Critics said the Commonwealth continues to deal with unique challenges related to water contamination and air pollution stemming from a history of coal mining and it needs state-specific protections.
Sarah Reeves, grassroots programs coordinator for the Kentucky chapter of the Sierra Club, said families are suffering from living near industrial hot spots and the burden falls hardest on parents trying to keep their kids healthy.
"I think it's a really interesting time for me, as a single mom with kids having health complications, to be in the middle of this kind of fight," Reeves observed. "Health care costs are more. I've got a kid with asthma."
Senate Bill 178 is sponsored by Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester. He said it would create a level playing field, arguing businesses and the economy benefit from following federal standards. It now sits with the Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee.
Ashley Wilmes, executive director of the environmental law and advocacy organization Kentucky Resources Council, said the legislation would require a higher standard of proof for exposure to chemicals and pollution and bodily harm.
"This means agencies cannot act based on credible risk," Wilmes pointed out. "Instead, they have to wait until people are injured, sick or dead."
The secretary of the Energy and Environment Cabinet sent Elkins a letter on Tuesday opposing the bill, arguing it is redundant to some requirements already in state law and would prevent the cabinet from acting to protect Kentuckians.
