H. Kramer Co., 1345–47 W. 21st St., Chicago

Candlelight Vigil a success!

Local Residents remember the dead from coal-fired power plant pollution.

April 29, 2009. PERRO organized a candlelight Vigil on April 29^th of local residents to remember the over 40 people that die per year from Chicago's two coal-fired power plants and to call on the "Green" Mayor Daley to stop his opposition to the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance. See photos of the event here and read more about this issue here.

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PERRO announces Student Documentary Fellowship Project!

PERRO is seeking High School applicants for it's Pilsen/Southwest Side Pollution Documentary Fellowship Program. Please apply at http://pilsenperro.org/apply Deadline is Monday March 2, 2009.

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Dia de los Muertos Procession

LVEJO, PERRO and community members remember the dead

November 1, 2008.  Residents from Chicago's Little Village and Pilsen communities and members of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization and PERRO joined together for a Dia de los Muertos procession and remembrance for those that have died as a result of the pollution from local industrial sources such as the Fisk and Crawford coal-fired power plants. See photos of the event here and read more about these local sources of toxic emmissions here.

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News Article: Toxic Neighbor

By Kari Lydersen, Chicago Reporter

October, 2008. Chicago Reporter reports on the ongoing work of neighborhood environmental justice groups like PERRO to fight coal-fired power plant emissions for clean air. Original article here, mirror copy here.

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News Video: Fighting against air pollution

By Christopher Booker, Chicago Tribune

September 28, 2008. See a short Chicago Tribune  film featuring PERRO member Leila Mendez discussing the community response (and Leila's response) to information about pollution from the H. Kramer plant in Pilsen. See full Tribune story here.

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P.E.R.R.O. releases student film.

On July 31, 2008 PERRO held a screening for two student films on Pilsen residents' views about the problems of pollution in Pilsen and the surrounding area. You can see one of the films here.

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H. Kramer to spend $500,000 on Pollution Filters

Pilsen residents’ activism, research, and communication with officals pays off

On April 6, 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 reached an agreement with H. Kramer and Co. on alleged clean-air violations at the company's brass and bronze manufacturing plant at 1339-1359 W. 21st St., Chicago, Ill.

The agreement, which includes a $500,000 environmental project and a $10,000 penalty, resolves EPA allegations that H. Kramer failed to comply with testing and notification requirements when it installed furnaces used in melting scrap to make brass and bronze.

This settlement comes after an 18-month campaign by residents to clean up the century-old plant, which neighbors say has spewed noxious emissions into the air for decades. After a referendum in November 2005 calling for an investigation of the plant passed by 95%, neighbors mobilized an effort that included working with state and federal EPA officials, the Chicago Departments of Environment and Public Health, and the 25th Ward alderman's office. They held community meetings, performed independent testing for toxics in the area, and conducted independent research.

The most recent publicly available data shows that H. Kramer emitted 45,000 pounds of particulate matter, which is believed to cause breathing problems, into the air in 2003. Documents provided to PERRO by H. Kramer suggest that in 2004 it emitted 1,200 pounds of airborne lead, which is known to cause brain damage in children. EPA soil testing of H. Kramer property in 2005 found lead levels up to 162 times the residential limit. H. Kramer is located in a residential area of Pilsen across the street from a school and blocks from a public park.

Combined with other sources of industrial emissions in Pilsen, such as the Fisk Generating Station at 1111 W. Cermak, PERRO believes Pilsen suffers from a disproportionately high level of air pollution because of its industrial legacy, its low median income, and its density of first-generation immigrants.

For more information:

• “Smelter plans fixes for Pilsen emissions” by Michael Hawthorne, Chicago Tribune, April 7, 2006 (registration required)
• EPA document describing proposed updates to Kramer facility and fine (PDF)
• IL EPA documents describing the September 2005 settlement and lead levels found in Pilsen

Read more about why neighbors are concerned about H. Kramer Co.

Environmental Justice Means Social Problems of Race and Class Are Tied to Environmental Problems See maps of poverty, language skills, education, and more in the 60608 area code, made with EPA’s EnviroMapper. Also available: Selected U.S. Polluters and Demographics of Neighborhood compared to Pilsen-Chicago