EPA Refuses to Investigate Georgia EPD’s Environmental Enforcement Failures. Our Fight Continues!!

On August 26, 2024, EPA responded to the Congressional Inquiry but failed to address the environmental enforcement failures of the Georgia EPD. Instead, EPA sided with Georgia EPD, confirming the following:

EPA deems it acceptable for Georgia EPD to disregard accelerant complaints, even when there is video evidence substantiating these concerns. This is alarming, as exposure to gasoline and gasoline vapors – known to be toxic, corrosive, carcinogenic, and flammable/explosive – can lead to serious health complications or death. Refusing to investigate accelerant complaints demonstrates indifference and disregard for human health, safety and life. Without a doubt, it is failed environmental enforcement.  When asked to provide its criteria for investigating accelerant complaints, the EPA did not respond.

EPA deems it acceptable for Georgia EPD to refuse to explain significant discrepancies between public safety reports and actual events, even when supported by video and photo evidence. A Fire Incident report claims the individual extinguished the illegal fire, yet the illegal burning continued into the following morning.

EPA deems it acceptable for Georgia EPD to refuse to investigate the intentional, deliberate and knowing release of hazardous chemicals into the air.

EPA deems it acceptable for Georgia EPD to self-investigate its own environmental failures.

EPA deems it acceptable for Georgia EPD not to explain why it took four separate visits from firefighters, two personal conversations with a Senior Fire Investigator, a courtesy warning letter from the Georgia EPD, and a courtesy warning from the Paulding County Marshal’s Office before the individual was finally issued his first citation on his fourth illegal burning event. Allowing an individual to repeatedly engage in illegal burning, thereby exposing families to chemical hazards and harming the environment, is, without a doubt, failed enforcement.

Due to the County and State’s failure to stop the individual from illegally burning, an Attorney sent a Cease and Desist Letter on my behalf, achieving in one letter what the County and State failed to do in a year.  The individual has since switched to releasing hazardous chemicals into the air through frequently igniting explosive fireworks, creating a serious fire safety hazard. Despite video evidence, County public safety officials refuse to intervene and stop the fire hazard, citing the legality of fireworks.

Research on the fireworks revealed they release harmful chemicals such as carbon monoxide, perchlorate, chlorine, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and heavy metals – all harmful to human health, animals and the environment. Despite awareness of these hazards, EPA deems it acceptable that Georgia EPD and Paulding County Fire claim no enforcement authority and no duty whatsoever to mitigate toxic air pollution due to the legality of fireworks. 

We understand that most environmental complaints intersect with Human Rights and Civil Rights. A 2020 Federal ruling found the EPA guilty of breaking the law by taking over 10 years to investigate Civil Rights complaints brought by communities across the country. These delays caused families and communities further suffering from chemical hazards and environmental harm. Therefore, the EPA’s refusal to investigate environmental enforcement failures is consistent with its past behavior.

As of today, there are 93,431 total complaints in the Georgia EPD public database, including 14,980 Air Quality complaints. My previous complaints are also in the database.  While the last complaint shows under investigation, it was closed effective August 20, 2024 with the same “no further action” tag as the previous complaints. 

This petition is the collective voice of thousands of Georgians affected by chemical hazards and toxic air pollution. We will continue to gather signatures until necessary changes are made, including ensuring that every Georgia resident in the database is notified of toxic chemical exposure, guaranteeing that accelerant complaints are never ignored, holding state and federal agencies accountable, protecting individuals (who report environmental violations) from retaliation, harm and harassment, and making sure that individuals who commit environmental crimes – especially those affecting elderly and disabled persons – are thoroughly investigated, charged accordingly and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Although the EPA refused to investigate Georgia EPD for enforcement failures, our determination has only grown stronger. We have removed EPA Administrator Michael Regan as a Decision Maker and replaced him with the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. We must bring environmental injustice to the forefront and demand equal environmental protections for all Americans. Change only happens through the demand of the people. Stay in the fight! Your voice matters! Your signatures count! The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they turn nonetheless. Thank you for supporting this petition.

How can you help? Please do at least one of the following:

• Share this petition update with 5 to 10 people.
• Share the petition and petition update across all social media platforms. 
• Tweet #ProtectGeorgiansfromHarmfulToxicChemicals to @GovKemp or @BrianKempGA
• Continue using #BreathingShouldNotBeHazardous.
• If you personally know of Investigative News Reporters, Journalists or Television News Producers anywhere in the United States, please tell them about the environmental situation in Georgia. The petition includes a link for media inquiries. We need media coverage.