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ATLANTA, GA – 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’s 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.

The lawmakers pointed to multiple incidents across Georgia where industrial facilities, including those operated by Dérivés Résiniques et Terpéniques (DRT) and BioLabs, have repeatedly violated state and federal clean air and water laws—as evidence of a systemic breakdown in enforcement within EPD. They emphasize that Georgia’s environmental enforcement lag continues to expose neighborhoods—particularly vulnerable and low-income communities—to dangerous levels of air pollution and contaminated waterways.

“Georgians deserve clean air, safe water, and an environmental regulator that puts their health and safety first,” said Congressman David Scott. “For too long, chronic polluters have operated with minimal accountability, and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s inaction has allowed dangerous practices to continue unchecked. These failures don’t 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.”

“For years, corporate polluters have endangered Georgia communities with fires, toxic releases, and repeated violations,” said Congressman Johnson. “This 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.”

Both 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:

• Criteria the EPD uses to determine when a “pattern of violations” warrants stronger enforcement, and why that threshold is rarely met.
• Concrete 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.
• Support for the creation of a publicly available “repeat violators list” for Georgia industries, including a comprehensive review of historical company violations, corrective actions, and risk management practices, similar to other states.
• Steps 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.
• Efforts to strengthen internal EPD transparency around investigations, penalties, and interagency coordination with federal partners.

The letter was endorsed by: Georgia WAND, Science for Georgia.

Full letter can be accessed HERE.

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