The betrayal: How a lawyer, a lobbyist and a legislator waged war on an Alabama Superfund cleanup

Share This Post

Roberson and Joel Gilbert, a powerhouse lawyer with Balch & Bingham, had fought off environmental rules before. But for this campaign they needed a public face, someone with credibility both with the state government in Montgomery and the black communities in north Birmingham.

Someone who could persuade the people living on contaminated land to protest not the pollution, but the cleanup.

By early 2014, they had chosen Oliver L. Robinson Jr. (D), an African American state legislator and former University of Alabama at Birmingham basketball star. Read the entire story.

More To Explore

Fighting to Win

By Gregory Kolen II. Did you know that CHEJ offers audio discussions for you to listen to? The Fighting to Win podcast hosted by the

Joppa, TX – Profile of a Sacrifice Zone

By Hunter Marion. Nestled between the slow, muddy waters of the Trinity River and the noisy I-45, sits Joppa, TX. Pronounced “Joppee” by locals, Joppa