Media Center

IEPA Approves General Iron’s Move from Affluent Lincoln Park to Vulnerable Community of Color

June 25, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

The Illinois EPA today granted a permit allowing the notorious polluter, General Iron, to move its operation from the affluent Lincoln Park neighborhood to the working class community of color in Chicago’s Southeast Side.

Southeast Side Groups React To General Iron Incident

May 18, 2020 Press ReleaseChicago

A coalition of community groups fighting the relocation of a controversial metal shredding operation from the North Side of Chicago to the Southeast Side of the city had a very simple reaction to the explosions that rocked the General Iron facility earlier today:  “Don’t…

Federal Judge Approves Settlement Agreement to Retire E.D. Edwards Coal Plant

November 13, 2019 Press ReleaseIllinois

Decision Launches 90 Day Period for Plaintiffs to Award $8.6 Million in Settlement Funds for Local Projects to Benefit Peoria-area Communities

Chicago Residents Hardest Hit by Pollution Call on City to Act Following Audit

September 19, 2019 Press ReleaseChicago

Environmental advocates are renewing calls for City government to address the disproportionate pollution burden for Chicago’s communities of color following a new audit from City’s Office of Inspector General. The report shows significant gaps in the City’s enforcement of air…

Illinois Congressional Members Call for Action on Brain Poison Polluting Chicago’s SE Side

February 22, 2019 Press ReleaseIllinois

Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and Representative Robin Kelly delivered a letter to the US EPA calling for aggressive action against the Watco facility on Chicago’s Southeast Side, a source of dangerously high levels of neurotoxic manganese. A…

New Report: Land Use Reforms Can Break Cycle of American Environmental Racism

February 21, 2019 Press ReleaseChicago

Municipal zoning laws across the country have fueled segregation and deepened environmental injustices, but grassroots organizations are now reforming zoning laws to provide protections from industrial pollution, as detailed in a new analysis released today by the Tishman Environment and…

Flint Safe Water Case Back in Court: Groups Say City Isn’t Complying with Lead Pipe Settlement

August 21, 2018 Press ReleaseFlint

Seventeen months after a settlement approved by a federal court paved the way to take big steps to address the water crisis in Flint, groups are back in court to ensure the City can successfully execute key provisions to protect…

Federal Court Rules State Dept. Must Conduct Full Environmental Review of Keystone XL in Nebraska

August 15, 2018 Press ReleaseNebraska

A federal judge today sided with environmental, landowner and Tribal plaintiffs in their challenge to the Trump administration’s approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Southeast Side Residents Condemn City’s Zoning Rules that Pave the Way for Dirty Industry like General Iron and Others to Move to Their Community

July 30, 2018 Press ReleaseChicago

Southeast Side residents and advocates held a press conference today in response to General Iron’s announced plans to move its Lincoln Park metal shredder, cited last week by the EPA for air pollution violations, to a new facility on Chicago’s Southeast Side. Residents at…

EPA Cited General Iron, Southeast Side Residents Concerned About Health Threats

July 27, 2018 Press ReleaseChicago

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cited General Iron today for excessive air pollution, failing to install adequate pollution controls, and for not obtaining the correct air permit today. Since 2016, the EPA has conducted several inspections at the facility…

Soil Samples Show Dangerously High Levels of Manganese on Southeast Side Homes

May 1, 2018 Press ReleaseChicago

Chicago Department of Public Health Disclosed High Levels of Manganese from Soil Samples and Recommends EPA Take Action

City of Chicago Denies Exemption from Air Monitoring for Facility that Stores Neurotoxic Manganese

December 21, 2017 Press ReleaseChicago

The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) has denied a request to avoid air pollution monitoring requirements at a facility that stores neurotoxic manganese on the city’s Southeast Side. Community and environmental organizations urged the City to increase monitoring at the facility operated by…

Trump’s EPA Stalls on Policing Southeast Side Polluters, Residents Urge Mayor Emanuel to Step Up

December 19, 2017 Press ReleaseChicago

As Trump’s EPA delays enforcement on air pollution violations in Chicago’s Southeast Side, community and environmental groups have penned a letter urging Mayor Rahm Emanuel to step in to protect residents from neurotoxic manganese near neighborhoods and schools. The letter also calls on…

Report: Homeowners Trapped by Repeated Flooding Under Troubled Flood Insurance Program

July 25, 2017 Press ReleaseChicago

CHICAGO – The nation’s flood insurance program has repeatedly rebuilt some of the most flood-prone properties in the country, unintentionally trapping owners of modest homes who would prefer to move out of harm’s way, according to a new national report…

Court: Aging E.D. Edwards Coal Plant Must Clean Up Its Smokestacks

August 23, 2016 Press ReleaseChicago

CHICAGO – A coalition of health and environmental groups have won a significant victory in their legal fight to clean up the E.D. Edwards coal plant near Peoria, IL. U.S. District Court Judge Joe Billy McDade ruled the plant operator…

EPA Is “Part of the Problem” In Flint

January 13, 2016 Press ReleaseFlint

Press reports published today reveal a disappointingly passive response from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to address concerns about drinking water in Flint, MI before and since the city was gripped by a lead poisoning crisis.