All Americans Deserve a Voice on Chemical Safety — Support WV’s Rights

Just over a month ago, the Freedom Industries spill in Charleston, W.Va., poisoned the water of 300,000 West Virginians. This spill was the result of regulatory failures at all levels, including federal, where the coal-processing chemical that leaked is not regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

The Department of Homeland Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Labor have all been tasked by the Obama Administration to “improve chemical facility safety and security” — and to that end are conducting listening sessions around the country to hear from stakeholders and citizens on the issue. But West Virginia is being left out of the conversation.

Let’s make sure West Virginians have a say in regulations for toxic chemicals — take action now to ask the Obama administration to set up a listening session in West Virginia.

Deadline for comments is today (Feb. 12): Visit the regulation.gov website to submit your comment NOW.

Note: You may notice the 2013 cut-off dates listed for this particular docket, but a new window for submitting comments has opened in light of the recent spill. Your comments will be accepted and counted.

 

SAMPLE LANGUAGE

Feel free to write your own comments, but here are sample comments you can cut and paste into the official form:

Since Jan. 9, 300,000 people in West Virginia have been dealing with unsafe water and economic hardships resulting from a chemical spill. The response to the disastrous spill has been haphazard and residents have received conflicting and confusing information about the safety of their water. This disaster is just the most recent in a long history of hazardous conditions for workers and communities created by lax regulation of the chemical and coal industries.

The Obama administration needs to meet first-hand with those impacted by the chemical industry. I request that a listening session be held in West Virginia as soon as possible.

 

Visit the regulation.gov website to submit your comment NOW.