“Poisoned Communities” Light a Fire Under the EPA

I was extremely fortunate to participate in the Poisoned Communities Meeting–Environmental Protection Agency Region 4 , this morning, thanks to a notification by Dr. Robert Bullard of the Environmental Justice Resource Center.  The event consisted of various community members from the 6 states that comprise the region providing testimony on their situations; the EPA Senior Managers making statements regarding their planned responses; and the community members responding to the EPA comments with a torrent of outrage.

Some of the situations discussed at this meeting:

v  Sheila Holt-Orstead from Dickson Tennessee shared how her engagement in environmental justice began when she discovered that her father had cancer.  She was subsequently diagnosed herself with Stage 2 breast cancer and learned that other family members had cancer. Investigation revealed that the Dickson County Landfill, adjacent to her family farm, had dumped waste that included tricholoroethelyne, or TCE, a cancer causing chemical that was used as a degreaser. This substance had been seeping into ground water at levels that far exceeded EPA’s safety standards. If this wasn’t horrifying enough, she learned that letters from the state sent to white families warned them of the hazard and placed them on clean drinking water from the municipal supply and letters to black families reassured them that the water was fine and potable. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund is representing Sheila’s family in a discrimination case.  Sheila’s summary statement to EPA was “Do your job!”

v  GreenLaw provided testimony on the proposed coal fired power plant, LongLeaf Energy Station, slated to be built in Early, Georgia.  They shared data such as, “while pollution from power plants affects all people, 68% of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal fired power plant.” Coal fired power plants emit particulate matter that is breathed deeply into the lungs, causing respiratory and cardiovascular problems. Asthma is tied to air pollution and African Americans in Georgia are 2-3 times more likely to suffer asthma deaths than white persons and African American children are five times more likely to die from asthma than white children. Given that the EPA has delegated authority to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, GreenLaw called on the EPA to require that the Georgia EPD evaluate possible disparate impacts in issuing air quality permits.

v  Ten thousand tons of coal ash travel from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Super fund site in Kingston, Tennessee to the Arrowhead Landfill in Uniontown, Alabama every day!  The TVA. Recently announced that the plan to increase the rate of rail shipments to the landfill by over 20%!   Within 5 miles of the landfill there are 1300 households comprising 3500 people, 69% of whom are African American and 32% of whom are living in poverty.   According to the testimony of Reverend Murdock of Concerned Citizens of Perry County, Alabama has no regulations governing the disposal of waste, even a hazardous substance such as coal ash.  A study published in Environmental Science and Technology “highlights the probability of re-suspension of fine fly ash particulates which could have a severe health impact”. The study goes on to say that “coal ash is a Group I human carcinogen associated with increased risks of skin, lung, and bladder cancers.   Also, analysis of ash sample revealed high levels of arsenic, mercury, and radium which are associated with skin, lung, liver, leukemia, breast, bladder, and bone cancers with chronic ingestion or inhalation.  The Concerned Citizens of Perry County called on the EPA to pay attention to these matters and amend the landfills operating permit, the Administrative Order and Agreement on Consent, to address these threats.

After the responding comments by the EPA official, several folks stood up in umbrage. One person said that a few minutes after he started talking she zoned out as she didn’t hear anything that would respond to the dire situation being faced by her communities. Another person passionately lamented her 19 year old daughter’s severely ill health and stunted development and challenged the EPA to take bold action relative to the neglect of years past. Sheila from Dickson Tennessee stood up and said with significant anger and disdain that the official was speaking to a room of primarily African American persons. Yet, his comments were about remedies/solutions for predominantly white communities in Knoxville and this follows the typical pattern of EPA support. She then declared that she was “done” and left the meeting!

The EPA official, though continuing to try to maintain a brave and stiffly smiling face, was clearly nonplussed and didn’t really have a substantive response. I don’t know where it all goes from there….

Back at the National Public Health and Environment Conference I attended a session entitled Rising Temperatures and the Environmental Impact of Climate Change. I walked in and to my chagrin, given the disproportionate impact of these issues on communities of color, was greeted by a panel of four white men and one white woman.   Later, I walked into my second session of the NPHEC, Fire and Ice: Rising Heat, Wild Fires, and Cold Weather and was greeted by a panel of 3 white women and two white men, one of whom was the moderator. Given the differential impact of climate change on communities of color, one would love to see more diversity in the folks who have the stage in talking about it. Along with the many other lofty goals I have for my role within the environmental justice/climate justice movement, I’d love to be a part of ensuring that this picture changes.  Otherwise, the presentations confirmed what we already know about the deadly intersection between climate change and heat. Living in urban areas intensifies heat effects and communities of color are more likely to live in urban areas.  Heart disease and diabetes, two conditions that disproportionately impact African Americans, are the top two risk factors for contracting heat related illness that ends in mortality.   

Among the many other issues that I’ve seen and shared through this blog, what I heard in these sessions and at the Poisoned Communities meeting, have certainly stoked the fire of motivation and urgency for doing this critical work.

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