Taking Action for Health and Environmental
Justice
Resisting
the Onslaught of “Incinerators
in Disguise”
Greenaction
is working across the country to defeat the waste industry’s
attempt to site incineration-like technologies such as gasification, pyrolysis,
plasma arc and catalytic cracking for treatment of hazardous, solid, medical
waste and tires. While the industry is referring to these as “recycling” and “renewable
energy,” these “incinerator-in-disguise” technologies burn
toxic waste gases, have toxic emissions similar to incinerators, and are not
a healthy or safe solution for the landfill crisis or energy needs.
Hanford,
San Joaquin Valley, California
Greenaction
has brought plans by Plastic Energy LLC for a plastics catalytic
cracking plant to
a halt after alerting the public to
the potential dangers of the facility, which would be the first
of its kind in the U.S. and maybe the world. Kings County and
regional Air District officials had approved the project without
public hearings or Environmental Impact Report, but after Greenaction
raised technical questions and concerns the Air District was
forced to rescind the company’s permits. We held a successful
press conference August 12th and are educating and mobilizing
residents
to protect their air quality and health.
Alameda,
San Leandro and Oakland, California
Our three-city
grassroots alliance is making progress in our campaign to encourage
Alameda
Power and Telecom’s to drop their study
of whether to build a garbage “gasification” plant
to generate power in Alameda, San Leandro or Oakland. Such a plant
would emit dioxin and other pollutants. We are demanding clean
energy and zero waste programs instead of a polluting trash-burning
plant. Public pressure is mounting against the garbage plant proposal,
and we are mobilizing for upcoming Public Utilities Board meetings.
Defending
the Sacred Ward Valley Film Project
Greenaction
and the Mohave Cultural Preservation Program (of the Colorado
River Indian Tribes)
have launched this project to distribute
the new film “Defending the Sacred” that tells the
story of the successful fight by the five tribes of the Colorado
River Native Nations Alliance, Greenaction and a broad coalition
that saved Ward Valley, the Colorado River and sacred Indian lands
from the proposed nuclear waste dump. Speakers from the tribes
and Greenaction are available to show the film and educate the
public about the victorious campaign and issues. The film can
be purchased from Greenaction.
North Salt
Lake City, Utah
Our campaign
to close Stericycle’s incinerator
that burns medical waste and non-medical waste from across the
west is heating
up. Community opposition to the incinerator is mounting, and Greenaction
and residents are launching a major outreach and education effort
in the large housing development just built directly next to the
incinerator. Greenaction and residents want Stericycle to shut the
incinerator and instead use safer non-incineration technologies
such as an autoclave.
Gila River
Indian Community, Arizona
In the face
of mounting pressure from Greenaction and tribal members in the
Gila River Alliance for
a Clean Environment, Romic has
announced they will stop treating some hazardous wastes at their
facility on the Gila River Indian Community reservation. Greenaction,
tribal members and residents of nearby Chandler are uniting
to shut down this hazardous waste plant that has operated without
proper permits for over two decades and has been in constant
violation
of their “interim” permit due to excess emissions,
leaks, improper storage of hazardous waste and many other problems.
San Joaquin
Valley, California
Greenaction
and the Grayson Neighborhood Council are escalating our campaign
against the Covanta garbage incinerator
in Crow’s
Landing in Stanislaus County, and are launching a new campaign
against pesticide drift. We have a new training program to teach
leadership and organizing skills to women and youth in the communities
on the west side of Stanislaus County. We participate in the Central
California Environmental Justice Network to unite communities
across the Valley.
Colorado
River Indian Tribes, Arizona
Greenaction
is helping Colorado River Indian Tribes members oppose the continued
operation of the Westates/US
Filter hazardous waste
facility on tribal lands. Westates emits dioxin and many other
hazardous pollutants, but EPA has allowed the company to operate
without proper permits and without divulging the fact that toxic
pollution was emitted.
Bayview
Hunters Point, San Francisco
Greenaction
and the Hunters View Tenants Association have just released a
new report, “Toxic
Soup, A Toxics Inventory of Bayview Hunters Point”. This
report documents the large number of polluted sites in Bayview
Hunters Point, and will help community
members educate themselves and prioritize toxic threats to their
health in this heavily contaminated neighborhood.
Greenaction
and community residents are escalating pressure on state and regional
agencies to press for the closure of the polluting
and unnecessary PG&E Hunters Point power plant. We are preparing
to appeal the new pollution permit being issued to PG&E by the
Bay Area Air District. Greenaction and residents are opposing four
new fossil fuel “peaker” power plants proposed by the
City for the Potrero area, next to Bayview Hunters Point. Unless
the PG&E plant is closed and the Mirant plant in Potrero phased
out, new plants will unacceptably increase pollution in the city’s
most polluted neighborhoods. We are training low-income mothers
living in public housing next to the PG&E power plant to build
their leadership and organizing skills so they can be strong advocates
for the community.
White Mesa
Ute Reservation, Utah
Greenaction
is working closely with White Mesa Ute tribal members, the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe, Navajo tribal
members and other local
residents to demand the Department of Energy reject International
Uranium Corporation’s request to slurry and truck radioactive
uranium tailings and toxic waste from Moab to the White Mesa Uranium
Mill. The IUC mill is located next to the White Mesa Ute reservation,
and was built on top of ancient and sacred sites, including burials.
We want to close the IUC plant that pollutes the environment and
desecrates the ancient and sacred sites located at and next to
the facility.
West Oakland,
California
We are working
with the Chester Street Block Club Association to participate
in USEPA’s Superfund process for the vinyl
chloride contamination at 3rd and Mandela Streets. We will make
sure EPA
does a thorough, safe and prompt cleanup, using the safest possible
technology for remediation of the toxic site. We want the City
to move the children’s play structures in South Prescott
Park away from the vinyl chloride.
Stop
the War for Oil In Iraq! Bring Our Troops Home Safe…and
Now!
Greenaction
joins with people across the U.S. and the world in protesting
Bush’s immoral war against Iraq.
Environmental
Justice Air Quality Coalition
Greenaction
is working with community groups across the Bay Area to pressure
the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District and other
agencies to protect air quality and uphold environmental justice.
