ATLANTA – State Representative Erick Allen (D-Smyrna) recently pre-filed House Bill 3 on Monday, November 16, 2020, to further monitor the amount ethylene oxide (ETO) released by permitted facilities in Georgia.
“Since the first reports of the dangers of ethylene oxide use in Georgia came to light, I have been working to bring transparency and accountability to the facilities that emit this toxic gas,” said Rep. Allen. “We made progress during the previous legislative session to report ethylene oxide spills through Senate Bill 426, so I hope that the state legislature will act swiftly to help monitor emitting patterns and help prevent the risks that threaten our communities.”
House Bill 3 would require permitted facilities to release 50 pounds of ethylene oxide to allow the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) to continuously monitor and report the amount of ETO released specifically from facility exhaust points. This legislation would authorize the EPD to install electronic devices that would continuously monitor such exhaust points, and the EPD would publicly release their findings on their website at least twice annually. Additionally, HB 3 would require that off-gassing occur in a properly vented facility approved by the EPD for at least 36 hours. Permitted facilities would also submit a detailed ambient air plan to the EPD by January 2022.
HB 3 will be formally introduced during the upcoming 2021 legislative session of the Georgia General Assembly, which begins January 11, 2021.
For more information on HB 3, please click here.
For more information on SB 426, which requires permitted facilities to report ETO spills, please click here.
Representative Erik Allen represents the citizens of District 40, which includes portions of Cobb and Fulton counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Code Revision and Human Relations & Aging committees.
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