Author: Maria C. Powell, PhD

City of Madison Community engagement Dane County East Madison Community Center Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Racial disparities Racism Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Water quality Wisconsin DNR

Northside teens push for creek clean-up after new sediment tests find high levels of PFAS — again

May 28, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Oona Mackesey-Green, Northside News (photo by Garth Olmanson) When the test results came back in February showing high levels of PFAS in the sediment at Starkweather Creek, a foot…

City of Madison Community engagement East Madison Community Center Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Water quality

Capital City Hues on MEJO & EMCC Starkweather PFAS testing (Part 2)

May 21, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

East Madison Community Center (EMCC) Starkweather project team members Mack Rimson, Kenyan Harper, and Elijah Smith (left to right) at a Starkweather Creek tributary, November 2019 (Photo: Maria Powell) **********…

City of Madison Community engagement East Madison Community Center Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

Capital City Hues on MEJO & EMCC Starkweather PFAS testing (Part I)

May 6, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

MEJO and EMCC team meets to discuss Starkweather results in late February (Photo by Jim Powell) *********** Jonathan Gramling of Capital City Hues met with MEJO leaders and East Madison…

Air National Guard Air Pollution Bisphenol A City of Madison coronavirus Dane County Department of Defense Endocrine disruptors Environmental health Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Madison Water Utility Military PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Racism Risk Assessment Toxic Chemicals Truax Virus Water Pollution Water quality

PFAS, COVID and potential environmental racism

May 4, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Brad Geyer, Safe Skies, Clean Water The draft environmental impact study acknowledged that there will be “significant disproportionate impacts to low-income and minority populations as well as children.” Although…

Air National Guard Air Pollution Cancer City of Madison coronavirus Environmental health F-35 Fighter jets PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax

Decision to base F-35s in Madison ignores public health concerns

May 1, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Bruce Barrett and Paula Rogge, Cap Times Today we are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. Our federal, state and local government officials have been working hard to contain the…

Air Pollution City of Madison Earth Day Ecology Environmental health Environmental Justice Military Pentagon

Earth Day 1970 in Madison, Wisconsin

April 22, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Fifty years ago, on April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day events were held across the United States, spearheaded by Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Madison) and Dennis Hayes, a Harvard Kennedy…

City of Madison Environmental Justice prions Public Health Madison Dane County stormwater runoff Tennyson Toxic Chemicals Toxins Water Pollution Wisconsin DNR

Low-income housing built on “environmental nightmare,” infectious agents

March 21, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Was the site cleaned up before development? No. ****************** In the last three years, low income apartments, an assisted living facility, and several Habitat for Humanity homes have been constructed…

Air National Guard City of Madison Dane County Dane County Regional Airport Environmental Justice EPA F-35 Fighter jets Fish PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Risk Assessment Soil contamination Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Trump Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DNR

Superfund will not protect our waterways — or us — from the military’s toxic pollution

March 11, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Maria Powell, Cap Times op-ed Photo above: Starkweather Creek going through Truax Field The final environmental impact statement (EIS) on basing F-35 fighter jets at Madison’s Truax Field states that…

Air National Guard Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Fish Fish Advisory PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water quality

MEJO Executive Director on PFAS and F-35s at Madison Truax Field

March 4, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Video by Bob Mincberg.

Air National Guard City of Madison Dane County Department of Defense Environmental Justice EPA F-35 Fighter jets PFCs or PFAS Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Wisconsin DNR

The Final F-35 EIS is a total sham

February 23, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

The public comment process for the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for basing F-35s at Madison’s Truax Air National Guard base was not only token—it was a total sham. According…

City of Madison Dane County Fish Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Water quality

Don’t kill the messenger: City water utility spokesperson falsely accuses media of bias

January 30, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

PFAS hits in Madison drinking water wells By Steven Verburg, for the Isthmus In a Jan. 16 guest column in Isthmus, a Madison city water utility spokesperson took a page…

Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Environmental Justice Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Toxic Chemicals

Water Utility dismisses public concerns, puts public relations over public health

January 21, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

On January 9, 2020, the Isthmus published a cover story on PFAS: “The fight for safe drinking water; Will Madison officials pay attention to the science on PFAS?” I commend…

City of Madison Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory Public Health Madison Dane County Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Wisconsin DHS Wisconsin DNR

High levels of PFAS found in Starkweather Creek, Lake Monona fish (gee, what a surprise!)

January 17, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

In October, 2018–after months of asking the city, county, and DNR to test fish in Starkweather Creek–we posted this article asking why nobody would test the fish. We had known…

Cancer City of Madison EPA Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Wisconsin DNR

The fight for safe drinking water: Will Madison officials pay attention to the science on PFAS?

January 9, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Graphic from ISTHMUS By Kori Feener, Isthmus Maria Powell used to believe that science would prevail. She co-founded the Midwest Environmental Justice Organization in 2005, hoping to draw attention to…

City of Madison Environmental Justice PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water quality Wisconsin DHS Wisconsin DNR

Madison Mayor calls PFAS levels in Starkweather Creek foam ‘concerning’

December 20, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: Kids fishing from Starkweather Creek at the Olbrich boat launch in summer 2018 (Maria Powell) By Abigail Becker, Cap Times Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources confirmed Thursday high concentrations…