Over a third of America's industrial facilities, including coal plants and chemical manufacturers, have received 2-year exemptions from complying with key Clean Air Act provisions—rules that were established to reduce community exposure to toxic air pollution. The only thing they had to do to receive an exemption was email EPA staff.

It's clear that this decision was made far too lightly. There are nearly 5 million people living within two miles of an exemption-eligible facility, and almost half of the facilities in question are located in communities where the pollution-related cancer risk is 80 times higher than the EPA guideline. There are also more than 4,000 schools and childcare centers located near at least one of these facilities.