P.E.R.R.O.

Join PERRO to celebrate Earth Day this Saturday…

Jerry — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:36:59 +0000

Join PERRO to celebrate Earth Day on April 20th at the Mary Zepeda Native Plant Garden!

On April 20th PERRO, Roots and Rays Community Garden and Casa Michoacán will be hosting a series of workshops including…

Safe gardening in polluted soils
Building raised beds
Seed swapping/starting
Native animals
Re-dedicating the PERRO Dia de los Muertos Ofrenda as a permanent addition to the garden

Saturday, April 20th – 11 AM until 2:00 PM
Mary Zepeda Native Plant Garden – 1423 W. 17th St.

In case of inclement weather the event will be moved indoors at Casa Michoacán – 1638 S. Blue Island Ave.

For more info and to lets us know you are coming, go to…
https://www.facebook.com/events/481475695238973/

PERRO Featured on recent episode of Adelante Chicago…

Jerry — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 18:31:21 +0000

PERRO hosts event on climate change and migration…

Jerry — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 05:06:07 +0000

The United Nations predicts that by 2050, there could be as many as 150 million “climate refugees” around the globe – people forced to flee their homes because of a changing climate. Many of those forced to migrate because of climate change will come from Latin America. We have already seen the impact of the drought in northern Mexico over the past three years and hurricanes like Hurricane Mitch, Stan and Wilma. We will see more of these extreme weather events in the coming years. Governments need to acknowledge that these events will result in increased migration and prepare to assist those who are forced to migrate.

Come to a discussion on…
* How will climate change force people to migrate?
* How does US immigration policy need to change to address climate change?
* What international agreements need to be made to deal with this crisis?

Wednesday, April 17th – 6:30 PM
Casa Michoacán – 1638 S. Blue Island Ave.

Co-sponsored by PERRO and La Red Mexicana de Líderes y Organizaciones Migrantes

Please see our event page and let us know you are coming…
https://www.facebook.com/events/498216550238555/

Clarification in response to Midwest Energy News article…

Jerry — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:04:14 +0000

Kari Lydersen, a chicago based freelance journalist who has done an excellent job over the years covering environmental justice issues in Pilsen wrote the following article for Midwest Energy News based on the public forum we hosted last week with the US EPA. We appreciate Kari’s continuing coverage of environmental issues in our community and are grateful for her attendance at the forum. But we have received several questions from those who read her article and we want to clarify a few things.

When Kari says concerns with pollution at Fisk “have been largely laid to rest”, she is referring to the EPA air pollution and radiation testing conducted in December that showed under current conditions there is no evidence of contamination on the Fisk property affecting the surrounding community. This does not mean that there is no contamination on the Fisk property. We know from reports and other documents turned over by Midwest Generation and ComEd to the EPA that there are levels of contaminants on site that you would expect from an over one hundred year old industrial site. Depending on the sites future use, parts of the site will need to be remediated in the future. As a member of the Fisk Reuse Task Force PERRO continues to work on this issue and monitor developments at the site. Remediation will likely be undertaken by whoever purchases the site from Midwest Generation and we will be closely watching what happens in regards to future remediation. In addition, if any demolition or similar activist occurs at the site, this will potential release contaminants into the surrounding community. The EPA has already expressed their willingness to conduct further testing if activity on the site raises the possibility of pollution affecting nearby residents.

http://www.midwestenergynews.com/2013/03/25/epa-chicago-coal-plants-left-no-toxic-legacy-but-cleanup-remains-complicated/

PERRO hosts successful public forum with US EPA…

Jerry — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 02:52:23 +0000

PERRO organized a very successful public forum with Region 5 of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday evening at the Walsh School. The purpose of the forum was to inform Pilsen residents about several contaminated sites in the Pilsen community which PERRO and the EPA are working together to see are remediated. Another purpose was to release to the public the results of tests conducted by the EPA over the past several months in the community at PERRO’s urging.

Nearly a hundred residents of the Pilsen community attended the forum. Tables were set up to provide attendees info on the following sites…

Closed Fisk coal fired power plant: Since the closure of the Fisk plant in September of 2012 following a decade long campaign lead by PERRO in the Pilsen community, PERRO continued to be concerned about on-site contamination and how it might affect neighborhood residents. PERRO asked the EPA to conduct air and radiation testing around the plants. The tests did not indicate that on-site pollution was affecting the surrounding community. PERRO was also able to obtain documentation from Midwest Generation and ComEd, owners of the property with the EPAs help. Though these documents show the sites have

Lowenthal site: Testing by the EPA in December at the Lowenthal site, an open field that was once the location of a lead smelter, found the highest levels of lead contamination we have seen in Pilsen. Anything over 400 ppm of lead is considered of concern. At the Lowenthal site, near the Walsh School, Growing Station Community Garden, and Casa Maravilla Senior Housing, the EPA found lead at concentrations of 26,000 ppm! The EPA plans to start remediation of the site in the next couple months.

Soil testing for lead around H. Kramer and Co.: The consent decree agreed to this month by H. Kramer and Co., the Illinois Attorney General, the US EPA, the Illinois EPA and the US Justice Dept., will result in a drop in pollution coming from H. Kramer to near zero. But PERRO continues to be concerned about high levels of lead in the soil around H. Kramer. The US EPA has agreed to test soils a parks, schools and homes in the area for lead and to remediate sites were high levels of lead are found.

22nd Street Manufactured Gas Plant: This highly contaminated site near Chi-Town Futbol and the Fisk Plant is scheduled for further testing and remediation in the next couple years.

We had excellent media coverage of the event. The forum was the top news story on both Univision and Telemundo Tuesday night. For links to some of the media coverage see below. To see the PowerPoint presentation delivered by the US EPA at the forum see the following link…

http://epa.gov/region5/littlevillagepilsen/pdf/plv-pm-20130319.pdf

For the handouts made available by the EPA at the event, see the following links…

http://www.epa.gov/region5/cleanup/crawfordfisk/pdf/201303-crawfordfisk-fs-en.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/region5/cleanup/loewenthal/pdf/201303-loewenthal-fs.pdf

http://www.epa.gov/Region5/cleanup/22nd/pdfs/22nd-pilsen-fs-2013-3-en.pdf

http://epa.gov/region5/cleanup/pilsenareasoils/pdfs/201303-pilsen-soil-fs.pdf

http://epa.gov/region5/littlevillagepilsen/pdf/plv-fs-201303-en.pdf

http://epa.gov/region5/littlevillagepilsen/pdf/plv-gardening-fs-2013-en.pdf

http://epa.gov/region5/littlevillagepilsen/pdf/plv-yardpb-fs-2013-en.pdf

Media coverage of the forum…

http://univisionchicago.univision.com/videos/video/2013-03-19/encuentran-altos-niveles-de-plomo

http://www.telemundochicago.com/noticias/Mas-areas-verdes-rumbo-a-Pilsen-y-La-Villita-199162491.html

http://www.vivelohoy.com/noticias/8335220/epa-sigue-alta-contaminacion-por-plomo-en-barrio-latino-de-chicago

http://www.wbez.org/blogs/chris-bentley/2013-03/fisk-and-crawford-pass-air-and-radiation-tests-lead-persists-nearby

http://www.progressillinois.com/quick-hits/content/2013/03/20/epa-makes-commitment-pollution-cleanup-pilsen

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20130320/pilsen/lead-testing-start-by-summer-pilsen-little-village

http://www.thegatenewspaper.com/2013/03/epa-requesting-access-to-pilsen-homes-to-test-for-lead/

Important Public Forum with the EPA on polluted sites in the Pilsen community…

Jerry — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:38:25 +0000

PERRO (Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization) has been working with the EPA to clean up several polluted sites in the Pilsen community. At several locations, the EPA has uncovered levels of lead pollution more than 20 times higher than what is considered safe! Many of these locations are located near schools and parks including the Walsh School, Perez School and Juarez High School. At the Lowenthal site, near Walsh School, the Growing Station Community Garden and Casa Maravilla Senior Housing, the EPA found the highest of levels of lead contamination we have seen in the community yet. One sample had 26,000 ppm of lead! Anything over 400 ppm is concerned unsafe.

Come to a public forum to find out…

What is being done about lead pollution near the Walsh School at the Lowenthal site?

What is the EPA finding in regards to lead pollution near Juarez High School?

EPA’s test results for pollution from the Fisk plant site.

What is the EPA doing about cleaning up a polluted site near Chi-Town Futbol?

Representatives of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the Department of Public Health, Alderman Daniel Solis, and PERRO will be available to answer your questions.

TUESDAY, MARCH 19
6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
WALSH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL – 2015 S. PEORIA ST.

See the Facebook event page to let us know you are coming…
http://www.facebook.com/events/453236014746894/

H. Kramer Settles with Government – will install new pollution controls

Dorian — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 23:03:53 +0000

For Press Inquiries, please call Dorian Breuer at 773 809 3817.

PERRO has just received the welcome news [also repoted by the Chicago Tribune and NPR] of the settlement between H. Kramer and the State of Illinois. H. Kramer is being forced to install new pollution control equipment that we hope will reduce the amount of lead it puts into the air to a very low level. This settlement appears to be the most significant advance in our nine year battle to get these emissions cleaned up.

The months that PERRO members spent meeting with Government officials paid off and we appreciate the efforts of the Illinois EPA, the U.S. EPA, the Illinois Attorney General’s office and the Department of Justice to advocate on the community’s behalf.

From what we can see in the decree – it looks as though the main goal of the negotiators on behalf of the community was to ensure that continued emissions of lead from H. Kramer virtually stops after the new baghouse and filter equipment is installed. If that goal can be accomplished, then this will be a significant victory for the community and a message to other polluters in Chicago and elsewhere that they must follow the law.

PERRO will study the agreement, assist in releasing it to the community and gather and send comments that arise.

PERRO is disappointed that H. Kramer refused to agree to Supplemental Environmental Project ideas that PERRO submitted in late 2011 (available here: http://pilsenperro.org/docs/PERROSEPProposal10262011.doc.pdf) that we believe would have helped with additional efforts to prevent lead exposure by children in Pilsen.

EPA agrees to test for pollution levels near Fisk and Crawford plants…

Jerry — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 22:23:23 +0000

In September, after a decade long campaign to close the plants, the Fisk and Crawford coal fired power plants ceased operations. Pilsen and La Vilita residents should see an improvement in coming years of the quality of our air as a result. However, members of both communities asked PERRO and LVEJO (Little Village Environmental Justice Organization) to find out how contaminated the sites are and how that might still effect the surrounding community. PERRO and LVEJO reached out to the EPA to try to get answers to these questions. In response, the EPA has taken a number of steps, including the decision to test air quality near the facilities and to test radiation levels. The idea is to better understand if their is a possibility that contaminated dust or other contaminants are effecting the surrounding community The tests will began the first week of December and continue for a period of weeks if not months. As results become available we will post them here.

We are assisting the EPA is distributing flyers describing the testing. You can download a PDF version of the flyer here: English | en Español.

PERRO in the News: Tribune Covers Dangerous Lead-Polluted Site in Pilsen

Dorian — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 20:40:24 +0000

947 W. Cullerton, Chicago.

The Chicago Tribune’s Michael Hawthorne has published an excellent front-page article [article on the Tribune's website, a copy on PERRO's website] on the delays in addressing a lead-polluted site at 947 W Cullerton and it mentions PERRO’s long-time efforts in the community to address exposure to pollution. Please see the article here or a copy on our site here.

The site has been found to be over 14 times the legal limit for lead in the soil and PERRO recently posted warning signs at the site to attempt to ensure residents stay away from the site. PERRO has also started a web-page with information about the site here: pilsenperro.org/947

Where the article mentions PERRO:

Members Make Signs

Lead pollution is a well-known problem in Pilsen. In 2005, a year before state inspectors tested the Loewenthal Metals site, a group called the Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization collected soil samples from several yards and parks in the neighborhood and found lead levels that far exceeded the federal cleanup standard for residential areas.

The group’s alarming discoveries prompted the federal and state EPAs to file legal complaints against H. Kramer and Co., a smelter that has been recycling scrap metal since the 1920s and still operates a few blocks west of the former Loewenthal Metals site.

H. Kramer agreed to curb its air pollution and cleaned up lead-contaminated soil from its site and two nearby properties. But the smelter’s lead emissions continued to plague the surrounding area.

Last year, federal regulators designated Pilsen as one of only two Illinois communities where people breathe unhealthy levels of the toxic metal. Airborne lead pollution exceeded federal health standards during a fifth of the days monitored during 2010 at Perez Elementary School, 1241 W. 19th St., two blocks north of the H. Kramer smelter. The findings led to a new round of legal complaints against the company that have yet to be resolved.

Maria Chavez, another community activist, said federal and state officials involved in the H. Kramer case never revealed that they have known for years about another lead-contaminated site in the neighborhood.

“They should be ashamed of themselves for not sharing this with the community,” Chavez said. “We’re already struggling with so many different pollution sources and now we have another one to add to our list.”

[...]

In Pilsen, neighborhood activists aren’t waiting for government officials to act. After a Tribune reporter told them about the former Loewenthal Metals site, they posted handmade signs around the vacant lot warning people for the first time that it is contaminated with hazardous levels of lead.

Said Chavez: “Since the EPA has failed to inform and protect us, we need to take immediate action to do so ourselves.”

Please join us for the event on environmental racism at UIC Monday….

Jerry — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:39:09 +0000

THEORY MEETS PRACTICE: A TEACH-IN ON ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM
with Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization (P.E.R.R.O) and Little Village Environmental Justice Organization (LVEJO)

November 19th, 1 PM at UIC’s Latino Cultural Center @ Building 2 (B2) [Across for Lecture Center C, located by The Quad].

Learn how these community organizations organized at the grassroots level around the environmental issues in the Little Village and Pilsen Community. All levels of experience and knowledge welcomed.
FREE MEXICAN CATERED LUNCH. FREE TO THE PUBLIC.

Food courtesy of Mexican Students de Aztlan (MESA)
Co-Sponsored by the Community Development Committee (CDC), part of Students of Urban and Public Affairs (SUPA) Student Government at UIC.