A major victory for environmental justice has been won by a majority Latino neighborhood in Chicago’s Southeast Side.
Friday’s city decision denied a permit to a metal shredder, which community members had fought for with a month-long hunger strike.
This is a testimony to the love and pride that we have for Southeast Side activist Gina RamirezThe Guardian.
Southside Recycling would have processed two million pounds of scrap metal annually. According to the Chicago Sun-Times it was supposed to open in January of this year. However, concerns about environmental issues caused delays. environmental racism. The business, previously known as General Iron had been moved from Lincoln Park, a wealthy neighborhood, to a majority Latino community, surrounded by Black neighborhoods. Residents pointed out that the Southeast Side already suffers from high levels of air pollution. This led to an ongoing federal civil right investigation.
Friday’s announcement by the Chicago Department of Public Health(CDPH) stated that the community was at risk from the unacceptable health effects the plant would have on its residents. The department also pointed out that Reserve Management Group (RMG), the plant’s owners, had a history in disregarding environmental regulations. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, that decision was based upon a Health Impact Assessment (“HIA”) that was recommended by Michael Regan, administrator of Bidens U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in May last year. Regan also wrote Lori Lightfoot a letter urging her to reconsider the project, given the historical significance of the area. PollutionAccording to the Chicago Tribune, burden is a significant problem. He pointed out that there were 250 contaminated areas in three neighborhoods around the planned shredder.
We are committed protecting and enhancing the quality of Chicagoans’ health, environment, safety, and well-being. The findings from the HIA will be of great benefit to an already vulnerable population. [Health Impact Assessment]In the announcement, CDPH Commissioner Allison Arwady, M.D. said that these risks, along with concerns about the company’s past and potential noncompliance, were too serious to ignore.
RMG responded by threatening to sue the city.
According to The Guardian, politics, not public health protection, was the reason Southside Recyclings was denied permission to operate.
However, local activists celebrated this decision.
Our community isn’t a sacrifice zone, a coalition made up of plant opponents stated in a statement published by the Natural Resources Defense Council. This decision could be a turning point in communities of color that have suffered from environmental racism for decades. We are happy for this decision but the community must continue to address the toxic legacy that allowed pollution to accumulate and will not stop fighting to protect clean air. We will continue fighting until Chicago communities like ours live in a healthy environment.
Regan also commended the decision and affirmed it as a model of future action.
He said that this is the definition of environmental justice, according to the Chicago Tribune. All levels of government work together to protect vulnerable communities in their own backyards from pollution. As we did with Chicago, EPA stands ready and willing to work hand in hand with local and state partners in order to correct environmental injustices and achieve the shared goal of protecting all people against pollution.