Tell Lawmakers to Protect Our Health

An Action Alert from the WV Environmental Council

We continue to work hard to ensure that the DEP rule on water quality standards is as protective of human health as possible. If you’ll recall from last week’s GREEN, the rules bill (SB 167) had been pulled from the agenda by Senate Energy, Industry, and Mining Chairman Randy Smith so that the WV Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) would be able to conduct its first public listening session to hear any of any new scientific studies that would affect its decision on whether to adopt a  number of EPA recommendations on human health criteria.

That meeting was well attended, but yielded none of the “new studies” that WV Manufacturers Association promised the agency. In fact, the only thing new was offered by WVU School of Public Health professor, Dr. Mike McCawley, who said in a statement to DEP:

“The only publicly defensible stance is to lower levels of carcinogens if changes are made. Not lowering them might be acceptable if there is no current recommendation for a lower standard, but raising them can never be acceptable. EPA is required to evaluate exposure in terms of, at least, maintaining if not lowering the risk it poses. If the EPA notes that current science does not support a lower exposure level this does not mean that attainable.EPA is required to evaluate exposure in terms of, at least, maintaining if not lowering the risk it poses. If the EPA notes that current science does not support a   lower exposure level this does not mean that attainable lower levels should be abandoned because even minor exposures still can cause cancer.”

Please call the members of the Senate Energy, Industry and Mining committee today. Tell them “to adopt the EPA-recommended human health criteria updates that strengthen our water protections!”

• Randy Smith randy.smith@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7995
• Dave Sypolt dave.sypolt@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7914
• Donna J. Boley donna.boley@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7905
• Charles H. Clements charles.clements@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7827
• Sue Cline sue.cline@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7807
• Douglas E. Facemire douglas.facemire@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7845
• William Ihlenfeld william.ihlenfeld@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7918
• Richard Lindsay richard.lindsay@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7841
• Glenn Jeffries glenn.jeffries@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7866
• Kenny Mann kenny.mann@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7849
• Chandler Swope chandler.swope@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7843
• Dave Sypolt dave.sypolt@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7914
• Mike Woelfel mike.woelfel@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7956
• Bill Hamilton bill.hamilton@wvsenate.gov (304) 357‐7906