Category: Toxic Chemicals

Dane County Regional Airport Environmental health Environmental Justice PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

How much PFAS is oozing down Starkweather Creek from Dane County Regional Airport & Truax base??

February 1, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Starkweather Creek flowing through the Darbo Worthington neighborhood, about a mile south of the airport and military base. See readable map here. Please contact info@mejo.us for reports with data depicted…

City of Madison Hartmeyer natural area Madison Water Utility Oscar Mayer Pesticides PFCs or PFAS Plastics Soil contamination Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Toxins Water Pollution Water quality

What does 2021 hold for Oscar Mayer?

January 31, 2021 Jim Powell

As PFAS pollution in Madison is detected in more and more places, and as the government regulating the pollution (WDNR) and the government entities responsible for much of that pollution…

Air National Guard Cancer City of Madison Ecology Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish Fish Advisory Military PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Racial Justice Racism Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Water Pollution

Oops! We poisoned the “Giants Among Us”–the Yahara lakes

January 22, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

MEJO’s Jim Powell and Touyeng Xiong teach kids how to put bait on fish hooks at the Olbrich Park fishing pier on Lake Monona, summer 2018. Sadly, they couldn’t eat…

Air National Guard City of Madison Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Fish Inequality Military Poverty Privilege Racial disparities Racism Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s forgotten “giant triplets” alive & well in Madison, Wisconsin

January 18, 2021 Maria C. Powell, PhD

From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence”: “I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the…

Cancer City of Madison Community engagement Environmental health Environmental Justice Madison Metro Oscar Mayer Public Participation Racial disparities Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek TCE Toxic Chemicals Vapor intrusion Water Pollution

Madison Northsiders say NO to Metro Bus Barn!

November 22, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

By Madison Northsiders No Bus Barn is the Northside community’s voice for better land use at the previous Oscar Mayer site. We are dedicated to place-making in this new era…

City of Madison Community engagement Environmental health Environmental Justice Fish Madison Gas & Electric Oscar Mayer PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Starkweather EJ Project stormwater runoff Toxic Chemicals Truax Wastewater Treatment Water quality

Utility to build over toxic sludge at former sewage plant on Madison’s Northside

November 13, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Above: Burke sewage plant “trickling filters” built around 1916. Photo from Wisconsin Historical Society ******* One of Madison’s long-standing corporate powerhouses, Madison Gas & Electric (MGE), plans to build a…

City of Madison Environmental health Environmental Justice Ho-Chunk Madison Water Utility Oscar Mayer Public Participation Racial disparities Racism Toxic Chemicals Toxins Vapor intrusion Water Pollution Water quality

Madison’s long history of racist planning and development

October 11, 2020 Jim Powell

Madison newspaper The Cap Times published this column on October 8. Column Madison’s long history of racist planning and development By Maria Powell | executive director, Midwest Environmental Justice Organization…

City of Madison Environmental health Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Ho-Chunk Oscar Mayer Privilege Racial disparities Racism Toxic Chemicals Truax

Development disparities: Madison’s classist, racist beginnings are alive and well in 2020

September 10, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Photo: Oscar Mayer in 1947 (Wisconsin State Journal archives) ********** Flying in the face of its stated commitment to racial equity and social justice, Madison is as racist and classist…

City of Madison Environmental Justice Oscar Mayer Racial disparities Racism Toxic Chemicals Wisconsin DNR

Madison alders approved city’s first environmental justice policy this summer–without knowing it

September 4, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

Dane County and Madison have some of the worst racial disparities in the nation. Elected officials vow time and again to fix things, but when there’s a choice between doing…

City of Madison Environmental health Fire fighting Fish Advisory Madison Gas & Electric PFCs or PFAS Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Water Pollution

Firefighting Foam Action in Wisconsin

August 11, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

From International Fire Fighter Vicki Quint Water contamination issues from PFAS are creating pressure on the fire service to make changes in toxic AFFF products. PFAS contamination of drinking water…

Air National Guard Department of Defense Environmental health Environmental Justice F-35 Fighter jets Military Pentagon PFCs or PFAS Racial disparities Racism Risk Assessment Starkweather Creek Toxic Chemicals Truax Trump Water Pollution

Faith Leaders Oppose F-35 Fighter Jets

August 3, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

A full-page ad appeared in the Wisconsin State Journal on July 29, 2020 – speaking against the F-35 fighter jets for reasons of social and environmental justice, and world peace.…

Air Pollution Cancer City of Madison Climate Change Community engagement coronavirus Environmental health Environmental Justice Privilege Racial disparities Racism Toxic Chemicals

Police brutality and environmental injustices are connected

June 11, 2020 Maria C. Powell, PhD

(Image from The Nation) MEJO condemns the brutal killing of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer–and commends Black Lives Matter, other racial justice activists, and all…

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…