The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dismissed a civil rights case brought by residents of Uniontown, Ala., who claimed their health problems were due to toxic coal ash from a 2008 spill in Harriman, Tenn., that was disposed of in a landfill near Uniontown.
Coal ash contains a number of toxins that can cause health problems. In Uniontown, residents report breathing difficulties, mental illness and cancer. Authorities have not conducted studies to determine a correlation.
Uniontown’s population is 90 percent black and 50 percent live below the poverty line. The group of residents who filed the Civil Rights Act complaint argued that this was a case of environmental racism.
“The protection we’ve got from the government is little to none,” resident Ben Eaton told The Guardian. “I can’t help but feel it’s because the population is mainly black and poor. This was forced on us. If this was a white, wealthy community, this would’ve never happened.” — Ashley Goodman
Related Articles
Latest News
More Stories
English Language Learning in Appalachia
Learning English is always difficult. But current aggressive approaches to immigration policy are creating more barriers for learners and the programs that serve them than ever before in Appalachia and beyond.
Landfill Drama
Many residents of Pike County, Kentucky, are breathing a sigh of relief since county commissioners finalized their decision to rescind a contract with an out-of-state waste management company.
Overdrive: Fossil Fuels in Appalachia
Electricity demand is on the rise. Here, we share snapshots of energy trends in the region and how methane gas, coal and data centers are affecting our communities — and how people are pushing back.
Less Support for Communities with Mine Problems
The Trump administration issued a regulation to weaken the Ten Day Notice process that helps community members call in federal enforcement when state regulators don’t do a good job policing environmental problems at coal mines
Chaos at the Tennessee Valley Authority, Cuts to Public Input
The past year has brought turmoil and uncertainty to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public power provider, and its more than 10 million customers across the Tennessee Valley.
Landmark Coal Ash Protections Under Attack
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is planning to eviscerate important, hard-won regulations on coal ash, a toxic waste left after burning coal for energy.
Leave a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Leave a Comment