{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-mcgarvey-sends-letter-to-epa-administrator-opposing-exemptions-for-kentucky-chemical-plants-in-neighborhoods-already-facing-elevated-air-pollution-higher-risks-of-cancer", "Congressman McGarvey Sends Letter to EPA Administrator Opposing Exemptions for Kentucky Chemical Plants in Neighborhoods Already Facing Elevated Air Pollution, Higher Risks of Cancer", "2026-08-10", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "KY", "Morgan McGarvey", "M001220", "mcgarvey.house.gov", "mcgarvey", "https://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 10, 2026) \u2013 Today, Congressman Morgan McGarvey sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to oppose the Trump administration\u2019s recent exemptions for chemical plants to comply with air standards that limit toxic emissions. The announcement included two Kentucky facilities: Zeon Chemicals, a synthetic rubber manufacturer in Louisville, and Westlake, a vinyl manufacturer in Calvert City.\n\n\u201cRemoving these limits on chemical emissions will directly harm my constituents, including in Louisville neighborhoods that have already for decades lived with the impacts of industrial pollution and contamination,\u201d McGarvey wrote.\n\nIn the letter, the Congressman calls on EPA to reconsider the rollbacks and points to EPA\u2019s own National Air Toxics Assessment, which concluded that Rubbertown\u2019s proximity to industrial facilities that release carcinogens into the air and groundwater supply has resulted in an elevated exposure to pollution and higher risk of cancer and other health problems.\n\nLast year, the administration granted a similar exemption to Bakelite Synthetics, a formaldehyde plant located 500 feet from homes in the Riverside Gardens neighborhood in Louisville, just 6 months after a chemical spill at the facility turned a creek in the Rubbertown neighborhood of Louisville red.\n\n\u201cEPA should not reward polluters with exemptions without any regard for the people who will live with the consequences,\u201d McGarvey concluded. \u201cThis administration\u2019s irresponsible deregulatory actions will inevitably harm Louisvillians. Every person has a right to breathable air and clean water. Residents in at-risk neighborhoods shouldn\u2019t need to worry about those rights being rolled back for the sake of industry.\u201d\n\nThe letter follows a series of letters by Rep. McGarvey\u2019s office, probing incidents of chemical pollution in Louisville linked with adverse health effects and an association with cancer.\n\nRead the full letter here.\n\n###\n\nCongressman Morgan McGarvey represents Kentucky\u2019s Third Congressional District, including Louisville and Jefferson County. He serves on the House Veterans Affairs, Small Business, and Budget Committees.", 1, "2026-09-01T09:48:49Z", "2026-09-01T09:49:51Z"]], "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://mcgarvey.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-mcgarvey-sends-letter-to-epa-administrator-opposing-exemptions-for-kentucky-chemical-plants-in-neighborhoods-already-facing-elevated-air-pollution-higher-risks-of-cancer"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5059607103466988, "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"}