Taking Action for Health and Environmental
Justice
Bayview
Hunters Point, San Francisco, CA: Campaign to Shut Down PG&E
power plant escalates!
Greenaction and residents
of this low income community of color took
dramatic action on December 8th with a two hour nonviolent
blockade of this polluting and unnecessary power plant. Over 100
people joined the protest despite the rain. We are escalating
the campaign to shut
this plant down once and for all, and to replace
it with clean, renewable energy. In 2005 Greenaction and residents
will start new campaigns targeting other big air polluters in
this
neighborhood that suffers epidemic rates of asthma and cancer.
Resisting
the Onslaught of “Incinerators in
Disguise”
Greenaction
has launched an all-out campaign 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 “incinerators-in-disguise” burn
toxic waste gases, have toxic emissions similar to incinerators,
and are not a safe solution for the landfill crisis or energy
needs. We are encouraging pollution prevention, increased recycling
and real renewable energy instead of incineration technologies.
Sierra Vista and Nogales, Arizona and Mexico: No incinerators
in disguise!
Greenaction
alerted Cochise County, Arizona residents about the
threat posed by Global Energy Resources’ proposals to build “plasma
arc” facilities to treat garbage and sewage sludge in Sierra
Vista and Nogales. Greenaction’s visit to the area, and
our technical critique of the proposals, received front
page newspaper coverage and has sparked community concern and grassroots organizing
in Arizona and Mexico.
Hanford, San Joaquin Valley, California: Victory!
Greenaction
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 and forcing the San Joaquin Valley Air
District to rescind the company’s permit. Greenaction
and our community coalition held a successful forum on November
15th,
and the event received front
page news coverage two
days in a row. We will continue our campaign until the company drops
their
toxic plan once and for all.
Alameda, San Leandro and Oakland, California: Victory!
Our
three-city grassroots alliance won
our campaign when the Alameda
Public Utilities Board voted to stop consideration of a garbage
gasification plant to generate electricity. The plant would
have emitted dioxin and toxic metals into the air. Alameda has decided
to purchase more renewable energy instead.
Gila River Indian Community, Arizona: Victory!
Greenaction
and tribal members in the Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment
won a huge victory in November when Romic, a
hazardous waste company operating on the reservation without
proper permits and a terrible track record of violations, announced
they
stopped handling the most toxic solvents. We are continuing
our support for the campaign
by tribal members to evict this polluter off the reservation.
West Oakland, California: AMCO Chemical Superfund
Site
We are working
with the Chester Street Block Club Association to make
sure the USEPA does a thorough, safe and prompt
cleanup
of
the AMCO Chemical vinyl chloride Superfund site. We are pressuring
EPA to use 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
contamination.
San Joaquin Valley, California: Stop dumping on the west side!
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.
North Salt Lake City, Utah: Shut the Stericycle incinerator!
Greenaction
and residents are stepping up our campaign to close
Stericycle’s
incinerator that burns medical waste and non-medical waste from
across the west. We work with the Health
Care Without Harm coalition to encourage hospitals to use non-toxic materials
and non-incineration treatment for medical waste.
White Mesa Ute Reservation and Moab, Utah: Protect
Colorado River and sacred Indian lands!
Greenaction
is working with White Mesa Ute tribal members, the Ute
Mountain Ute Tribe, Navajo tribal members and other area residents
to demand the Department of Energy (DOE) reject International
Uranium Corporation’s request to slurry radioactive uranium
tailings and toxic waste from next to the Colorado River in Moab
to the IUC
Uranium Mill located next to the White Mesa Ute reservation. We
want to close the IUC plant
that pollutes the environment and
desecrates the ancient sacred sites located at and next to the facility.
Greenaction
will speak at DOE public hearings in Moab and White Mesa January
26-27, 2005.
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.
Colorado River Indian Tribes, Arizona: Shut down Westates
Carbon!
Greenaction is helping Colorado River Indian Tribes
(CRIT) 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. In December Greenaction convened
a meeting with top USEPA officials and tribal members from CRIT
and the Gila River Indian Community to discuss concerns.
Stop
the War 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.
