Author: Jim Powell

City of Madison Community engagement Dane County Earth Day Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Racism Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DNR

MEJO and East Madison Community Center teens find significantly elevated PFAS levels in Starkweather Creek sediments

April 21, 2020 Jim Powell

Earth Day 2020: Fifty years after first Earth Day, toxic environmental pollution still pervasive (Madison, Wis.)–New PFAS results, released before the COVID 19 lockdown, show significantly elevated levels of PFOS…

City of Madison City of Madison Parks Department Community engagement Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Public Participation Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Toxins Truax Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DHS Wisconsin DNR

PFAS Task Force RIP

December 21, 2019 Jim Powell

As we’ve experienced for twenty years in Madison, local government prefers to keep the public out of actions it takes–or does not take–regarding locally-occurring toxic pollution problems. The proposed Madison-Dane…

Air National Guard City of Madison City of Madison Parks Department Dane County Regional Airport Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory Madison Gas & Electric PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Toxins Truax Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DHS Wisconsin DNR

PFAS levels in creek are more than “concerning”

December 21, 2019 Jim Powell

The PFOS amount in foam found in Starkweather Creek was 92,000 parts per trillion, far exceeding the laughable EPA advisory threshold level of 70 ppt. The mayor should be more…

Dane County Regional Airport Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project Toxic Chemicals Toxins Truax Water Pollution Wisconsin DNR

Northside News: Northside advocates address PFAS well and waterways dangers

November 29, 2019 Jim Powell

The December/January issue of the Northside News has a front page article on MEJO’s work… Northside advocates address PFAS well and waterways dangers By Cora Wiese Moore Northside News Growing…

City of Madison Department of Defense Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Racism Truax

Truax Apartment residents on F-35s

September 14, 2019 Jim Powell

On Saturday, September 14, Maria Powell (MEJO’s Executive Director) went door-to-door talking to Truax Apartments residents about what they think of the current F-16 fighter jet noise at the Truax…

Air National Guard Air Pollution Environmental Justice Fish Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxins Truax Water Pollution

PFAS regulations proposed by Wisconsin state elected officials

May 25, 2019 Jim Powell

Photo: Truax Air National Guard base in Madison, heavily contaminated with PFAS. This is an interesting story about belated-action by Wisconsin officials to address PFAS, though given the political climate,…

City of Madison Dane County Department of Defense Environmental Justice EPA Fish Fish Advisory Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Toxins Truax Water Pollution Water quality Wetlands Wisconsin DNR

MEJO Report: Starkweather Creek & Toxic Stormwater Runoff in Madison, Wis.

April 21, 2019 Jim Powell

On Earth Day, April 22, the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization released a report on its USEPA-funded Starkweather Creek Environmental Justice project. STARKWEATHER CREEK & TOXIC STORMWATER RUNOFF REPORT Pollution, governance…

Madison-Kipp Corp. PCBs Public Health Madison Dane County stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Vapor intrusion Water Pollution

Madison polluter doesn’t like what he reads

November 11, 2017 Jim Powell

Graphic from the Nov 2, 2017 Isthmus weekly newspaper The Wisconsin State Journal published an October 28, 2017 article, “Best estimate is plume from Madison-Kipp plant could reach drinking water…

Environmental Justice EPA Fish Public Participation stormwater runoff

Community dinner kicks off new EPA-funded environmental justice project

October 7, 2017 Jim Powell

MEJO and the East Madison Community Center held a community fish dinner on September 30 to close out the Center’s Hunger Action Month activities and kickoff MEJO’s new USEPA-funded Starkweather…

City of Madison Goodman Community Center Madison-Kipp Corp. PCBs Wisconsin DNR

Kipp PCBs continue to pollute area along Isthmus bike path, even after multiple remediations

April 13, 2017 Jim Powell

Kipp drain pipe carries toxic PCBs to city rain garden near bike path , STEVEN VERBURG sverburg@madison.com The company expects to find a solution soon, but critics say government regulators…

Environmental Justice Madison-Kipp Corp. Soil contamination stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Toxins Water Pollution

City of Madison not requiring Kipp to measure PCBs in raingarden?

October 1, 2016 Jim Powell

This pictogram was used in this post; the splash pad has since been completed Since August we have tried to get the following information from the City of Madison on…

Soil contamination stormwater runoff Toxins Water Pollution Wisconsin DNR

Wisconsin DNR not following its own rules

June 4, 2016 Jim Powell

This really isn’t a surprise but it’s still very disturbing. WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL JUNE 3, 2016 WATER ENFORCEMENT | DNR DISREGARDING OWN RULES State audit finds DNR ignoring own rules…

Madison-Kipp Corp. Public Participation Toxins

“Sound-blocking fence” at Kipp still does not block sound!

January 2, 2016 Jim Powell

A year later, it remains a puzzle how this piddly wooden fence is considered a “sound-blocking” fence by the City of Madison when it obviously just does not block sound!…

Air Pollution Dioxins Environmental Justice Goodman Community Center Madison-Kipp Corp. Toxins Wisconsin DNR Worker health and safety

Madison-Kipp Clean Air Act violations: MEJO response to Kipp CEO

June 19, 2015 Jim Powell

Madison-Kipp Corp President/CEO Tony Koblinski responded to our post regarding the EPA consent decree for his company’s Clean Air Act violations. Here is our response: Dear Mr. Koblinski: We offer…

Air Pollution Goodman Community Center Madison-Kipp Corp. Toxins

EPA fines Madison-Kipp for air violations; Goodman Center gets A/C in the deal!

June 13, 2015 Jim Powell

The view of Madison-Kipp Corp. from the Goodman Community Center; PCBs are being removed from the rain garden in the foreground The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Madison-Kipp Corporation…