{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://davidscott.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401959", "David Scott and Hank Johnson Demand Answers from Georgia EPD Regarding the Division\u2019s Failure to Hold Chronic Environmental Polluters Accountable", "2025-11-25", "2025", "2025-11", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "David Scott", "S001157", "davidscott.house.gov", "davidscott", "https://davidscott.house.gov/news", "scraper", "Read Letter PDF\n\nATLANTA, GA \u2013 Yesterday, Congressman David Scott (GA-13) and Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-4), sent a letter to Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) Director, Jeff Cown, calling on him to hold chronic environmental polluters accountable and take decisive action to revoke the permits of repeat offenders. The letter highlights EPD\u2019s inability to conduct meaningful oversight of companies who routinely fail to comply with state and federal environmental laws as they continue to jeopardize the health and safety of our metro-Atlanta communities.\n\nThe lawmakers pointed to multiple incidents across Georgia where industrial facilities, including those operated by D\u00e9riv\u00e9s R\u00e9siniques et Terp\u00e9niques (DRT) and BioLabs, have repeatedly violated state and federal clean air and water laws\u2014as evidence of a systemic breakdown in enforcement within EPD. They emphasize that Georgia\u2019s environmental enforcement lag continues to expose neighborhoods\u2014particularly vulnerable and low-income communities\u2014to dangerous levels of air pollution and contaminated waterways.\n\n\u201cGeorgians deserve clean air, safe water, and an environmental regulator that puts their health and safety first,\u201d said Congressman David Scott. \u201cFor too long, chronic polluters have operated with minimal accountability, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division\u2019s inaction has allowed dangerous practices to continue unchecked. These failures don\u2019t fall evenly. Black and brown communities are too often the ones forced to bear the brunt of toxic air, contaminated water, and the constant fear of industrial accidents. No community should live with these preventable threats because oversight fell short.\u201d\n\n\u201cFor years, corporate polluters have endangered Georgia communities with fires, toxic releases, and repeated violations,\u201d said Congressman Johnson. \u201cThis pattern of disregard for public health and safety is unacceptable. No company is entitled to operate in our state if it cannot follow the law. EPD must act decisively and revoke these permits until these facilities can demonstrate they are no longer a threat to the health and safety of our residents.\u201d\n\nBoth DRT and BioLabs have amassed years of serious violations, including dangerous chemical leaks in Effingham County and multiple fires and toxic releases at the BioLabs facility in Rockdale County. Additionally, a disastrous 2024 explosion forced 17,000 evacuations and sent over 1,000 Georgians to emergency rooms with serious injuries. However, the EPD has repeatedly failed to issue timely penalties, conduct rigorous inspections, enforce consent decrees, or provide the public with transparent and accessible information. In addition to calling for the revocation of all active permits held by DRT and BioLabs until they can demonstrate full, sustained compliance, the letter requests Director Cowan provide detailed responses regarding:\n\nCriteria the EPD uses to determine when a \u201cpattern of violations\u201d warrants stronger enforcement, and why that threshold is rarely met.\n\nConcrete changes EPD is making to ensure companies with a long record of repeated violations are not allowed to expand or continue operations without proving long-term compliance.\n\nSupport for the creation of a publicly available \u201crepeat violators list\u201d for Georgia industries, including a comprehensive review of historical company violations, corrective actions, and risk management practices, similar to other states.\n\nSteps EPD has taken to establish a clear enforcement timeline and improve communication with impacted communities; ensuring Georgians have a voice when the Division reviews environmental permits for repeat offender.\n\nEfforts to strengthen internal EPD transparency around investigations, penalties, and interagency coordination with federal partners.\n\nThe letter was endorsed by: Georgia WAND, Science for Georgia.\n\nFull letter can be accessed HERE.", 1, "2026-04-04T05:28:40Z", "2026-04-04T05:30:10Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://davidscott.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=401959"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.215603832155466, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}