Chicago environmental activists urge delay of proposed law change
Chicago environmental activists urged the city Sunday to delay approval of a proposal that would allow crews to reuse soil from construction sites even if the dirt contains lead, arsenic, benzene and other chemicals.
Activists from the Pilsen neighborhood said their community has too often been a dumping ground for toxic materials and that the ordinance, which will come before the City Council's Environment Committee on Monday, raises too many questions to merit speedy approval.
"For many, many years the city has not taken soil contamination seriously, and it's our responsibility as communities of color that are severely impacted to call upon them and say it's too quick to make a decision," said Kim Wasserman of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.
The city's soil contains plenty of contaminants after decades of heavy traffic and industrial activity. Dirt removed from construction projects must be transported to landfills and replaced with earth that typically is taken from Downstate farmland.
The ordinance would allow Chicago's dirt to be reused at other construction sites as long as tests showed that its level of contaminants was beneath thresholds established by the city and state. Soil deemed unsafe would continue to be taken to landfills.
Suzanne Malec-McKenna, the city's environment commissioner, said trucking away construction soil and importing new dirt add needless expense to public works projects.
"You're going to have certain levels of chemicals in the soil, but not levels that are unsafe for human health and the environment. ... It's the reality of living in a community that has cars and trucks and the history of a city," she said.
Malec-McKenna said the city and state have been working on the plan for two years, and that the Environment Committee held a hearing last month on the proposal.
The Pilsen activists said they wanted more time to study the proposal's impact. If the ordinance clears the committee, the City Council could vote on it Wednesday.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-soil-ordinance-16mar16,0,1043028.story?track=rss
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