PILSEN PILSEN An environmental group from Pilsen is urging the city to deny a permit for a controversial shredder in the area. It is concerned about air pollution.
The Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization has worked for years to raise awareness about Sims Metal Management at 2500 S. Paulina St. and its impact on the surrounding area, according to Troy Hernandez, a data scientist and PERRO volunteer. The permit for metal scrappers is now up for renewal.
Hernandez and PERRO volunteer Donald Wink from the University of Illinois Chicago, a professor of chemistry, posted Send a YouTube videoLast week Sims application problems – DetailsThey argued that the facility should be closed until it can prove that it is operating properly.
If [Sims]We would like them all to clean up. Hernandez said that if they can’t, we would prefer them to close down. It tells me that they are not operating in good faith.
Sims spokesperson could be reached but not immediately.
Sims was sued in October by the Illinois Attorney Generals for violating air pollution laws. The lawsuit claimed that Sims failed to demonstrate an overall reduction of uncontrolled emissions. Sims, which is a metal shredder and recycler, as well as vehicles and major appliances agreed to cooperate with the Illinois EPA on the issue.
Sims facility is less than one mile from three Pilsen schools, Cristo Rey Jesuit high school and Whittier dual language magnet school.
Hernandez stated that PERRO encourages residents to You have until February 28 to submit your concerns during the open comments period for the permit application. If there is a lot of interest from the community, the Department of Public Health could hold a meeting with them.
Hernandez, a former candidate for aldermanic office, expressed doubts about the effectiveness of a community meeting, fearing that it would be performative. He said that communicating directly to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and sorting through documents is the best way to find the important but boring work.
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The freshman alderman stated that he was notified that Sims applied for a permit at the end of November. He reached out to the city’s Department of Public Health in December and set up a meeting with the community to discuss the matter before the end of the comment period. He stated that he had also requested a meeting to discuss Sims application with IEPA.
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