Taking Action for Health and Environmental
Justice
The
Onslaught of "Incinerators in Disguise"
Greenaction
is working across California to defeat the waste industry’s
attempt to site incineration-like technologies. Unfortunately these “alternative” technologies
have toxic emissions similar to incinerators. ‘Incinerators
in disguise’ are being considered – and opposed by
Greenaction and residents - in the Bay
Area, Santa
Cruz area, Hanford,
Imperial Valley, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Alameda,
San Leandro and Oakland, California
We have
brought together a three-city grassroots alliance against Alameda
Power and Telecom’s
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.
Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco
Greenaction
and our community partners have forced the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District to hold the first-ever public
hearing on a proposed air pollution permit for the PG&E Hunters
Point power plant – to be held May 4th. Greenaction and
residents spoke out at the April 6th Air District meeting on
the issue to demand the immediate closure of this dirty power
plant.
Greenaction
and the community 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 also
continue 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.
Greenaction
also cosponsored Peoples Earth Day at Indian Basin Park, next
to the PG&E plant. Hundreds of community members
attended this informational and fun event.
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. We held a community meeting on April 20th, and met with company
officials the next day. Greenaction and residents demand that Stericycle
shut the incinerator
and instead use safer non-incineration technologies such as an
autoclave.
Gila River Indian Community and Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona
On April 3rd Greenaction
and tribal members held the first ever protest
against the Romic hazardous waste facility that has operated
on the Gila River Indian Community for 25 years without proper
permits and with many violations. USEPA failed to disclose Romic’s
violations or expansion plans to tribal members. We are also helping
Colorado River Indian Tribes members oppose the continued operation
of the Westates/US Filter hazardous waste facility on tribal lands.
Greenaction, the Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment,
the Mohave Cultural Preservation Program (Colorado River Indian
Tribes/CRIT) and Children for a Safe Environment held a tribal
youth exchange to bring together youth from Gila River and CRIT.
Youth learned about environmental health and justice issues, and
discussed their concerns about pollution on their reservations.
Greenaction
also joined Youth United for Community Action in a solidarity
protest at Romic’s other hazardous waste facility,
located in East Palo Alto, California. Greenaction helped link
up the communities from East Palo Alto and Gila River!
San Joaquin Valley, California
Greenaction
and the Grayson Neighborhood Council are expanding our environmental
health and justice projects in
the San Joaquin
Valley. We are escalating our campaign
against the Covanta garbage incinerator in Crow’s Landing in Stanislaus County,
and will launch a new campaign against pesticide drift. In May
we
begin a new training program to teach leadership and organizing
skills to women and youth in the communities on the west side
of Stanislaus County.
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 DOE 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 watchdog
and participate in USEPA’s process to list the
vinyl chloride contamination at 3rd and Mandela as a Superfund
site to make it eligible for federal cleanup funds. We will make
sure EPA does a thorough, safe and prompt cleanup, using the
safest possible technology for remediation of the toxic site.
We are calling on the City to move the children’s play
structures in South Prescott Park away from the vinyl chloride
site.
Greenaction is cosponsoring the annual Chester Street Block Club
Association block party and environmental health education street
fair taking place June 5th.
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. In the winter we completed a series of tours for Air
District officials that brought them into polluted communities.
Stop the War Against Iraq
Greenaction is proud to continue working for peace in Iraq, and
we participate in the ongoing protests against the illegal and
bloody U.S. occupation of Iraq that has resulted in the death
of thousands of Iraqi civilians and over 700 U.S. soldiers.
