED IN AGRICULTURE (PESTICIDES, FERTILIZERS AND THE INTERMEDIARY CHEMICALS USED TO MAKE THE FINAL PRODUCT), PLASTICS, WATERPROOFING (PFAS) AND OTHER PRODUCTS. FENCELINE COMMUNITIES NEIGHBORING THESE FACILITIES ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY BLACK, LATINO, LOW-INCOME AND HAVE LOW ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS. THESE COMMUNITIES ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED NOT ONLY BY CHEMICAL EMISSIONS FROM THESE FACILITIES, BUT ALSO MANY NON-CHEMICAL STRESSORS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOW ACCESS TO HEALTHY FOODS, AND ONGOING CHEMICAL DISASTERS FROM THESE FACILITIES. EPA AGREED TO PERFORM A REVIEW TO UPDATE THE LIST OF FACILITIES INCLUDED IN THE RMP RULE. THEY ALSO SIGNALED THAT THEY WOULD MAKE CERTAIN RMP DATA PUBLICLY AVAILABLE, AND DID SO WHEN RELEASING THE FINAL RULE.HAZARDOUS FACILITIES -- THE EPA INSTITUTED SIGNIFICANT NEW PROTECTIONS AGAINST WORST-CASE HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL DISCHARGES, FOLLOWING YEARS OF ADVOCACY AND LITIGATION BY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE GROUPS AND FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES. THIS REGULATION, WHICH IS MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS OVERDUE, FILLS CRITICAL GAPS IN THE NATION'S ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY NET, REQUIRING FACILITIES TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE PLANS TO PREPARE FOR AND RESPOND TO WORST-CASE CHEMICAL DISCHARGES NEAR WATERWAYS. THE RULE ADDRESSES A MAJOR VULNERABILITY IN THE PROTECTION OF THE COUNTRY'S WATERWAYS AND COMMUNITIES. THOUSANDS OF FACILITIES THAT MANUFACTURE, USE AND STORE SOME OF THE MOST DANGEROUS CHEMICALS BRUSH UP AGAINST WATERWAYS OR ARE IN FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. THE NEW POLICY COMES AFTER NUMEROUS DISASTERS AFFECTING DRINKING WATER SUPPLIES, WILDLIFE HABITATS, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES THAT EXPERIENCE THE BRUNT OF EXTREME WEATHER SUPERCHARGED BY CLIMATE CHANGE. THE FINAL RULE MANDATES THAT MANY OF THIS COUNTRYS MOST DANGEROUS CHEMICAL FACILITIES NEAR WATERWAYS MUST PREPARE FACILITY RESPONSE PLANS, WHICH CRITICALLY MUST ACCOUNT FOR THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND POTENTIAL HARMS TO NEARBY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. THE FINAL RULE COVERS MORE FACILITIES THAN EPAS PROPOSAL WOULD HAVE, AFTER CHANGES EPA MADE IN RESPONSE TO COMMENTS FROM EJHA, COMING CLEAN, CLEAN WATER ACTION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEFENSE COUNCIL. THE RULE ALSO ALLOWS PEOPLE IN FRONTLINE COMMUNITIES TO PETITION THE EPA IF THEY BELIEVE A NEARBY FACILITY THAT HAS NOT PREPARED A RESPONSE PLAN SHOULD HAVE TO DO SO. FARMWORKER HEALTH & JUSTICE MEMBERS OF COMING CLEANS FARMWORKER HEALTH AND JUSTICE TEAM PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN EPAS DECISION TO SUSPEND USE OF THE HERBICIDE, DCPA. DCPA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HAVE AN EXTREMELY HIGH RISK OF DEVELOPMENTAL EFFECTS FROM EXPOSTURE DURING PREGANCY, INCLUDING LOW BIRTH WEIGHT, IMPAIRED BRAIN DEVELOPMENT, DECREASED IQ, AND IMPAIRED MOTOR SKILLS.CUMULATIVE IMPACTS & MANDATORY EMISSIONS REDUCTIONS COMING CLEAN AND THE UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS PUBLISHED THE COMMUNITY GUIDE TO CUMULATIVE IMPACTS, A RESOURCE TO DRIVE POLICY CHANGES AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL TO PROTECT OVERBURDENED COMMUNITIES FROM CUMULATIVE CHEMICAL AND POLLUTION HARMS. THE COMMUNITY GUIDE TO CUMULATIVE IMPACTS HELPS COMMUNITIES SHOW HOW OVERLAPPING STRESSORS IMPACT HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE. IT BREAKS DOWN TOOLS, POLICIES, AND ADVOCACY STRATEGIES TO TURN LIVED EXPERIENCE INTO ACTION.HAZARDOUS FACILTIES COMING CLEAN TEAMS COLLABORATED TO WIN AMENDMENTS TO THE NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS POLLUTANTS ADDRESSING AIR EMISSIONS FROM ETHYLENE OXIDE AND CHLOROPRENE, CANCER-LINKED CHEMICALS THAT ARE DRIVING TOXIC HOTSPOTS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. AMENDMENTS ELIMINATE EXEMPTIONS DURING PERIODS OF FACILITY START-UP, SHUTDOWN AND MALFUNCTION; PRIORITIZE THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE TO CALCULATE THE CANCER RISK OF ETHYLENE OXIDE; INCLUDE A CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT EVALUATING IMPACT ON NEIGHBORING COMMUNITIES; AND SET NEW EMISSION LIMITS FOR DIOXINS AND FURANS, PREVIOUSLY UNREGULATED DIRTY DOZEN POLLUTANTS. THESE WINS ARE THE RESULT OF SUSTAINED EFFORTS OVER 10 YEARS AND 3 PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATIONS.