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Campaign Report, Summer 2009 Taking Action for Health and Environmental Justice Bayview Hunters Point, San Francisco, CA: Stop Lennar Corporation’s Pollution Threat to Health! Greenaction and allies are pressuring the developer Lennar Corporation and regulatory agencies to stop air pollution violations at the toxic contaminated Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. We organized a major action at the Shipyard on June 30th. Because of community protest, the Bay Area Air District fined Lennar $515,000. We continue to educate residents, truck and bus drivers, and businesses about the dangers of diesel pollution, and how it can be reduced. We are monitoring PG&E cleanup of toxics at the old power plant site. Kettleman City, San Joaquin Valley, CA No Toxic Dump Expansion!
Uproar over Infants Who Died and Birth Defect Cluster! Indigenous Lands Campaigns in Arizona & Mexico We are working with the Mohave Cultural Preservation Program and Elders to pressure US EPA to close the illegal Siemens hazardous waste plant operating in violation of federal law on the land of the Colorado River Indian Tribes. We co-sponsored a gathering on March 28th in Quitovac, Sonora, Mexico, with the O’odham Rights Environmental Justice and Cultural Rights Coalition to oppose a toxic waste dump proposed near this O’odham indigenous community and sacred site and organized protests at Mexican consulates. West Berkeley, CA: Stop the Pollution from Pacific Steel Casting! Greenaction is working with residents in a community campaign to stop the noxious odors and toxic pollution from Pacific Steel Casting. We are pressuring the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the City to force PSC to eliminate odors and dramatically reduce pollution. We want healthy air for workers and residents. Visit www.youtube.com and type in Pacific Steel Casting Greenaction to see us in action. Hayward, Avenal and San Francisco, California, Utah and the Navajo Nation: Stop Climate Change! Stop Coal and All Fossil Fuel Power Plants! We are helping residents of Avenal and Hayward, California and Navajo tribal members fight proposed fossil fuel power plants. In San Francisco, we are working to shut the old and dirty Mirant plant and replace it with renewable energy and conservation. Midway Village, Daly City: Relocate Residents Away from PG&E Toxic Waste! Greenaction and residents are increasing pressure on government agencies and PG&E to relocate residents living on top of PG&E’s toxic waste at this public housing project. Cancer-causing chemicals threaten public health and the watershed of San Francisco Bay, and cannot be cleaned up while residents live there. West Oakland, CA: Clean up the AMCO Chemical Superfund Site! Greenaction is working with residents living on top of and next to vinyl chloride and lead contamination, and pressuring US EPA to finally begin cleaning up the toxic pollution at the AMCO Chemical Superfund site. Greenaction Helps Communities Fight Incinerators in Disguise, Supports Zero Waste Solutions We are helping lead a worldwide campaign to defeat industry attempts to site gasification, pyrolysis and plasma arc incinerators for treatment of solid waste (garbage), medical and hazardous wastes, sewage sludge and tires. While companies claim these technologies are “recycling” and “renewable energy,” in reality these “incinerators-in-disguise” heat wastes and then burn the gases and emit toxic emissions. We support Zero Waste programs - including increased recycling and composting, and real renewable energy instead of incineration. Reports and case studies are on our website. In the last few months, Los Angeles and San Jose, California became the latest in a growing list of cities and counties to reject these incinerators. Greenaction is now focusing on threats in Salinas and Santa Barbara, California, Arizona, New Orleans and Florida and working to defeat Assembly Bill 222 in the California legislature that would support these bad technologies. Watsonville, Santa Cruz County, CA: Zero Waste Environmental Justice Campaign Launched! Greenaction and the Pajaro Valley Coalition for Environmental Justice have launched a grassroots campaign to reduce the amount of garbage created and dumped in Santa Cruz County or burned in other communities. Greenaction’s technical expertise and support helped residents defeat plans by the County and AdaptiveARC to build a plasma arc garbage incinerator near a migrant farm labor housing complex in Watsonville. We are working to increase Zero Waste efforts to increase recycling and composting. Our campaign had a victory when the City of Watsonville banned Styrofoam in food packaging. Youth on Fire Environmental Justice DVD Distributed to Dozens of Communities! Greenaction and Youth United for Community Action produced a new 15-minute film, “Youth on Fire,” featuring youth in the front lines of environmental justice campaigns. This film is being distributed free to youth and community groups across the country to inspire young people to get involved and take action. Stanislaus County, California: Shut the Covanta Incinerator and Start Serious Recyling Programs! Greenaction and the Grayson Neighborhood Council are stepping up efforts to shut the Covanta garbage incinerator and to encourage cities and the county to institute serious recycling and composing programs. Apopka, Florida to North Salt Lake City, Utah: Shut the Stericycle Medical Waste Incinerators! Greenaction is helping residents of Apopka, Florida, North Salt Lake City, Utah and Haw River, North Carolina in a national effort to stop the burning of medical waste by Stericycle. Stericycle burns medical waste (and some non-medical waste) shipped from many states, emitting dioxin and other pollutants. Our goal is to get Stericycle to switch to safer, non-incineration technologies to protect the health of residents and workers. In March, Greenaction and a community group filed an appeal of a permit renewal issued to Stericycle by the Utah Division of Air Quality, and now physicians are joining the campaign. No New Nuclear Power Plants in Green River, Utah – or Anywhere! Nuclear power is a threat to the environment and health, from uranium mining to the risk of power plant leaks to the dangers of nuclear waste disposal. A nuclear power plant near the Green River would be disastrous as the river flows directly into the Colorado River, drinking and agricultural water for tens of millions of people. In Memorial, Luke Cole The environmental justice movement lost one of its heroes and lawyers with the death of Luke Cole, Executive Director of Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment. Luke was killed in a car accident, and his wife was seriously injured but is recovering. Luke and Greenaction worked together in dozens of campaigns, and he was one of the first and probably the best environmental justice lawyer in the country. We will miss our friend and colleague and continue fighting for environmental justice in his honor. Greenaction Email Activist Network: Support Greenaction's Campaigns for Health & Environmental Justice! Please Support Greenaction's Ten Year Fundraising Drive Please donate online at www.greenaction.org Donations are
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