Schneider Statement on Meeting with EPA Administrator Michael Regan to Discuss Impacts of Ethylene Oxide

WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) released the following statement after meeting between the bipartisan Ethylene Oxide Task Force, which he founded and co-chairs, and the Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan to discuss the impacts of ethylene oxide (EtO) on communities:

"Today, as Chair of the bipartisan EtO Task Force, I was pleased to be joined by several of our members at a meeting with EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Administrator Regan was a heartfelt listener and demonstrated a commitment to addressing our constituents' concerns about the effects of EtO on our communities. We discussed the need to rebuild public trust in the agency's work to combat the harmful effects of EtO through stronger EPA engagement with impacted communities, especially environmental justice communities like Waukegan. We also agreed that ambient air monitoring must be a central part of the EPA's work going forward. The Task Force and Administrator Regan are all committed to assuring the public that the air they breathe is safe, and we pushed the EPA today to conduct a residual risk review for EtO. I look forward to our continued partnership with Administrator Regan and the EPA to protect the public from the harmful effects of EtO emissions."

Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Congressman Jody Hice (GA-10) founded the bipartisan Congressional EtO Task Force with members from Illinois, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. The Task Force advocates for stricter regulation of EtO to protect public health. EtO is an industrial chemical used in chemical manufacturing sterilize medical devices. Since 2016, EtO has been deemed a "known carcinogen" and the release of the 2018 National Air Toxics Assessment identified several Illinois communities facing dangerously high EtO emissions.