|
|
|
Huge Victory For Environmental Justice! Mercury Waste From Taiwan Dumped in Cambodia Will Not Be Re-Dumped in Westmorland, California! Press Coverage Related Stories: Greenaction
Report From The Front Lines: Little Westmorland
Fights Back Against Toxic Polluters
Greenaction
Blows the Whistle About Plans to Import Mercury
Waste from Taiwan and Dump It in Beatty,
Nevada. Check out
the front page story in the May 8, 1999
Las
Vegas Review-Journal.
Greenaction
Supports Taiwan Communities in Anti-toxics
Struggle! See
press release of Taiwan
Environmental Action Network
For more information, contact:
For more information on the Cambodian Waste Dumping Incident visit the BAN website at www.ban.org |
Breaking News 3/31/99 Westmorland, California -- In what community and environmental justice activists hail as a precedent setting victory, toxic waste firm Safety-Kleen has just notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the mercury-contaminated wastes dumped illegally in Cambodia by Taiwan chemical giant, Formosa Plastics will not be dumped in Westmorland, California. The waste which now totals 36,000 barrels will instead be returned to the factory site in Taiwan as had been demanded by the activists. Safety-Kleen's announcement came following Westmorland community outcry and shortly after they received a letter from EPA announcing that "EPA has determined to rescind its previous letter" approving the shipment and recommends "that Safety-Kleen seek to delay the shipment of waste from Cambodia to the United States pending resolution and clarification of the waste characterization issues." "We are very happy we have won this victory," said Leonard Mendez of Westmorland, "now we will fight to close this dump down for good." EPA reversed itself after local, state and international environmental justice groups expressed outrage that the EPA had relied on only one sample of the mercury-contaminated waste provided by Safety-Kleen and had failed to take into consideration the executive order on environmental justice. The environmental groups provided EPA with the results of independent testing done by the Hong Kong EPA, the National Institute for Minimata Disease and others which documented very high levels of mercury in the waste. Additionally, US Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein had both written letters to EPA Administrator Carol Browner protesting the lax controls over imported hazardous wastes apparent in the case. "This is an enormous victory for health and environmental justice and a big defeat for Safety-Kleen and Formosa Plastics who had hoped to turn tiny Westmorland into an international toxic waste dump," said Jane Williams of California Citizens Against Toxics. "We demand that plans to import waste for dumping in low-income communities of color in the U.S and everywhere cease," said Bradley Angel, Executive Director of Greenaction. "We will continue to oppose such environmental racism." "This waste being returned to its sender is a wake-up call for corporate responsibility," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, a group trying to end international waste dumping. "Governments must demand that pollution is eliminated at source and never again allow polluters to profit from dumping toxic wastes on poor unsuspecting countries or communities." "We are very happy this waste will finally be removed from Cambodian soil. Now international groups must stand vigilant and in solidarity to ensure that this waste is stored safely and above-ground on Formosa Plastics' property," said Lily Hsueh of the Taiwan Environmental Action Network. "Formosa must not be allowed to add these poisons to the many tons they have already dumped on the Taiwanese people." |