Post by L Roebuck on May 23, 2006 8:44:39 GMT -5
This issue has been ongoing for several years. Recently caver, Carl Bishop has attended local meetings.
Earth Day Rally At Dickson Landfill
by Jennifer Tlumak
Email: jennifer.tlumak (nospam) gmail.com
Phone: 615-785-0872
The Tennessee Coalition for Environmental Justice joined with concerned Dickson citizens to hold a rally on Earth Day, April 22, at 9 a.m.,at the Dickson landfill. "People are breathing off-gassing chemicals and particles of pollution leakingfrom the landfill ," said landfill neighbor and Dickson citizen Mary Wright. "We stand here today, on Earth Day, to fight for the health of all Dickson's residents," she continued. Participants at the rally held signs protesting the landfill's negative effects on the community. TCEJ released a letter to the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, James Fyke, and Dickson Mayor, Linda Frazier, calling for public hearings on contamination, consideration of alternative remedies, and prosecution of environmental crimes.
Water underneath and around the Dickson county landfill is heavily contaminated from years of illegal dumping of industrial waste. Contamination has spread to surrounding springs and other areas.
The President of the Dickson County Branch of the NAACP, Harold J. Bell, presented his organization's resolution concerning the issue. The resolution will be presented at the National NAACP Convention this summer. The Dickson County Branch of the NAACP is a founding member of TCEJ.
Mrs. Amy Wood, one of the many mothers in Dickson who gave birth to a cleft palate baby, spoke about the impact the landfill has had on her family's life.
TCEJ, a coalition of environmental, religious, civil rights, and peace groups specifically asked for prosecution of corporations and individuals who dumped toxic chemicals. Bruce Wood, president of BURNT and a member of TCEJ said, "Laws were violated by people who knew what they were doing. The evidence was hidden three hundred feet underground. These cases should be prosecuted". Wood expressed concern that the State of Tennessee and Dickson County have violated state laws because citizens are not included in planning processes and alternative remedies are not being considered.
The Dickson County Landfill, located in a primarily black area, was operated as a dump during the 1940's and 1950's. Since the 1960's, industrial chemicals including solvents, grease, and pesticides from fiberglass, automotive, and manufacturing businesses have been illegally disposed of there. Drinking water wells, primarily those of black people, have been poisoned by the resulting pollution. The karst geology underlying the landfill creates fissures that allow toxics to spread widely. Several civil lawsuits about the situation are pending
Tennessee Independent Media Center News Environment
Additional Reading:
Environmental Justice Resource Center
EPA:Dickson County Landfill, Tennessee
EPA: Dickson County, TN Landfill Reassessment Report
Earth Day Rally At Dickson Landfill
by Jennifer Tlumak
Email: jennifer.tlumak (nospam) gmail.com
Phone: 615-785-0872
The Tennessee Coalition for Environmental Justice joined with concerned Dickson citizens to hold a rally on Earth Day, April 22, at 9 a.m.,at the Dickson landfill. "People are breathing off-gassing chemicals and particles of pollution leakingfrom the landfill ," said landfill neighbor and Dickson citizen Mary Wright. "We stand here today, on Earth Day, to fight for the health of all Dickson's residents," she continued. Participants at the rally held signs protesting the landfill's negative effects on the community. TCEJ released a letter to the Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, James Fyke, and Dickson Mayor, Linda Frazier, calling for public hearings on contamination, consideration of alternative remedies, and prosecution of environmental crimes.
Water underneath and around the Dickson county landfill is heavily contaminated from years of illegal dumping of industrial waste. Contamination has spread to surrounding springs and other areas.
The President of the Dickson County Branch of the NAACP, Harold J. Bell, presented his organization's resolution concerning the issue. The resolution will be presented at the National NAACP Convention this summer. The Dickson County Branch of the NAACP is a founding member of TCEJ.
Mrs. Amy Wood, one of the many mothers in Dickson who gave birth to a cleft palate baby, spoke about the impact the landfill has had on her family's life.
TCEJ, a coalition of environmental, religious, civil rights, and peace groups specifically asked for prosecution of corporations and individuals who dumped toxic chemicals. Bruce Wood, president of BURNT and a member of TCEJ said, "Laws were violated by people who knew what they were doing. The evidence was hidden three hundred feet underground. These cases should be prosecuted". Wood expressed concern that the State of Tennessee and Dickson County have violated state laws because citizens are not included in planning processes and alternative remedies are not being considered.
The Dickson County Landfill, located in a primarily black area, was operated as a dump during the 1940's and 1950's. Since the 1960's, industrial chemicals including solvents, grease, and pesticides from fiberglass, automotive, and manufacturing businesses have been illegally disposed of there. Drinking water wells, primarily those of black people, have been poisoned by the resulting pollution. The karst geology underlying the landfill creates fissures that allow toxics to spread widely. Several civil lawsuits about the situation are pending
Tennessee Independent Media Center News Environment
Additional Reading:
Environmental Justice Resource Center
EPA:Dickson County Landfill, Tennessee
EPA: Dickson County, TN Landfill Reassessment Report