**Delma &**  **Christine Bennett**  **Mossville Environmental**  **Action Now,**  **Inc.**

**Statement to**  **the EPA**  **EP A**  **Public Hearing**  **on Proposed**  **Rule for**  **National Emission**  **Standards for**  **Hazardous Air**  **Pollutants for**  **Polyvinyl**

**Chloride and**  **Copolymers Production** 

**June 9,**  **2011**

**We are**  **here today**  **representing Mossville Environmental**  **Action Now,**  **a community**  **organization that**  **is dedicated**  **to achieving**  **our right**  **to environmental** **justice. We**  **suffer from** **the cancer-causing**  **chemicals from** **these facilities**  **on a**  **daily basis,**  **which includes**  **dioxins. Mossville**  **residents have**  **an average**  **blood-dioxin level**  **that is**  **3 times**  **the national**  **average. Research** **by Wilma**  **Subra, one**  **of the**  **best environmental**  **scientists in**  **our country,**  **shows that**  **the dioxins**  **in our**  **blood are**  **the same**  **kind of** **dioxins released**  **by the**  **industrial facilities**  **near Mossville.**  **Her research**  **is in**  **the report,**  **Industrial Sources**  **of Dioxin**  **Poisoning in** **Mossville, LA,**  **which was**  **featured in**  **a special**  **news broadcast**  **on CNN**  **last June**  **titled "Toxic**  **America." Our**  **organization won**  **a lawsuit**  **against the**  **EPA because**  **the first**  **regulation it** **planned to**  **issue for** **the PVC**  **industry did**  **not comply**  **with the**  **Clean Air** **Act. This**  **lawsuit was**  **important to**  **us because**  **our community**  **of Mossville**  **has the**  **largest concentration**  **of vinyl**  **manufacturers in** **the United**  **States. When**  **EP**

**A came**  **to us**  **to ask**  **for more**  **time to** **prepare an**  **effective air pollution**  **regulation the**  **PVC industry**  **we agreed.**  **Unfortunately, this** **proposed regulation**  **creates too**  **many exemptions**  **for the**  **PVC industry.** 

**This regulation**  **is contrary**  **to EPA**  **Administrator Lisa**  **Jackson's commitment**  **to environmental** **justice, and,**  **more importantly,**  **continues to**  **ignore our** **human right**  **to a**  **healthy environment.**  **Sections of** **the proposed**  **regulation make**  **vinyl chloride**  **the surrogate**  **for all**  **of the**  **other hazardous**  **air pollutants,**  **which includes**  **dioxins. Each**  **pollutant should**  **have emission**  **limits and**  **procedures that**  **achieve reductions.**  **There are**  **also rules**  **that set**  **the bar**  **so high**  **that no**  **PVC facility**  **is required** **to meet**  **any of** **the proposed**  **regulations for**  **storage vessels,**  **wastewater, and**  **maximum control**  **technology for** **process vents.**  **The proposed**  **rule leaves**  **our community** **vulnerable to**  **continued exposure**  **to the**  **toxic chemicals**  **released by**  **PVC facilities.**  **We are**  **also disturbed**  **by the**  **methodology EP**  **A uses**  **to disregard**  **the fact**  **that African**  **Americans in**  **Mossville, Louisiana**  **are disproportionately**  **burdened with**  **toxic pollution.**  **EPA should**  **be working**  **to end**  **environmental injustice,**  **not hide it.**  **For these**  **reasons, M.E.A.N. urges**  **the EPA**  **to improve**  **the proposed**  **rule by**  **setting maximum reductions**  **for each** **hazardous air**  **pollutant and**  **ensuring that** **Mossville residents and**  **all other affected** **people are**  **not harmed** **by the**  **PVC industry.**  **Thank you.**