“When it comes
to enforcing the
rights of poor
people and people
of color in the U.S.,
officials often look
the other way.”
Robert Bullard,
Father of the Environmental Justice Movement
Warren County, NC
PCB Landfill 1978–2004
In 1978, over 30,000 gallons of waste transformer oil contaminated with toxic chemicals (PCBs) were illegally dumped on North Carolina highway roadside.
The state of North Carolina elected to move the contaminated soil
to a landfill in the impoverished, rural community of Warren County. The toxic-waste dump was forced
on the tiny community of Afton,
a town with little political power where 1/4 of the children live
in poverty. More than 84 percent
of the community was African American in 1982.
While the polluters were fined and jailed, the innocent Afton community was handed a 20-year sentence
of living in a toxic-waste prison.
This was an inescapable instance
of racial targeting. This community’s resilience not only culminated in the detox of the PCB landfill, but their efforts triggered the national environmental justice movement.
Read Full Story
Environmental Racism:
PCB Landfill Finally Remediated But No Reparation For Residents
Excerpts from The Quest For Environmental Justice: Human Rights And The Politics of Pollution
Symbol of a Movement
Warren County residents did not take kindly
to having toxic waste dumped on them. It is here where a cross-section of America waged a frontal assault against state-sponsored environmental racism. Local county residents organized themselves into a fighting force that was later joined by national civil rights leaders, church leaders, black elected officials, environmental activists, labor leaders,
and youth.
The state began hauling more than 6,000 truckloads of the PCB-contaminated soil to the landfill in the fall of 1982. Just two weeks later, more than 414 protesters had been arrested. In the end, over 500 protesters were arrested.
Although the protests did not stop the trucks from rolling in and dumping their toxic loads, the marches, demonstrations, and jailings focused the national media spotlight on Warren County.
NATIONAL IMPACT
The Warren County struggle was the impetus behind the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice 1987 “Toxic Waste and Race” report.
The protests also galvanized environmental justice
as a national civil rights and human rights issue,
as well as ushered in a new era of national black leadership around the environment.
No longer would environmentalism be viewed as the sole domain of elites and the white middle-class. Environment was redefined as “where we live, work, play, worship, go to school, as well as the physical and natural world.” This new definition took hold among community based organizations, grassroots activists, analysts, and academics all across the United States.
Under traditional human rights law and policy, governments that practice or tolerate racial discrimination acknowledge and end their human rights violation and compensate the victims.
POLITICAL SCIENCE –
NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
North Carolina state officials surveyed 93 sites in 13 counties and settled on Warren County. The Warren County PCB landfill site was not scientifically the most suitable because the water table at the landfill
is very shallow, only 5-10 feet below the surface and where the residents of the community get all of their drinking water from local wells. Selecting a landfill site is not rocket science.
Much of the “objective” science surrounding waste facility siting masks built-in land-use discrimination. Many officials target the cheapest land available,
an "easy way out" which in itself often targets impoverished and minority communities.
The environmental justice framework unmasks
the ugly face of racism. There is nothing inherent about black communities that make them more suitable land uses for dumps.
Warren County residents pleaded for a more permanent solution, rather than a cheap “quick-fix” that would eventually end up with the PCBs leaking into the groundwater and wells. Their voices fell
on deaf ears as the landfill began to leak in 1993.
PCBs are persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic pollutants. That is, they are highly toxic, long-lasting substances that can build up in the food chain
to levels that are harmful to human and ecosystem health. They also cause developmental effects such as low birth weight and they disrupt hormone function.
PCBs are not something most Americans would want as a next-door neighbor.
A CASE FOR REPARATIONS
It is important that the state finally detoxified the Warren County PCB landfill – a problem it created for local residents. This is a major victory for local residents and the environmental justice movement.
Detoxifying the landfill does not bring the community back to its pre-1982 PCB-free environmental condition. Soil still containing small PCBs levels
is buried at least 15 feet below the surface in the dump. However, government officials say the site
is safe and suitable for reuse.
The siting of the PCB landfill in Afton is a textbook case of environmental racism. Around the world, environmental racism is defined as a human rights violation. Under traditional human rights law and policy, we expect governments that practice
or tolerate racial discrimination to acknowledge
and end this human rights violation and compensate the victims.
Environmental remediation is not reparations.
No reparations have been paid for the two decades
of economic loss, psychological damage, and mental anguish suffered by the Warren County residents.
This is not rocket science, but political science–a question of who gets what, when, why, and how much.
When it comes to enforcing the rights of poor people and people of color in the United States, government officials often look the other way. Too often they must be prodded to enforce environmental and civil rights laws and regulations without regard to race, color, national origin, and socioeconomic background. Laws, regulations, and executive orders are only as good as their enforcement. In many
communities populated by poor people and people
of color, unequal enforcement has left a gaping hole
in environmental protection. Waiting for government to act is a recipe for disaster.
The solution to environmental injustice lies in the realm of equal protection of all individuals, groups, and communities. No community, rich or poor, urban or suburban, black or white, should be made into
a sacrifice zone or dumping ground. However, the officials responsible for issuing permits to hazardous waste facilities and dirty industries have followed the path of least resistance. This is not rocket science,
but political science-a question of who gets what, when, why, and how much.
Because of the strength of Warren County, environmental racism is now defined as a human rights issue around the world.
Warren county
Analyzing Trends
Success of the people
Protest nonviolently through blockades
Involve entire community
Persevere for thirty years
Hold state accountable
Conduct environmental studies
Harness media attention
Create national activism support system
Failure of the state
Distribute waste unevenly over state
Target a minority community
Offer few hosting benefits
Exclude community from decisions
Delay detoxification
Disregard promises