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Why Is a Dump for Hurricane Harvey Debris Next to an African American Community?
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Friday, October 27, 2017	</span>


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By <a href='/author/itemlist/user/48545'>Julie Dermansky</a>, <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/10/19/why-african-american-community-port-arthur-dump-hurricane-harvey-debris" target="_blank">DeSmogBlog</a> | Report </span>
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<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky1.jpg" alt="Tami Thomas-Pinkney with her daughter Trinity Handy on their front lawn in Port Arthur, Texas, across from one of the city's temporary dumpsites. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Tami Thomas-Pinkney with her daughter Trinity Handy on their front lawn in Port Arthur, Texas, across from one of the city's temporary dumpsites. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
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<p>Tami Thomas-Pinkney's&nbsp;house&nbsp;in Port Arthur, Texas, was not damaged when Hurricane Harvey soaked the city with up to 28 inches of rain on August 29. But&nbsp;now, a month and a half&nbsp;after the storm, she is preparing&nbsp;to move.&nbsp;Across the street from her family's home is a temporary&nbsp;dumpsite&nbsp;for storm debris, which she says&nbsp;is endangering her&nbsp;family's health and making her home&nbsp;unlivable.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Countless trucks haul the debris -- ruined building material ripped from storm-damaged homes and household belongings previously submerged in floodwater but now covered with mold -- past her house. Each day they rattle down the streets around Thomas-Pinkney, dumping their&nbsp;loads&nbsp;about a hundred feet from her front&nbsp;porch.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bvdx7riXgYs" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" gesture="media"></iframe></p>
<p>She understands that after a disaster like Harvey, the city has to do something with the debris but is outraged that officials&nbsp;think it's&nbsp;acceptable to dump it so close to a predominantly low-income African American neighborhood with a large&nbsp;elderly&nbsp;population.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky2.jpg" alt="Hurricane debris lining a street in Port Arthur, Texas, on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Hurricane debris lining a street in Port Arthur, Texas, on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky3.jpg" alt="Debris from Hurricane Harvey sat in front of a church in Port Arthur, Texas, on September 22, 2017, but has now been removed. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Debris from Hurricane Harvey sat in front of a church in Port Arthur, Texas, on September 22, 2017, but has now been removed. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>Port Arthur&nbsp;Mayor&nbsp;Derrick Freeman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/derrickfordfreeman/posts/1891516140864177" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.facebook.com/derrickfordfreeman/posts/1891516140864177&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHfQIVXLDm2uBbQ0Ej9GYuLkqwxqw">said on his&nbsp;Facebook page</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;confirmed that the temporary dump site, known as a "Debris Management Site," is not &nbsp;"jeopardizing our citizens' health."&nbsp;&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tceq.texas.gov/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.tceq.texas.gov/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFYjBMacB0B5Zt0KGznTjTutw83vA">Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)&nbsp;</a>claims&nbsp;that if the dump site is properly managed, it is not a health&nbsp;hazard.</p>
<p>But Catherine Dinn, a lawyer with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lonestarlegal.org/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.lonestarlegal.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGOyNDpPpg-PbQ7d_-bQ-pFDVabDQ">Lone Star Legal Aid</a>, said from what she has seen on her own visit to the dump, it isn't being managed properly. The workers aren't wearing protective gear, and there are no platforms for spotters to monitor the debris during unloading. In addition, she said the city is not testing for airborne particles and potentially hazardous material that could leach into the ground, and she doesn't think state regulators are either.&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;confirmed that it is not performing any contaminant testing at the&nbsp;dump.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky4.jpg" alt="A worker, not wearing protective gear, at the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">A worker, not wearing protective gear, at the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>As of October&nbsp;12, the agency had based its evaluations of the dump on four site visits, each lasting between 30 minutes and an hour, according to an email from&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;representative Brian McGovern. "Nuisance conditions were not documented during any of these visits,"&nbsp;McGovern&nbsp;wrote.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney, who has more than 20 years of experience as a nurse, doesn't agree. She recognizes a health hazard when she sees one. "The dust from the dump made my daughter's asthma worse right away," she told me when I visited on October 12. As we spoke, a plume of dust drifted in our direction, causing me to&nbsp;cough.&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JSkL81a5w7s" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" gesture="media"></iframe></p>
<p>"That is what we have to deal with every day," she said. "We all have scratchy throats and headaches now." And&nbsp;though&nbsp;the trucks stop at night, Thomas-Pinkney can't get much sleep.&nbsp;She works a night shift and is faced with nonstop noise when she tries to sleep during the day. "Isn't that a nuisance?" she&nbsp;asks.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney has no doubt asbestos is one of the contaminants in the air, something&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;does not deny. "Asbestos may be mixed in with the debris depending on the age of the demolition debris," McGovern confirmed in an&nbsp;email.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky5.jpg" alt="Hilton Kelley in front of the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Hilton Kelley in front of the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<h2>How "Temporary?"</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/09/05/hurricane-harvey-texas-environmental-hero-hilton-kelley" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/09/05/hurricane-harvey-texas-environmental-hero-hilton-kelley&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFkaVB1ziRkmHN1yhbO4D9JveDesA">Environmental activist Hilton Kelley&nbsp;</a>is alarmed by the debris dumpsite. He made a genuine effort to get the city to shut it down, even blocking a truck full of debris&nbsp;while he was there with a city councilman. The mayor said the city would look for an alternate site but&nbsp;ultimately has&nbsp;decided to keep it&nbsp;open.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"It is appalling what is going on in that community," Kelley said. "It is a clear example of environmental racism."&nbsp;Though&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;and city officials insist that the site is temporary, Kelley fears it will remain&nbsp;indefinitely.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky6.jpg" alt="Hilton Kelley walks by a makeshift relief center set up on the driveway of his restaurant Kelley’s Kitchen in downtown Port Arthur. Organizations from across the country have been sending Kelley supplies, which are available to anyone in need. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Hilton Kelley walks by a makeshift relief center set up on the driveway of his restaurant Kelley's Kitchen in downtown Port Arthur. Organizations from across the country have been sending Kelley supplies, which are available to anyone in need. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky7.jpg" alt="A young storm victim gathers donated supplies at a makeshift relief center in the driveway of Kelley’s Kitchen. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">A young storm victim gathers donated supplies at a makeshift relief center in the driveway of Kelley's Kitchen. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>Kelley has good reason to be&nbsp;skeptical.</p>
<p>Authorization to use the site as a dump will expire on December 8, according to&nbsp;TCEQ, but McGovern said in an email that the agency "expects that an extension may be received for this&nbsp;site."&nbsp;</p>
<p>Kelley&nbsp;monitors&nbsp;the site from its perimeter frequently. "If [TCEQ] found no nuisances, they must have gone at midnight or they are lying. The trucks are tearing up the roads, making a racket, and creating a dangerous situation for the kids,"&nbsp;he said. Furthermore, he finds&nbsp;TCEQ's&nbsp;claim that "no hazardous materials are being stored" at the dump ridiculous. "All of the stuff people are getting rid&nbsp;of&nbsp;is covered in mold and toxic waste, that is why they are dumping it," he&nbsp;said.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>No Testing, No&nbsp;Problem?</h2>
<p>I asked&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;whether it was testing for potential contaminant exposure to the community. According to McGovern, "TCEQ&nbsp;has not conducted any testing at this site," and reiterated&nbsp;that,&nbsp;"These types of sites which are properly managed are not expected to pose a health risk to the&nbsp;community."</p>
<p>By not testing for contaminants, the city and regulators are giving themselves an amount of deniability, Wilma Subra, an environmental scientist and technical director&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://leanweb.org/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://leanweb.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHowJ9iQ8OGB-YsycxcBG3hI1iLvA">Louisiana Environmental Action Network,</a>&nbsp;said on a recent&nbsp;call.</p>
<p>She understands the&nbsp;need to remove storm debris quickly. "Everyone wants that, but it shouldn't come at the expense of a community that is already exposed to pollution," she said.&nbsp;The dump is close to both Valero and Motiva&nbsp;refineries.</p>
<p>Subra has seen firsthand the negative impacts of similar temporary dump sites on&nbsp;African American communities in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/09/17/environmental-concerns-and-anger-grow-month-after-thousand-year-flood-strikes-louisiana" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/09/17/environmental-concerns-and-anger-grow-month-after-thousand-year-flood-strikes-louisiana&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEBzgCC5WkCr8d7EN2ZBV_uu3vWBQ">Baton Rouge area after last year's&nbsp;1,000 year&nbsp;flood</a>. "When you put a staging area so close,&nbsp;it threatens the health of the community," she&nbsp;said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In Subra's eyes, allowing storm debris to be sorted across the street from people's homes is a dereliction of duty. She thinks Thomas-Pinkney's decision to move away to protect her family&nbsp;is&nbsp;prudent, but&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;not everyone can do&nbsp;that.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky8.jpg" alt="Dust in the air as debris at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas, is sorted. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Dust in the air as debris at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas, is sorted. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky9.jpg" alt="Truck spraying water to mitigate dust particles in the air at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Truck spraying water to mitigate dust particles in the air at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cidainc.org/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.cidainc.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGinEkxZPTXfvfBaYkTuiwmLZFWIw">The Community&nbsp;In-Power and Development Association (CIDA)</a>, an organization founded by Kelley whose&nbsp;mission&nbsp;is&nbsp;empowering residents in low-income Port Arthur communities,&nbsp;is&nbsp;speaking out.&nbsp;"That community&nbsp;is already subjected to an inordinate amount of air pollution due to the [petrochemical] plants nearby,"&nbsp;CIDA's marketing director, Michelle Smith, told me, "and with Harvey, things have gotten&nbsp;worse."</p>
<p>Smith analyzed&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;data on air quality.&nbsp;To quantify the increase in pollution&nbsp;near&nbsp;the dump,&nbsp;which is near&nbsp;two refineries, she looked at how much two known carcinogens,&nbsp;butadiene&nbsp;and&nbsp;benzene, were released between August 27 and September 19. That period reflects refinery emissions from incidents and facility shut-downs and start-ups related to Hurricane Harvey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>When Smith compared those figures with past emissions, she found a major increase. "This year the combined carcinogenic emissions [were] almost 157 times higher than the same period last year,"&nbsp;Smith&nbsp;concluded.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky13.jpg" alt="2017 1027dermansky13" width="640" height="172" /></p>
<p>Those numbers are "huge," Subra said, and are likely higher than stated because they are self-reported by industry and not verified by regulators. "Numbers like this show industry has no method of controlling emissions when hurricanes hit," she said. Which is something, Subra thinks&nbsp;industry&nbsp;needs to fix before the next storm&nbsp;hits.</p>
<h2>Issues of Environmental&nbsp;Justice</h2>
<p>Members of Lone Star Legal Aid, including Dinn, met with City of Port Arthur representatives on October 12 to ask the city to continue searching for an alternate location&nbsp;for the dump.&nbsp;"City representatives stressed the dump site is temporary, and that no other site was available," Dinn told&nbsp;me.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The legal organization outlined its concerns in a letter before its meeting with officials, pointing out that the neighborhood next to the dump already faces disproportionate environmental burdens and public health hazards from nearby refineries.</p>
<p>The letter questions whether the city's planning staff&nbsp;has fully considered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for such sites that "include not subjecting minority or low-income populations to the adverse impacts a dump would create&nbsp;in accordance with Executive Order&nbsp;12898."&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-executive-order-12898-federal-actions-address-environmental-justice" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-executive-order-12898-federal-actions-address-environmental-justice&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHj0Od6XVpVWDmEGoFZJ3WWpRsTqw">The&nbsp;EPA&nbsp;guidelines</a>&nbsp;"requires federal agencies (or any local government or governmental agency in receipt of federal funding from a source such as&nbsp;FEMA) to evaluate its actions for disproportionately high and adverse effects on minority or low-income populations and to find ways to avoid or minimize these adverse impacts where&nbsp;possible."</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky10.jpg" alt="Home across the street from a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Home across the street from a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>Dinn hopes the city will move the site, but short of that, her group will pressure the city to follow a list of guidelines to protect the community. "To do no testing at all is negligent," Dinn said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The recommendations include that the city "conduct air monitoring on an ongoing basis for volatiles and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas." The letter points out the area's high numbers of children and elderly, along with their vulnerability to these&nbsp;pollutants.</p>
<p>Dinn doesn't expect help from&nbsp;EPA's environmental justice office&nbsp;<a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09032017/epa-environmental-justice-mustafa-ali-flint-water-crisis-dakota-access-pipeline-trump-scott-pruitt" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09032017/epa-environmental-justice-mustafa-ali-flint-water-crisis-dakota-access-pipeline-trump-scott-pruitt&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFYHI7Sttre4WSxN9XtkXANjHp4Gw">since its chief official Mustafa Ali resigned</a>&nbsp;earlier this year. In addition, she worries the Trump administration might take aim at Executive Order 12898 and may even attempt to reverse it. A leaked internal memo indicated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/01/white-house-proposes-cutting-epa-staff-by-one-fifth-eliminating-key-programs/?utm_term=.3a606dcd905d" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/01/white-house-proposes-cutting-epa-staff-by-one-fifth-eliminating-key-programs/?utm_term%3D.3a606dcd905d&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGJndMy6QCgrX7M_eYtGFILAH_12g">plans to dismantle&nbsp;EPA's office of environmental justice</a>&nbsp;and cut grant programs for low-income and minority&nbsp;communities.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney thanks God for helping her find the power to move on. Though she is relieved her family will be leaving before the end of the month, she's&nbsp;concerned about the expense of moving and paying rent at a new place after living in a house that she owned.&nbsp;But what troubles her most of all is leaving behind extended family members, some who are elderly and rely on her help and&nbsp;company.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney glanced at the dump from her front porch and swished a fly away. "That is another thing the dump has attracted, flies," she said. "We are used to mosquitoes, but now we have flies, roaches, and possums too. We are really going to miss this place, but who would want to live next to this?" &nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky11.jpg" alt="After Hurrican Harvey, storm debris removal is ongoing in Port Arthur, Texas. Some streets have been cleared of debris but many have not. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">After Hurrican Harvey, storm debris removal is ongoing in Port Arthur, Texas. Some streets have been cleared of debris but many have not. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky12.jpg" alt="Debris from a home flooded by Hurricane Harvey in Port Arthur on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Debris from a home flooded by Hurricane Harvey in Port Arthur on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p> </div>
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<h2><a href='/author/itemlist/user/48545'>Julie Dermansky</a></h2>
<div><p><a href="http://www.jsdart.com/#!/index" target="_blank">Julie Dermansky</a> is a multimedia reporter and an affiliate scholar at The Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University. Follow her on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/jsdart" target="_blank">@jsdart</a>.</p></div> </div>

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Why Is a Dump for Hurricane Harvey Debris Next to an African American Community?
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<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky1.jpg" alt="Tami Thomas-Pinkney with her daughter Trinity Handy on their front lawn in Port Arthur, Texas, across from one of the city's temporary dumpsites. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Tami Thomas-Pinkney with her daughter Trinity Handy on their front lawn in Port Arthur, Texas, across from one of the city's temporary dumpsites. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
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<p>Tami Thomas-Pinkney's&nbsp;house&nbsp;in Port Arthur, Texas, was not damaged when Hurricane Harvey soaked the city with up to 28 inches of rain on August 29. But&nbsp;now, a month and a half&nbsp;after the storm, she is preparing&nbsp;to move.&nbsp;Across the street from her family's home is a temporary&nbsp;dumpsite&nbsp;for storm debris, which she says&nbsp;is endangering her&nbsp;family's health and making her home&nbsp;unlivable.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Countless trucks haul the debris -- ruined building material ripped from storm-damaged homes and household belongings previously submerged in floodwater but now covered with mold -- past her house. Each day they rattle down the streets around Thomas-Pinkney, dumping their&nbsp;loads&nbsp;about a hundred feet from her front&nbsp;porch.</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bvdx7riXgYs" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" gesture="media"></iframe></p>
<p>She understands that after a disaster like Harvey, the city has to do something with the debris but is outraged that officials&nbsp;think it's&nbsp;acceptable to dump it so close to a predominantly low-income African American neighborhood with a large&nbsp;elderly&nbsp;population.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky2.jpg" alt="Hurricane debris lining a street in Port Arthur, Texas, on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Hurricane debris lining a street in Port Arthur, Texas, on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky3.jpg" alt="Debris from Hurricane Harvey sat in front of a church in Port Arthur, Texas, on September 22, 2017, but has now been removed. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Debris from Hurricane Harvey sat in front of a church in Port Arthur, Texas, on September 22, 2017, but has now been removed. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>Port Arthur&nbsp;Mayor&nbsp;Derrick Freeman&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/derrickfordfreeman/posts/1891516140864177" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.facebook.com/derrickfordfreeman/posts/1891516140864177&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHfQIVXLDm2uBbQ0Ej9GYuLkqwxqw">said on his&nbsp;Facebook page</a>&nbsp;that&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;confirmed that the temporary dump site, known as a "Debris Management Site," is not &nbsp;"jeopardizing our citizens' health."&nbsp;&nbsp;The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tceq.texas.gov/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.tceq.texas.gov/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFYjBMacB0B5Zt0KGznTjTutw83vA">Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)&nbsp;</a>claims&nbsp;that if the dump site is properly managed, it is not a health&nbsp;hazard.</p>
<p>But Catherine Dinn, a lawyer with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.lonestarlegal.org/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.lonestarlegal.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGOyNDpPpg-PbQ7d_-bQ-pFDVabDQ">Lone Star Legal Aid</a>, said from what she has seen on her own visit to the dump, it isn't being managed properly. The workers aren't wearing protective gear, and there are no platforms for spotters to monitor the debris during unloading. In addition, she said the city is not testing for airborne particles and potentially hazardous material that could leach into the ground, and she doesn't think state regulators are either.&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;confirmed that it is not performing any contaminant testing at the&nbsp;dump.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky4.jpg" alt="A worker, not wearing protective gear, at the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">A worker, not wearing protective gear, at the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>As of October&nbsp;12, the agency had based its evaluations of the dump on four site visits, each lasting between 30 minutes and an hour, according to an email from&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;representative Brian McGovern. "Nuisance conditions were not documented during any of these visits,"&nbsp;McGovern&nbsp;wrote.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney, who has more than 20 years of experience as a nurse, doesn't agree. She recognizes a health hazard when she sees one. "The dust from the dump made my daughter's asthma worse right away," she told me when I visited on October 12. As we spoke, a plume of dust drifted in our direction, causing me to&nbsp;cough.&nbsp;</p>
<p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JSkL81a5w7s" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" gesture="media"></iframe></p>
<p>"That is what we have to deal with every day," she said. "We all have scratchy throats and headaches now." And&nbsp;though&nbsp;the trucks stop at night, Thomas-Pinkney can't get much sleep.&nbsp;She works a night shift and is faced with nonstop noise when she tries to sleep during the day. "Isn't that a nuisance?" she&nbsp;asks.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney has no doubt asbestos is one of the contaminants in the air, something&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;does not deny. "Asbestos may be mixed in with the debris depending on the age of the demolition debris," McGovern confirmed in an&nbsp;email.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky5.jpg" alt="Hilton Kelley in front of the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Hilton Kelley in front of the temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<h2>How "Temporary?"</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/09/05/hurricane-harvey-texas-environmental-hero-hilton-kelley" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/09/05/hurricane-harvey-texas-environmental-hero-hilton-kelley&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682605000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFkaVB1ziRkmHN1yhbO4D9JveDesA">Environmental activist Hilton Kelley&nbsp;</a>is alarmed by the debris dumpsite. He made a genuine effort to get the city to shut it down, even blocking a truck full of debris&nbsp;while he was there with a city councilman. The mayor said the city would look for an alternate site but&nbsp;ultimately has&nbsp;decided to keep it&nbsp;open.&nbsp;</p>
<p>"It is appalling what is going on in that community," Kelley said. "It is a clear example of environmental racism."&nbsp;Though&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;and city officials insist that the site is temporary, Kelley fears it will remain&nbsp;indefinitely.</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky6.jpg" alt="Hilton Kelley walks by a makeshift relief center set up on the driveway of his restaurant Kelley’s Kitchen in downtown Port Arthur. Organizations from across the country have been sending Kelley supplies, which are available to anyone in need. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Hilton Kelley walks by a makeshift relief center set up on the driveway of his restaurant Kelley's Kitchen in downtown Port Arthur. Organizations from across the country have been sending Kelley supplies, which are available to anyone in need. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky7.jpg" alt="A young storm victim gathers donated supplies at a makeshift relief center in the driveway of Kelley’s Kitchen. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">A young storm victim gathers donated supplies at a makeshift relief center in the driveway of Kelley's Kitchen. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>Kelley has good reason to be&nbsp;skeptical.</p>
<p>Authorization to use the site as a dump will expire on December 8, according to&nbsp;TCEQ, but McGovern said in an email that the agency "expects that an extension may be received for this&nbsp;site."&nbsp;</p>
<p>Kelley&nbsp;monitors&nbsp;the site from its perimeter frequently. "If [TCEQ] found no nuisances, they must have gone at midnight or they are lying. The trucks are tearing up the roads, making a racket, and creating a dangerous situation for the kids,"&nbsp;he said. Furthermore, he finds&nbsp;TCEQ's&nbsp;claim that "no hazardous materials are being stored" at the dump ridiculous. "All of the stuff people are getting rid&nbsp;of&nbsp;is covered in mold and toxic waste, that is why they are dumping it," he&nbsp;said.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>No Testing, No&nbsp;Problem?</h2>
<p>I asked&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;whether it was testing for potential contaminant exposure to the community. According to McGovern, "TCEQ&nbsp;has not conducted any testing at this site," and reiterated&nbsp;that,&nbsp;"These types of sites which are properly managed are not expected to pose a health risk to the&nbsp;community."</p>
<p>By not testing for contaminants, the city and regulators are giving themselves an amount of deniability, Wilma Subra, an environmental scientist and technical director&nbsp;for&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://leanweb.org/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://leanweb.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHowJ9iQ8OGB-YsycxcBG3hI1iLvA">Louisiana Environmental Action Network,</a>&nbsp;said on a recent&nbsp;call.</p>
<p>She understands the&nbsp;need to remove storm debris quickly. "Everyone wants that, but it shouldn't come at the expense of a community that is already exposed to pollution," she said.&nbsp;The dump is close to both Valero and Motiva&nbsp;refineries.</p>
<p>Subra has seen firsthand the negative impacts of similar temporary dump sites on&nbsp;African American communities in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/09/17/environmental-concerns-and-anger-grow-month-after-thousand-year-flood-strikes-louisiana" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.desmogblog.com/2016/09/17/environmental-concerns-and-anger-grow-month-after-thousand-year-flood-strikes-louisiana&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEBzgCC5WkCr8d7EN2ZBV_uu3vWBQ">Baton Rouge area after last year's&nbsp;1,000 year&nbsp;flood</a>. "When you put a staging area so close,&nbsp;it threatens the health of the community," she&nbsp;said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In Subra's eyes, allowing storm debris to be sorted across the street from people's homes is a dereliction of duty. She thinks Thomas-Pinkney's decision to move away to protect her family&nbsp;is&nbsp;prudent, but&nbsp;clearly&nbsp;not everyone can do&nbsp;that.&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky8.jpg" alt="Dust in the air as debris at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas, is sorted. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Dust in the air as debris at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas, is sorted. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky9.jpg" alt="Truck spraying water to mitigate dust particles in the air at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Truck spraying water to mitigate dust particles in the air at a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.cidainc.org/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.cidainc.org/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGinEkxZPTXfvfBaYkTuiwmLZFWIw">The Community&nbsp;In-Power and Development Association (CIDA)</a>, an organization founded by Kelley whose&nbsp;mission&nbsp;is&nbsp;empowering residents in low-income Port Arthur communities,&nbsp;is&nbsp;speaking out.&nbsp;"That community&nbsp;is already subjected to an inordinate amount of air pollution due to the [petrochemical] plants nearby,"&nbsp;CIDA's marketing director, Michelle Smith, told me, "and with Harvey, things have gotten&nbsp;worse."</p>
<p>Smith analyzed&nbsp;TCEQ&nbsp;data on air quality.&nbsp;To quantify the increase in pollution&nbsp;near&nbsp;the dump,&nbsp;which is near&nbsp;two refineries, she looked at how much two known carcinogens,&nbsp;butadiene&nbsp;and&nbsp;benzene, were released between August 27 and September 19. That period reflects refinery emissions from incidents and facility shut-downs and start-ups related to Hurricane Harvey.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>When Smith compared those figures with past emissions, she found a major increase. "This year the combined carcinogenic emissions [were] almost 157 times higher than the same period last year,"&nbsp;Smith&nbsp;concluded.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky13.jpg" alt="2017 1027dermansky13" width="640" height="172" /></p>
<p>Those numbers are "huge," Subra said, and are likely higher than stated because they are self-reported by industry and not verified by regulators. "Numbers like this show industry has no method of controlling emissions when hurricanes hit," she said. Which is something, Subra thinks&nbsp;industry&nbsp;needs to fix before the next storm&nbsp;hits.</p>
<h2>Issues of Environmental&nbsp;Justice</h2>
<p>Members of Lone Star Legal Aid, including Dinn, met with City of Port Arthur representatives on October 12 to ask the city to continue searching for an alternate location&nbsp;for the dump.&nbsp;"City representatives stressed the dump site is temporary, and that no other site was available," Dinn told&nbsp;me.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The legal organization outlined its concerns in a letter before its meeting with officials, pointing out that the neighborhood next to the dump already faces disproportionate environmental burdens and public health hazards from nearby refineries.</p>
<p>The letter questions whether the city's planning staff&nbsp;has fully considered the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for such sites that "include not subjecting minority or low-income populations to the adverse impacts a dump would create&nbsp;in accordance with Executive Order&nbsp;12898."&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-executive-order-12898-federal-actions-address-environmental-justice" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-executive-order-12898-federal-actions-address-environmental-justice&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHj0Od6XVpVWDmEGoFZJ3WWpRsTqw">The&nbsp;EPA&nbsp;guidelines</a>&nbsp;"requires federal agencies (or any local government or governmental agency in receipt of federal funding from a source such as&nbsp;FEMA) to evaluate its actions for disproportionately high and adverse effects on minority or low-income populations and to find ways to avoid or minimize these adverse impacts where&nbsp;possible."</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky10.jpg" alt="Home across the street from a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Home across the street from a temporary dumpsite on 19th Street in Port Arthur, Texas. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p>Dinn hopes the city will move the site, but short of that, her group will pressure the city to follow a list of guidelines to protect the community. "To do no testing at all is negligent," Dinn said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The recommendations include that the city "conduct air monitoring on an ongoing basis for volatiles and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas." The letter points out the area's high numbers of children and elderly, along with their vulnerability to these&nbsp;pollutants.</p>
<p>Dinn doesn't expect help from&nbsp;EPA's environmental justice office&nbsp;<a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09032017/epa-environmental-justice-mustafa-ali-flint-water-crisis-dakota-access-pipeline-trump-scott-pruitt" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://insideclimatenews.org/news/09032017/epa-environmental-justice-mustafa-ali-flint-water-crisis-dakota-access-pipeline-trump-scott-pruitt&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFYHI7Sttre4WSxN9XtkXANjHp4Gw">since its chief official Mustafa Ali resigned</a>&nbsp;earlier this year. In addition, she worries the Trump administration might take aim at Executive Order 12898 and may even attempt to reverse it. A leaked internal memo indicated&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/01/white-house-proposes-cutting-epa-staff-by-one-fifth-eliminating-key-programs/?utm_term=.3a606dcd905d" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/01/white-house-proposes-cutting-epa-staff-by-one-fifth-eliminating-key-programs/?utm_term%3D.3a606dcd905d&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1509128682606000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGJndMy6QCgrX7M_eYtGFILAH_12g">plans to dismantle&nbsp;EPA's office of environmental justice</a>&nbsp;and cut grant programs for low-income and minority&nbsp;communities.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney thanks God for helping her find the power to move on. Though she is relieved her family will be leaving before the end of the month, she's&nbsp;concerned about the expense of moving and paying rent at a new place after living in a house that she owned.&nbsp;But what troubles her most of all is leaving behind extended family members, some who are elderly and rely on her help and&nbsp;company.</p>
<p>Thomas-Pinkney glanced at the dump from her front porch and swished a fly away. "That is another thing the dump has attracted, flies," she said. "We are used to mosquitoes, but now we have flies, roaches, and possums too. We are really going to miss this place, but who would want to live next to this?" &nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky11.jpg" alt="After Hurrican Harvey, storm debris removal is ongoing in Port Arthur, Texas. Some streets have been cleared of debris but many have not. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">After Hurrican Harvey, storm debris removal is ongoing in Port Arthur, Texas. Some streets have been cleared of debris but many have not. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p>
<p><span class="wf_caption" style="display: block; max-width: 640px; width: 100%;"><img src="http://www.truth-out.org/images/Images_2017_10/2017_1027dermansky12.jpg" alt="Debris from a home flooded by Hurricane Harvey in Port Arthur on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)" width="640" style="width: 100%; margin: auto;" /><span style="text-align: left; margin-top: 3px; display: block;">Debris from a home flooded by Hurricane Harvey in Port Arthur on October 12, 2017. (Photo: Julie Dermansky)</span></span></p> </div>
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<h2><a href='/author/itemlist/user/48545'>Julie Dermansky</a></h2>
<div><p><a href="http://www.jsdart.com/#!/index" target="_blank">Julie Dermansky</a> is a multimedia reporter and an affiliate scholar at The Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University. Follow her on Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/jsdart" target="_blank">@jsdart</a>.</p></div> </div>

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<h3><span>Related Stories</span></h3><a style='font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: none; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px;' href='/news/item/41754-hurricane-harvey-shows-what-climate-disruption-amplified-flooding-can-do'>Hurricane Harvey Shows What Climate Disruption-Amplified Flooding Can Do</a><div class='itemAuthor' style='padding-bottom:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>By Dahr Jamail, <a href="http://truth-out.org">Truthout</a> | News Analysis</div><a style='font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: none; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px;' href='/news/item/41862-hurricane-harvey-hits-home-for-texas-environmental-hero-hilton-kelley'>Hurricane Harvey Hits Home for Texas Environmental Hero Hilton Kelley</a><div class='itemAuthor' style='padding-bottom:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>By Julie Dermansky, <a href="https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/09/05/hurricane-harvey-texas-environmental-hero-hilton-kelley" target="_blank">DeSmogBlog</a> | Report</div><a style='font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",Times,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-transform: none; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px;' href='/news/item/42035-hurricane-harvey-25-000-year-storm-enhanced-or-caused-by-climate-change'>Hurricane Harvey, 25,000-Year Storm: Enhanced or Caused by Climate Change?</a><div class='itemAuthor' style='padding-bottom:1em;margin-bottom:1em;'>By Bruce Melton, <a href="https://climatediscovery.org/hurricane-harvey-25000-year-storm-enhanced-or-caused-by-climate-change/" target="_blank">Climate Discovery</a> | News Analysis</div> </div>
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