NORTHWEST INDIANA—State Senators Rodney Pol Jr. (D-Chesterton), Lonnie M. Randolph (D-East Chicago) and Mark Spencer (D-Gary) issued the following statement in response to the sweeping rollbacks of EPA protections, including the delay in coal ash cleanup and toxic pollutant’s report:
“Week after week, new reports confirm what Northwest Indiana residents already know: our communities are carrying the burden of toxic pollution and regulatory rollbacks that put corporate profits ahead of public health. Our region is home to both natural beauty and some of the nation’s most harmful pollutants, and when the federal government weakens EPA standards, Hoosiers pay the price.
In the Town of Pines, residents face a cancer risk from coal ash contamination that is now estimated to be 35 times higher than previously reported, which is roughly 1 in 10,000 people. Families who built their lives here are now paying higher utility bills to clean up waste that companies created and refused to take responsibility for.
Northwest Indiana steel plants also remain on the list of the nation’s top toxic polluters. Our workers are the backbone of this region. We need to be sure that when these people go to work in the morning, support their families and strengthen our economy, we are doing all we can to prioritize their health and wellbeing.
Indiana ranks 50th in environmental quality nationwide. Rolling back EPA standards is not just bad policy; it is a public health crisis. It is time for the General Assembly to acknowledge this reality and act with urgency to protect Hoosiers.
Our constituents depend on us to fight for strong regulations that safeguard their health. We are committed to fighting for legislation that will put our communities, environment and future first.”
