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Alonzo, you’re on the board for CHEJ. How did that happen? What’s your connection to CHEJ?
I’ve been on the board of CHEJ for over 25 years. I met Lois before she formed CHEJ. She’d come [/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][to East Liverpool] to testify — we were battling this facility here and she came and testified on our behalf and then when she formed CHEJ, I think maybe a year or two later, and I accepted.
What was Lois coming to testify about?
In our community we have the world’s largest hazardous waste facility permitted. We’ve been trying to stop it from day one. She and I knew some of the same people and we invited her here to testify. She came and helped demonstrate.
What hazardous waste facility?
Heritage Thermal Services, formerly known as WTI.
We’ve been fighting this since they started. We took action against permitting them to build. We requested that both the state and federal EPA monitor them, and they’ve had numerous violations cited against them. This facility should have never been built from a legal standpoint, environmental standpoint, or health standpoint.
How did you become active in the organizing community? Why fight against Heritage Thermal Services?
Well, you know originally when this was first proposed I was in favor of it, at that time, keep in mind we didn’t have any organization here. First, they said it was going to be safe, and it was going to attract industry. They were gonna sell cheap steam and electricity. To apply for their permits to build they were required to hold these hearings. We found out by attending these hearings their original statements were false. It was introduced to us as a “Waste to Energy Facility” but we found out it was actually a hazardous waste facility. So we learnt from that. Then we formed Save Our County and that was started to oppose the facility.
What is your organization up to now?
We are currently in the midst of a lawsuit against Heritage Thermal Service regarding their classification as a habitual violator by the U.S. EPA. We’ve been in court [with them] a number of times. We are set to go October 17th in the United States courthouse in Youngstown, Oh regarding our suit. We are going to present to the judge what we’d like to get out of the suit. Fighting Heritage Thermal Services is my organization’s, Save our County, main concern. We have other organizations throughout the country that our fighting their own local battles and we have gone to them and assisted them. We help other organizations in the same way that CHEJ does. We’ve learnt that from being affiliated with CHEJ.
What did you start off doing in activism?
Demonstrations at first. We held demonstrations at the facility. Martin Sheen came once and 33 of us got arrested, including Martin. We had a trial [regarding our arrest] and we won our case! We were charged with trespassing and we went to court we had a trial and we were found innocent. We had peaceful demonstrations here, demonstrations in D.C. and we were arrested there, too.
What effect has Heritage Thermal Facilities had on your community?
Right now, East Liverpool has been designated by the Ohio Department of Health to have a higher cancer rate than the state or national average of health. We were told this was going to happen to us before the Heritage Thermal Services moved in, and time has proven it to be true. Our school age children are breathing this poisonous air which has had an affect on their learning ability and attention span. We have a high rate of children with learning disabilities. This was all predicted. They said it would be a while, ten to fifteen years, and now it’s all come to fruition.
What would you recommend to communities for advice in organizing?
The first thing we tell communities is to organize and try to put people in positions of authority that are on your side, in other words, councilmen or commissioners. You have to make sure these officials understand the negative effects and are on your side, that they understand what’s going on. Ask them questions, do they know about the effects that the facility will have on the environment? These facilities have such a dramatic negative health effect on this community. This is a very important aspect that groups have to address before getting started.
Any words of advice for citizens trying to organize?
Do not be mislead by what these facilities say initially. Try to find out as much as you can about the facility itself, what they are going to do, and try to make sure that they are held accountable for all of their violations. [/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
Month: September 2016
Categories
Let’s Stand with Standing Rock
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The time for action is always now! In case you haven’t heard, here’s a brief rundown of what’s happening at the Dakota Access Pipeline. This movement is often referred to as the NoDAPL (No Dakota Access Pipeline.
- The Army Corps of Engineers, although responsible for issuing the permits allowing the pipeline construction, failed to coordinate meetings to obtain explicit permission for the DAPL from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who have sacred ties to the affected area.
- In response to the pipeline, there are thousands of people camping outside of Cannon Ball, North Dakota to peacefully protect the sacred land where the Dakota Access Pipeline has construction scheduled.
- Unfortunately, the retaliation to these protect actions have not been peaceful nor respectful. Legal decisions have been made in an effort to dismiss the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s claims to rights for the land.
- There exists an implicit media bias towards movements like this: which is why we need people like you to #StandWithStandingRock.
- The time for action is always now! In case you haven’t heard, here’s a brief rundown of what’s happening at the Dakota Access Pipeline. This movement is often referred to as the NoDAPL (No Dakota Access Pipeline.
To read a complete summary of what’s going on, check out this article.
It is movement’s like NoDAPL that are why an organization like CHEJ exists. The injustice to the people affected by the pipeline, as well as the potential environmental disaster that could result from any malfunctions within the pipeline, are in and of themselves a call to action from each and every one of us to do our part. There are many reasons why people still justify having pipelines built, but no reason is good enough to dispute the fact that pipelines ruin lives and present too large a risk to the environment. We all live busy, demanding lives, but this is a powerful movement that cannot and must not be ignored.
Think of it this way: resistance for the pipeline is essentially a rejection of the pro-oil status quo. That means it’s power ultimately depends on the widespread support from everyone. Standing Rock is taking on one of the largest and most powerful interests groups of American politics and society right now. This isn’t something we can just talk about on twitter or amongst our friends. This is larger than a controversial dinner topic, it is a crucial turning point in our history where we finally prioritize our land over our economic gains.
Here’s how we, both you and I, can help this historical moment happen:
- Go out to the various protect sites. Find out more here.
- Follow these Facebook groups for immediate updates on the fight.
- Organize an action demonstrating support for the movement within your community. Organize it well: the course of history depends on loud, powerful and forceful people coming together for the common good.
- If nothing else, talk about it. Slacktivism it may be, it’s better to normalize the concept of resistance to the pipeline. Talk to your parents, your kids, your neighbors, your friends, your boss, your mailman! Make it a priority to discuss the issue with someone at least once a day. It’ll not only spread the word, it will also solidify the argument in your mind for the next time somebody tries to justify the pipelines existence.
- Whatever you decide to do, the craziest thing we can do is absolutely nothing.
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Towards the end of August, Just Moms STL hosted two candidate forums about the West Lake Landfill with a combined attendance of 120 different community members. Both events invited the candidates from the Democratic and Republican Party in races for Congress, the Senate, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and the Missouri Senate and General Assembly. In total, 26 candidates (some repeats) showed up to both events to tell community members what they would do if elected about the West Lake Landfill.
Both Republicans and Democrats at the event agreed on the need for removal of the radioactive waste present in the landfill and almost universally supported H.R. 4100, the bill transferring jurisdiction over the cleanup from the EPA to the Army Corps of Engineers. In an era where bipartisanship is rare to see on any issue, the realization across the aisle that something must be done on the West Lake Landfill is notable and refreshing. Jason Kander, a Democrat running for the Senate, pledged to community members, “you’ll be a top concern for me” and “my wife reminds me that you are why I am running for office, because she is a mom too.” Similarly, Mark Matthiesen, a Republican running for the Missouri State Senate, argued that the EPA isn’t proactive enough on the issue and pushed for relocation for the families.
All candidates also pledged to send a representative to Just Moms STL community meetings, an important show of support for the organization and the larger Bridgeton community. The fact that candidates for public office across the state saw the need to address the community speaks to its power. I’ve been working with Just Moms STL for over three months now and I am continually impressed by their resolve and determination to fight back against Republic Services (the owner of the West Lake Landfill) and even the government itself in order to protect themselves and their children. It is through events like the West Lake Candidate Forums that Just Moms STL has demonstrated that it is an important force in the Bridgeton community, one I strongly feel will succeed in removing the radioactive waste present in their community.
For more information about the events themselves, look up #WestLakeForum on Twitter and to view the live video stream of both events, visit the Just Moms STL Facebook page.