Arizona

Latest Action

Residents in Phoenix are getting organized to oppose a plan by a sand and gravel operator to build an asphalt production plant without filing for a permit. The company has asked the community to allow them to operate for 8 years in exchange for an agreement to pull out at that time. The community has said no and is pressuring the planning and zoning board to shut them down immediately. CHEJ is providing organizing assistance to the residents.

In Chandler, Citizens Against Covance (CAC) are organizing to oppose a plan by Covance Laboratories to build a large animal testing research facility.  While Covance claims they are bringing economic opportunity, CAC claims that Covance has spent “thousands of dollars on misleading and deceptive mailings” to residents introducing their new ‘Covance-Chandler’ facility when, in fact, they have not even submitted plans, let alone received approval from local officials.  CAC is hoping to generate the kind of public opposition created by residents in Alameda, CA who spoke out and convinced city officials in 2000 that Covance was not welcome in their community.  CAC is concerned about air emissions from an on-site incinerator that is likely to burn biohazard, hazardous, and animal waste generated by the facility.

Over 10,000 members of the Navajo Nation who mined uranium for America’s atomic bombs are fighting the U.S. government for compensation from exposure to dangerous levels of radioactivity. The U.S. government knew early on that uranium could cause lung damage, but instead of warning the Navajo miners, the government decided to study them. Former workers have been asking for compensation from the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program, but only one in four sick workers or their survivors have been compensated. At the same time, millions of tax dollars have been spent on flawed health studies and top officials running the compensation program have collected tens of thousands of dollars in bonuses, totaling more than $3.2 million since the program began. Members of the Navajo Nation, along with workers at other similar sites around the country, are pressing Congress to pass legislation to reform the compensation program to ensure it justly compensates impacted workers.

The Corona Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) is fighting to clean up a severe mold problem at the Corona Del Sol High School in Tempe. The mold resulted from a poorly functioning ventilation system that’s 30 years old. The system is being replaced this summer, but the school district has no plans to clean the entire building of the mold and is creating holes in the walls to release the fumes instead.  They are only cleaning areas of mold that are clearly visible. CHEJ has been providing organizing assistance to the group who is considering doing its own health survey. CCAC, whose main goal is to protect the children and staff at the school, is also considering filing a lawsuit because of how many children, teachers and workers are ill.