It's easy to get bogged down by news articles and studies that demonstrate how much injustice, inequality, and environmental degradation are burdening different populations in the world. One would think that after years and years of pollution and struggle that things would change: laws and regulations would have a greater impact and perhaps we would learn from mistakes made in the past. With all of this newly obtained knowledge I have about lead poisoning, food deserts, and dangerously polluted parks in lower income neighborhoods I have begun to feel a bit depressed. But all is not lost! I stumbled upon this article yesterday about a local government in New York taking a stand against potentially hazardous testing of waste water produced by hydraulic fracturing operations in Niagara falls. (For those who have no idea what hydraulic fracturing is, like me, it is the process of extracting natural gas or other forms of energy by using pressurized water or sand to break up underground shale). The article itself is: http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Niagara-Falls-won-t-treat-drilling-wastewater-3385642.php but I can summarize it. Apparently the Niagara Falls Water Board has been toying with the idea of accepting, treating and testing out of town wastewater from hydraulic fracturing operations because of declining profits. The wastewater however most always contains carcinogens and the community in Niagara falls was concerned that the water would be discharged into the streams and into their neighborhoods. So thanks to the concerned citizens, environmental and social justice groups, just two days ago the city council approved an ordinance that would prohibit the "storage, transfer, treatment or disposal of natural gas exploration and production wastes." But activist groups were not the only motivation behind the approval of this ordinance, in fact it was in part due to the same town's traumatic history of pollution and deception by the government in the 1970's. The site that is fighting dangerous wastewater treatment now is the same one that held Love Canal: the first official superfund site.
The story of Love Canal is extensive and I have provided a link to an informational, somewhat dramatic documentary about the details however once again for the sake of brevity I shall paraphrase the event. In the late 1800's a company began construction on a canal just east of Niagara falls. The project was never finished due to a lack of funding so 20 years later the area was purchased by Hooker Chemical company and essentially used as a hazardous waste dump site for several years. In the 1950's it was covered with clay and soil and the town of Love Canal grew and flourished around it. Hooker's land was bought for 1 dollar and used as a playground for the local school (despite warnings that there could be exposure to dangerous chemicals). Residents of the town were unaware of the dangers of the area: basements were leaking black goo, children were suffering from medical conditions yet when certain families (most notably Lois Gibbs) asked to be relocated to a more safe area, they were refused. This sparked a wave of grassroots activism led by mostly concerned mothers that eventually led to national attention and the recognition by national government to address and clean up highly polluted areas.
The legitimacy and relevance of this story is so apparent now, when the same neighborhood is once again faced with the risk of exposure to chemicals. This time however, city council took the lead to protect the citizens (as is their job). Councilman Glenn Choolokian said, "I researched it and it just came to a point where money can't be everything... We can't be a test case. We've been through Love Canal. We don't want another Love Canal" Perhaps one can be optimistic about this quote and this story. History doesn't have to repeat itself. Government can be better, policy can be better and mistakes can be avoided.
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