Sign the Petition! IL-EPA: Make the Koppers, Inc. Violation Case Public!

Cicero, Illinois is a majority Latino/a city within the greater Chicago metropolitan area which disproportionately faces high rates of environmental degradation, including air pollution from the nearby coal-tar facility, Koppers, Inc. Several federal laws protect communities like Cicero from environmental injustice, such as the 2023 federal Executive Order from the Biden administration enacting the Justice 40 (“J40”) initiative which mandates public commentary periods and the decades-long National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) requiring state Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) to investigate point sources of pollution which are possible violators of the Clean Air Act.

The Illinois state Environmental Protection Agency (IL-EPA) has found the Koppers, Inc. facility polluting the city Cicero to be in violation of state environmental protections. In October 2023, the IL-EPA submitted a Violation Notice letter to Koppers, Inc. but has withheld public hearings or commentary periods due to “pre-enforcement process” which deals with sensitive, non-public information, keeping the inner dealings of how the IL-EPA addresses Koppers, Inc.’s violations behind-closed-doors.

We ask that the IL-EPA work with Illinois Attorney General’s Office (AGO) where the case currently sits, within legal processes, to make the details of this case public in order to promote transparency with the community in concern, Cicero, which will foster a collaborative atmosphere so activists and those directly impacted by the polluters have a say in the outcome which would be most meaningful and effective for their community.