Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 3055. Ethylene oxide--also known as ETO--is an industrial chemical used to sterilize medical equipment and manufacture products like anti- freeze.

We have known for decades that ETO is dangerous, and in 2016, EPA listed it as a known carcinogen.

Dozens of facilities around the country--including two in my district in--use and emit ETO into the surrounding communities. My constituents in Waukegan and Gurnee are rightly concerned about the local levels of ETO and any possible health consequences.

When our neighbors in Willowbrook, Illinois faced similar questions about ETO, the EPA's community engagement provided vital data to inform residents about the public health risk they face, and the steps they were taking to mitigate the threat.

But the EPA has left dozens of communities around the country, including my constituents, in the dark. These are localities that we know face high ETO levels, yet the EPA refuses to hold public forums to answer our community's urgent questions.

Every American should have confidence in the safety of the air that they and their families breathe. The EPA needs to do its job and engage with communities where that assurance is under threat.

This amendment would set aside $25,000 for EPA public engagement on ethylene oxide to communities identified in the National Air Toxic Assessment to face dangerous emissions levels of this known carcinogen. This is a small sum, but one that would have a big effect on the families living in these communities.

I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment.

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