Category: Environmental Justice

City of Madison Environmental Justice Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District PFCs or PFAS Toxic Chemicals Truax Wisconsin DNR

Wisconsin grapples with ‘green’ waste plants that spread hazardous PFAS

June 26, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Steve Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal Wisconsin wastewater plants were built to keep pollutants out of the environment, but state regulators have come to realize the facilities may be spreading…

City of Madison Environmental Justice Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Toxic Chemicals Wisconsin DHS Wisconsin DNR

Wisconsin may adopt one of nation’s toughest PFAS standards

June 22, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Steve Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services on Friday recommended one of the nation’s most restrictive groundwater standards to protect public health from industrial pollutants that…

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,…

Air National Guard City of Madison Dane County Environmental Justice PCBs PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Water quality

PFAS found in groundwater under former sewage treatment plant

May 13, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Large ditch drains from former sewage plant through Bridges Golf Course and then directly into Starkweather Creek (see above photo) MEJO’s Earth Day Starkweather Creek report highlights gaps in tracking…

Air National Guard City of Madison Dane County Environmental Justice PCBs Public Health Madison Dane County Public Participation Racism Risk Assessment Soil contamination Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DNR

Report: Watchdogs not looking hard enough for public health hazards in lakes, fish

April 30, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Touyeng Xiong, MEJO Vice President, at Starkweather Creek tributary in April 2019 (Photo by John Hart, WSJ) By Steve Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal Madison and Dane County are neglecting to…

Air National Guard Department of Defense Environmental Justice EPA F-35 Fighter jets PCBs Pentagon PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Racism Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

Truax ANG to weaponize base ahead of F-35 deployment

April 24, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Public engagement tokenized, environmental justice ignored According to an April 2019 Draft Environmental Assessment (EA), Truax Air National Guard is planning major demolition, construction, and renovation projects from 2020-2027 at…

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…

City of Madison Environmental Justice Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Risk Assessment Toxic Chemicals Truax Water quality

Madison water utility board wants stronger PFAS protections considered

February 6, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Steve Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal The Madison Water Utility Board is seeking stronger protections for Madison’s drinking water supply from hazardous chemicals that have spread through groundwater from the…

Air National Guard City of Madison Community engagement Environmental Justice EPA Madison Water Utility NRDC PFCs or PFAS Public Health Madison Dane County Public Participation Racism Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution Water quality Wisconsin DNR

Madison water utility hears demands on PFAS-tainted well

January 29, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: Madison Well 15 at Reindahl Park By Steve Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal As citizen groups prepared to ask the Madison Water Utility Board on Tuesday for a more aggressive…

Air National Guard City of Madison Community engagement Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Public Participation Racism Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

Are we spiritually dead? What would Martin Luther King Jr. say?

January 21, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

“Giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism” dominate even in liberal Madison “I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we…

Cancer City of Madison Environmental Justice Fish Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Risk Assessment Toxic Chemicals Truax Water quality

Drinking water contamination linked to chemicals seeping from air base rose slightly

January 8, 2019 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: Madison Well 15 By Steve Verburg, Wisconsin State Journal Testing results released Monday show a slight increase in hazardous fluorinated compounds in Madison drinking water. A Madison Water Utility…

Climate Change Environmental Justice Plastics Toxic Chemicals

Eco Crises: Doom & Gloom, Truth & Consequences

October 27, 2018 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Kristine Mattis, Counterpunch. Photo Source Sakeeb Sabakka | CC BY 2.0 …We can’t save the world by playing by the rules because the rules have to change. Everything needs…

Air National Guard Cancer City of Madison Dane County Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Wisconsin DNR

Toxic PFAS is in Starkweather Creek; will anyone test the fish?

October 6, 2018 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Fish caught by children at the mouth of Starkweather Creek in June 2018 (they did not eat the fish). A MEJO post last May linked to an Air National Guard…

Climate Change E-waste Endocrine disruptors Environmental Justice Over-consumption Plastics Toxic Chemicals

Dying of Consumption While Guzzling Snake Oil: a Realist’s Perspective on the Environmental Crisis

August 11, 2018 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Kristine Mattis, Counterpunch We’re an egoistical, delusional lot, us humans. We’re the only species on the planet who despoils its own life support system and who does not live…

Community engagement Dane County Environmental Justice Madison Water Utility PFCs or PFAS Toxic Chemicals

Truax Contaminants May Be Affecting Madison Drinking Water–CSWAB ACTION ALERT

August 9, 2018 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Laura Olah, Executive Director of Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger. The Madison Water Utility has reported that Truax Field’s Wisconsin Air National Guard base is a possible source…