More than 800 people of faith from 48 states have sent a letter to President Trump urging him to uphold national monuments. Rev. Ginna Bairby, pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Taos in New Mexico conveyed why she signed the letter: “Life is sacred: the animal and plant life in our national monuments, the lives of the Native peoples who hold this land particularly sacred, and the lives of the many people in my congregation and community whose economic security depends on the tourist industry that has boomed since the designation of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Christ calls me to love God and love my neighbors - protecting these national monuments is part of that call.” The letter states: “As people of faith, we deeply value the ways our country's public lands conserve the natural, cultural, and spiritual riches we have been blessed to inherit from past generations. We believe we have a moral responsibility to pass these riches on to future generations.” The letter was delivered days before it is reported that the Trump Administration will impose the most significant loss of conservation protections for public lands in U.S. history. On Monday, December 4, President Trump is expected to make an announcement in Utah about the fate of Bears Ears National Monument as well as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended dramatically downsizing or reducing conservation protections for ten national monuments nationwide. Bishop David Brauer-Rieke, Oregon Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America said of the potential diminishment of national monuments, “Without preservation of public lands like those under consideration, our country loses respect and understanding of what God has given us.” The letter urges President Trump to “Our public lands' conservation requires careful planning. Only the most delicate, culturally significant, and majestic parts of God's creation have been prioritized for the level of care which national monuments receive. Secretary Zinke's recommendations are inconsistent with our stewardship values. Please disregard Secretary Zinke's irresponsible recommendations and uphold all our national monuments.” Some of the signers of the letter were also part of a Native American Heritage Month spiritual journey to Bears Ears National Monument and signed a spiritual leaders’ letter on preserving Native American heritage landscapes as well as sacred sites. ### Creation Justice Ministries represents the creation care policies of 38 Christian communions, including Baptists, mainline Protestants, Historically Black Churches, Peace Churches, and Orthodox communions. Learn more at www.creationjustice.org QUOTES FROM SIGNERS OF THE LETTER
“National monuments are a reminder of the Majesty of creation and what our forefathers found here.” ~ Dorothy Rissel of Beacon Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Flagstaff, Arizona “…in Genesis 1 we were given stewardship over all living things. It is a Biblical mandate and any policy that would put these lands in danger is just plain wrong. Teddy Roosevelt, a Republican, and a nature lover created the Nat'l Park system so we wouldn't ruin every inch of our land. These are incredibly sacred places and need to be preserved for present and future generations”. ~ Rev. Erin Thomas, Co-Pastor, Calvary Presbyterian Church in Riverside, California “The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof. All Gods people should have access to the beauty and history of America and they should be set aside and protected for our children and grandchildren as important and sacred.” ~ Rev. Carol Devine, Minister for Green Chalice; Pastor of Providence Christian Church in Versailles, Kentucky “Public lands are the natural embodiment of American egalitarian values.” ~ Jared Meek, President, Brigham Young University Earth Stewardship “They belong to everyone. They should be preserved in all their wildness, sacredness, and beauty for future generations. They should not be exploited and damaged, and they certainly should not be used for the profit of a few.” ~ Rev. Vanessa Cato, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Ogden, Utah
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120 faith communities and 189 spiritual leaders in 42 states urge the Trump administration to preserve national monuments At the conclusion of Native American Heritage Month, 120 faith communities in 37 states and the District of Columbia have pledged to pray for protection of Native American heritage sites and landscapes. The prayers come at a time when it is reported that the Trump Administration will impose the most significant loss of conservation protections for public lands in U.S. history. On Monday, December 4, President Trump is expected to make an announcement in Utah about the fate of Bears Ears National Monument as well as Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Jonah Yellowman, UDB Board Member and Spiritual Advisor said, “Bears Ears National Monument honors Native Americans and provides a path for healing. Bears Ears holds our prayers, medicine, and sacred grounds. President Trump should leave it alone and respect our people.” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has recommended dramatically downsizing or reducing conservation protections for ten national monuments nationwide. Along with the prayers, 189 spiritual leaders from 42 states and the District of Columbia signed a letter to President Trump, noting “during Native American Heritage Month, we call special attention to the fact that every American lives in the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples. The presence of Indigenous peoples is imbued in the lands and waters around us.” The letter urges President Trump to “reject any proposals to diminish the size and protections for any national monuments, including Bears Ears, Cascade-Siskiyou, Gold Butte, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Katahdin Woods and Waters, Northeast Canyons and Seamounts, Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks, Pacific Remote Islands, Rio Grande Del Norte, and Rose Atoll National Monuments.” One of the signers of the letter, The Reverend Dr. Bradley Hauff, Missioner for Indigenous Ministries of The Episcopal Church, explained why he signed: “Indigenous people have a relationship with the land that is sacred and central to our way of life. Our culture, spirituality, identity, survival, and understanding of life is centered in the Earth and the Cosmos. If the land is desecrated, so are we." Some of the signers of the letter were also part of a Native American Heritage Month spiritual journey to Bears Ears National Monument. ###
Creation Justice Ministries represents the creation care policies of 38 Christian communions, including Baptists, mainline Protestants, Historically Black Churches, Peace Churches, and Orthodox communions. Learn more at www.creationjustice.org Spiritual Leaders Return from Bears Ears National Monument, |
In the middle of Native American Heritage Month, nearly 30 spiritual leaders converged on a threatened Native American heritage landscape: Bears Ears National Monument. When religious community leaders received news that President Trump intends to make an early December trip to San Juan County to announce he will downsize and diminish conservation protection for Bears Ears National Monument, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, and possibly other public lands, they were compelled to go there to stand with the tribes. Find a list of spiritual journey participants. Presbyterian Minister and Director of Community Relations for New Mexico Wildlife Federation Rev. Andrew Black planned the trip in collaboration with a national ecumenical Christian organization, Creation Justice Ministries. In organizing the trip, Rev. Black noted, “Bears Ears National Monument is one of the most unique, picturesque and sacred areas in America. Recognizing this, tribal and spiritual leaders from various faith traditions throughout the West came together to lift up Bear Ears National Monument as a place of great healing, wholeness and spiritual value not only to the region, but to the nation as a whole. For the Administration to consider shrinking the monument and fragmenting this pristine landscape is a grave injustice that fails to understand the sacred inter-connectedness between the area’s land, water, wildlife and people who have been on this landscape for thousands of years.” (See Rev. Black’s full statement.) The Bears Ears National Monument is the first and only national monument with official tribal appointees serving as the primary advisory body for managing their spiritual, cultural, and natural heritage. Yet, the Trump Administration is indicating it does not plan to heed recommendations of the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes, comprised of Hopi, Navajo, Ute, Ute Mountain Ute, and Zuni appointees. The Commission has urged the Trump Administration uphold the monument. to Over 30 tribes from throughout the nation have ancestral, historical and contemporary ties to Bears Ears and have expressed support for the monument. In supporting the recent visit by spiritual leaders Davis Filfred, member of the Navajo Nation, Bears Ears Commissioner and U.S. Marine Veteran, stated, “we encourage all people to come to Bears Ears because there is nothing like it in the world. We want people to come to see the land, how we use the land and how it is sacred to us.” While visiting Bears Ears, the spiritual leaders met with representatives from the Utah Diné Bikéyah, a local nonprofit actively working to protect Bears Ears and whose mission it is to “preserve and protect the cultural and natural resources of ancestral Native American lands to benefit and bring healing to people and the Earth.” Calling tribal and religious leaders to come together to protect Bears Ears National Monument as a place of sacredness and healing, Joseph Brophy Toledo, traditional leader from Jemez Pueblo, stated, “if you take care of the Earth, the Earth will take care of you. The healing of one is the healing of all. If we express our concerns as one, we can be heard louder. Sacred sites are like our churches, kivas, white house boundaries, and places of great healing and magnetism. As EarthPeople we ask you help us, help you. Our purpose is to help, not hurt, to build, not break.” In solidarity with the group making the sacred journey, more than 100 faith communities nationwide are praying during Native American Heritage Month for preserving the Native American Heritage landscapes and sacred sites in Bears Ears and other national monuments which are under threat. The trip’s spiritual and faith leaders would like to especially thank the Utah DinéBikeyah for their leadership, hospitality and wisdom during the trip. STATEMENTS AND QUOTES ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL JOURNEY TO BEARS EARS NATIONAL MONUMENT “As a veteran of our nation's combat spanning from Vietnam to Iraq, my spirit was calmed at Bears Ears. I departed wanting other veterans and Americans to behold the expansive beauty that will embrace their being.” Jeff Swanson, pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); retired military chaplain and veteran “It was very humbling to see all people of faith rally behind the preservation of the Bears Ears National Monument along with holding in awe and reverence the sacred sites. When we fight for creation, creation fights for us.” Rev. Larry Davis of Trinity Lutheran Church in Farmington, New Mexico journeyed as a representative of the Rocky Mountain Synod of the ELCA “As we pray, speak, and act, we stand in solidarity with our indigenous brothers and sisters. Already we have too much polluted land and water from irresponsible and short-term profit extractive industries like uranium, oil and gas. As we enter more deeply into climate change, we must protect these areas for all including future generations." Sister Joan Brown, OSF, Franciscan Sister and Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light “Reducing its size will not only reap tragic consequences for the land and the wildlife, but that effort overflows with racism. I hope to lend my voice to the voices of the Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain tribe, Hopi tribe, Pueblo of Zuni, and the Ute Indian tribe who are being ignored. Bears Ears National Monument has so much more to offer generations to come. Protecting these sacred lands will allow ones following us to learn from them, to be healed by them, and to reap their abundant blessings.” Rev. Dr. William M. Lyons, Southwest Conference Minister for the United Church of Christ | NEWS CLIPS Various Religious and Spiritual Leaders Make Pilgrimage to Bears Ears National Monument Matilyn Mortensen, Utah Public Radio 11.17.17 UCC Clergy and Interfaith Leaders Join Native People to Protect Sacred Site in Utah Connie Larkham, United Church of Christ News 11.20.17 Bears Ears Synod of the Southwest Blog, Presbyterian Church USA 11.21.17 Tribal, Religious Leaders Join Forces for Bears Ears The Gallup Independent 11.21.17 Spiritual Leaders Return From Bears Ears National Monument Sister Maureen Wild, Sisters of Charity, Halifax Spiritual Leaders Unite In Support of Bears Ears National Monument Rick Jones, Presbyterian News Service 11.28.17 Trump's Proclamation Shrinking Bears Ears Will Hurt All of Us Rabbi Nahum Ward-Lev, Rev. Lorrie Gaffney and Chaplain Jeff Swanson, NBC News 12.4.17 Trump Drastically Cuts National Monument Sacred to Native Americans Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service 12.4.17 Trump Sharply Reduces Size of Bears Ears National Monument Despite Interfaith Opposition David Paulsen, Episcopal News Service 12.4.17 Sacred Space: Interfaith Efforts to Protect Bears Ears The Presbyterian Outlook 12.7.17 Attacking One Sacred Place Is an Attack On All Sacred Places Nahum Ward-Lev and Andrew Black, Santa Fe New Mexican 12.9.17 Prioritize Holy Sites Like Bears Ears Joan Brown, National Catholic Reporter, Global Sisters Report 12.11.17 |
New Mexico Wildlife Federation---Founded by conservationist Aldo Leopold over 100 years ago, the New Mexico Wildlife Federation has over 80,000 members consisting of sportsmen and women, outdoor recreationalists. Since 1914 we’ve advocated for sound wildlife management, access to public lands, and protection of land, water, and wildlife while providing opportunities to pursue the outdoor traditions that helped make America what it is today. Creation Justice Ministries represents the creation care policies of 38 Christian communions, including Baptists, mainline Protestants, Historically Black Churches, Peace Churches, and Orthodox communions. Learn more about Creation Justice Ministries' involvement in Bears Ears National Monument at www.creationjustice.org/bears-ears |
Why Pray for the Stewardship of Public Lands now?
The Trump Administration is actively considering rolling back protections for Native American heritage and God’s creation. US Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has made a proposal for the biggest rollback of public land protections in U.S. history.
Call to Prayer
Suggested Words for Prayers
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Calls to Action
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Short Petition
During Native American Heritage Month, we pray for divine wisdom for the caretakers of our nation’s public lands. Public lands safeguard the natural, cultural, and spiritual heritage of Indigenous peoples, and these lands are entrusted to our collective stewardship. May our nation's decision-makers honor Indigenous peoples by protecting our public lands. Longer Petition During November, which is Native American Heritage Month, we pray for our nation’s decision-makers who are responsible for public lands. It is our collective responsibility to safeguard the natural, spiritual and cultural heritage of Indigenous peoples on public lands. We especially lift up prayers for public lands with national monument conservation protections: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, Cascade-Siskiyou in Oregon, Gold Butte in Nevada, Organ Mountains Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte National Monuments in New Mexico, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts off the coast of New England, the Pacific Remote Islands near Hawaii, and Rose Atoll near American Samoa. Christian Education & Liturgical Resources Creation Justice Ministries' 2017 Earth Day Sunday Resource, "Environmental Justice with Indigenous Peoples" includes education and liturgical resources. Find it at www.creationjustice.org/indigenous Multi-Media |
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Background Information
All of these National Monuments conserve antiquities important to Indigenous peoples. On August 24, 2017 Secretary Zinke delivered a set of recommendations to President Trump. He has recommended diminishing size or conservation protections for: Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, Cascade-Siskiyou in Oregon, Gold Butte in Nevada, Organ Mountains Desert Peaks and Rio Grande del Norte National Monuments in New Mexico, the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts off the coast of New England, the Pacific Remote Islands near Hawaii, and Rose Atoll near American Samoa. Zinke's recommendations have been evaluated by the Congressional Research Service. The New York Times created a useful list that clearly lays out what is at stake in Zinke's recommendations.
One of the monuments of particular concern is the 1.3 million acre Bears Ears National Monument in Utah. Religious communities worked extensively to support tribal efforts to establish the monument. Bears Ears is considered the ancestral land of five tribes, and each of those tribes hold parts of the monument as sacred. On December 28, 2016, because of the advocacy of the Hopi, Ute Indian, Ute Mountain Ute, Zuni, and Navajo, President Obama established Bears Ears National Monument as the first National Monument that primarily focuses on the spiritual, cultural, and natural heritage of tribes. In his Presidential Proclamation, President Obama appointed a Bears Ears Commission of Tribes to be the primary advisory body for the management of the Bears Ears National Monument. Secretary Zinke has ignored the Bears Ears Commission of Tribes' calls to uphold all conservation protections for Bears Ears. The elimination of protections for this land is not only disrespectful to the tribes, but also poses a threat to the future of the land. Without protections given to Bears Ears through its national monument status, the land is in danger of damage by extractive industries, grazing, and reckless visitors.
Now is the time to pray that God guides our nation's decision-makers. May they see the importance of the national monument protections for Indigenous heritage.
Water is essential for our existence because we use water to drink, cook, and clean, but it is also sacred within our religious spaces. Many faith communities baptize and bless people with water.
One of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) duties is to protect drinking water and prevent contamination. In 1972 the Clean Water Act gave the EPA the power to enforce pollution control programs. This is one of the ways our communities empower government to protect our health and God’s creation from industries that may be polluting our waters.
The EPA has a duty to use its resources to assess and monitor waters, and respond to dangerous contamination. The EPA monitors all public U.S. waters, from streams and lakes to our household taps. Given its vast and important responsibility, the EPA is already under-resourced. Currently, the EPA budget is at risk of being dramatically cut. The Trump Administration has proposed a whopping 30% reduction in EPA funding. With less funding, will the EPA be able to maintain the same services? From Flint to Navajoland, there are still many people across the United States without access to clean water. We need to continue to progress, not regress, especially with something as essential as water.
As our faith calls us to act in support of those whose cause is just, yet do not always have political power We need to pray for our communities, and also take action to ensure that we continue to watch over our water. Additionally, we ask that you act by calling your congressional representatives and urge them to protect funding for the EPA.
Because the Creation Justice community is aware that clean, safe water cannot be taken for granted, we are making an effort to pray about water.
Here are some examples of water prayers:
Read water prayers from Emmanuel UCC in York, PA.
Find a fact sheet about water from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Here are some of the best pets that were honored as part of the campaign.
You can still donate to Creation Justice Ministries here http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=GOTsWfFe6GDIQp8K0pBlXRHbQAo4PqF9
11 AM - 1:00 PM:
We began our tour at a park located a couple of blocks away from the first toxic site. As we gathered at the park there were several kids playing catch and in the playground. We discussed the background behind the superfund sites and how environmental issues are interconnected with faith. The park, where children were playing and homes were located was approximately 10 minutes away from the first Superfund Site.
Our first visit was to the Stanley Kessler Superfund Site, there we did not see any signs stating that the work site was an EPA Superfund site. The Weld Wire Company Inc. sits exactly on this site and there were two neighboring businesses. Mr. Snook mentioned that businesses should have EPA Superfund Site disclaimers, and places that do not have signs might be trying to hide the fact because they do not want to alarm workers and those who visit the site. Afterwards, we drove to the street behind the site and went to a local bakery that relies on local water to make its bread. The manager shared: “When I bought the land, I knew it was a dump.”
Next, we visited the Crater Resources, Inc./Keystone Coke Co./Alan Wood Steel Co. Superfund site. We stood in the parking lot of a commercial area and reflected on both sites.
James explained that the site was in better condition than the last because previous owners mostly cleaned up the space and put cement over it. Although the site appeared fine, the businesses in that area could not use the water supply in the area because it is still contaminated.
This reflects the reality of many Superfund sites that may appear fine on the outside yet are still listed under the EPA’s superfund sites and affecting the health of community members.
Finally, we prayed and continued our reflection on the second site. Reverend Tillman blessed the site and the food for our Love Feast. We honored God’s creation and prayed for the urgent recovery of these sites because God’s Creation, our earth, has been harmed. Likewise human health has suffered as a consequence of environmental injustices such as Superfund Sites.
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We will meet at Valley Forge Acres Park, then view the Stanley Kessler Superfund Site and the Crater Resources/Keystone Coke/Alan Wood Superfund Site. Protodeacon Sergei Kapral of the Orthodox Church in America will lead us in prayer.
This event is co-sponsored by the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Creation Justice Ministries, and Lutherans Restoring Creation. Please join us as we urge Congress to properly invest in the work of the Environmental Protection Agency and its Superfund Site remediation program. RSVP to [email protected]
The 3-acre Stanley Kessler Superfund site is located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. A welding wire degreasing and repackaging business operated on site from the 1960s to 2000. During operations, site operators improperly disposed of solvent degreasers. In 1979, sampling detected contaminants in the Upper Merion Reservoir, a source of drinking water for the area. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup included groundwater treatment. Groundwater treatment and monitoring are ongoing. Two tenants continue to operate industrial facilities on site.
As of December 2016, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 20 people and generated an estimated $10,530,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
The Crater Resources, Inc./Keystone Coke Co./Alan Wood Steel Co. Superfund site is located in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The 95-acre area consists of four inactive quarries. Beginning in 1919, Alan Wood Steel Company disposed of wastes generated by its coking facility in three of the quarries. In 1977, Keystone Coke Company purchased the Alan Wood Steel Company and continued to dispose of wastes at the site until 1980. Site investigations identified contaminated wastes, liquids, soil and sediment in the quarries. Groundwater was also contaminated. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1992. Cleanup activities required removal of contaminated soil and sediment and capping. Groundwater monitoring and some cleanup activities are ongoing. A commercial office park is located on site. As of December 2016, EPA had data on 62 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 3,083 people and generated an estimated $733,261,984 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.
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We will gather at 3:00pm at Westminister Presbyterian Chapel (125 N. Wilkinson St), learn together for 30 minutes, then travel to the South Dayton Dump, the Behr Dayton Thermal System Plume Site, and the North Sanitary (Valleycrest) Landfill. We will hear remarks from University of Dayton professor Marianist Sister Leanne Jablonski FMI, Jerry Bowling III, and Emilee George. The event is co-sponsored by National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Creation Justice Ministries and UD Hanley Sustainability Institute & Marianist Environmental Education Center.
Nationwide, toxic Superfund sites are polluting our air and water, while also harming communities health. According to the landmark Toxic Waste and Race study by the United Church of Christ, communities of color are most likely to live near toxic sites, contributing to racial disparities in health problems such as asthma and cancer.
Please join us for this important prayer event as we highlight the need to protect communities from toxic pollution and urge Congress to fully fund the EPA and its Superfund Program. RSVP to [email protected]
See information about the Superfund Prayer Tours in St. Louis, Missouri on September 23 and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 24.
Source: EPA website and map for Superfund, brownfield, etc. at https://www.epa.gov/cleanups/cleanups-my-community
South Dayton Dump and Landfill Background
The South Dayton Dump and Landfill is a former disposal area for industrial and municipal waste. The site is approximately 80 acres and includes a 15-acre pond, as well as property now occupied by an operating asphalt plant and other businesses. Open burning, landfilling and storage of hazardous waste throughout its half-century operation has resulted in contamination of soil and portions of the ground water aquifer underlying the site, potentially threatening the adjacent Great Miami River. Soil contains metals that include lead, copper, mercury and other chemicals. Groundwater contamination is mainly organic chemicals such as tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and benzene. In 2006 the Agency and the potentially responsible parties signed an agreement for EPA to oversee the PRPs investigate the nature and extent of contamination, determine risks posed by the site to human health and the environment, and develop cleanup options.”
EPA’s Involvement at this Site
Site investigations from 2008 to 2010 included a geophysical survey, test pit and test trench sampling, vertical aquifer sampling, landfill gas sampling, and groundwater monitoring well installation and sampling. Based on these investigations, site work was divided into two parts or "operable units." Operable unit 1 will involve evaluating cleanup alternatives to address 55 acres of the landfill and will include cleanup alternatives that allow on-site businesses to remain open and operate safely. Operable unit 2 will involve detailed investigation of surface water and sediment in the on-site quarry pond and the Great Miami River, in floodplain soils and in off-site groundwater.
A vapor intrusion study in 2011 and 2012 found that vapor intrusion and landfill gas migration posed an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health. Vapor intrusion occurs when chemicals in landfill materials and groundwater give off gases that can rise up through the soil and seep into buildings through foundations. To reduce sub-slab and indoor levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) and methane, EPA issued an Action Memo in October 2012 requiring site PRPs to install sub-slab depressurization systems at several on-site buildings. These systems, similar to radon mitigation systems, have been installed in several buildings along Dryden Road. They draw TCE, methane and other vapors out of the soil under the buildings and vent them outside. The PRPs installed the mitigation systems and demolished other buildings in the summer of 2013. Site PRPs are currently conducting additional investigations of on-site groundwater and contaminant sources before finalizing cleanup alternatives.
Site Status
In June 2016, EPA and several PRPs entered into a new Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent, under which the PRPs will collect additional samples of soil, groundwater, and sediment to characterize the site, understand the risks to human health and the environment, and develop remedial alternatives to address site risks. Sample collection is expected to begin in fall 2016.
Based on sampling of groundwater, soil gas, sub-slab air, and indoor air in 2012, EPA documented a completed exposure pathway for vapor intrusion at the SDDL Site. Vapor intrusion occurs when chemicals in landfill materials and ground water give off gases that can rise up through the soil and seep into buildings through foundations.
In order to reduce the sub-slab and indoor levels of TCE and methane, EPA issued an Action Memo in October, 2012, that required the PRPs to install sub-slab depressurization systems at several on-site buildings. These systems, similar to radon mitigation systems, have been installed in several buildings along Dryden Road and are drawing TCE, methane and other vapors out of the soil under the buildings and vent them outside.
As of summer 2016, most of the buildings are in compliance with indoor air and sub-slab vapor requirements, but additional modifications were made to the depressurization systems of a few buildings in early 2016. EPA will review the sampling data from these buildings to determine if they are now in compliance.
Site Risks
Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soil, sediment and groundwater, and inhaling contaminated soil or sediment particles.
The Behr Dayton Thermal System VOC Plume site is located northeast of the confluence of the Greater Miami and Mad rivers in Dayton, Ohio. MAHLE Behr Dayton Thermal Products LLC makes vehicle air conditioning and engine-cooling systems at the site. Chrysler Corporation owned and operated the facility from about 1937 to April 2002. Groundwater beneath the plant is contaminated with volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, including the solvent trichloroethene, or TCE. Polluted groundwater from beneath the plant has migrated underground to the south/southwest through residential, commercial and industrial areas of the neighborhood. Site investigations and cleanup planning are ongoing.
Site Risks
Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or inhaling contaminants in soil and groundwater. Vapor abatement systems installed in residential homes have taken care of people’s potential exposures to indoor air contamination. Not all homes have systems installed.
EPA’s Involvement at this Site
EPA first became involved in the site in 2007 and was initiated in response to a request from Ohio EPA. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) as a Superfund site in 2009. After EPA was unable to reach agreements with the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to lead the site’s remedial investigation, EPA began the remedial investigation in late 2009. EPA collected soil and groundwater samples across the area between 2009 to 2016. In 2009 and in accordance with an EPA-issued legal order, Behr Dayton Thermal Products LLC (now MAHLE Behr Dayton LLC) took over the ongoing operation, maintenance, and monitoring activities to prevent accumulation in businesses and homes of harmful vapors associated with the site. These activities include installation of vapor mitigation systems and they are still ongoing.
On December 22, 2015 EPA reached a legal agreement with MAHLE that requires MAHLE to install and operate a system involving air injection with subsequent extraction and treatment in an area at the southern edge of MAHLE’s Dayton operation. This is the portion of the groundwater contaminant plume that has the most significant concentrations of contaminants. A draft remedial investigation report was first submitted to U.S. EPA for review in August 2016, and a draft study of cleanup alternatives was first submitted in February 2017. Both of these reports are currently undergoing revisions.
Site Status
The remedial investigation at the site has included studying potential source areas in and around several facilities, extensive groundwater sampling, and soil sampling. The cleanup investigation identified areas of concern outside of the original vapor sampling locations. These areas will now be investigated. U.S. EPA and the PRP are planning to conduct additional vapor intrusion sampling to assess if there are other homes in area that may have issues with vapor intrusion. This sampling will continue into next year and will help the agency complete its investigation in order to develop cleanup options for the entire site.
In accordance with the 2015 EPA's legal agreement with MAHLE (PDF) (45pp, 1.65 MB), preliminary work began in the summer of 2016 to install and operate a system involving air injection with subsequent extraction and treatment in an area of MAHLE’s facility. The full implementation of this activity is expected to occur in late 2017. EPA expects to make a decision on how to clean-up the overall site in 2018.
Health Impacts (as per Ohio Department of Health)
Before vapor abatement systems were installed, breathing indoor air contaminated with TCE above the established long-term screening levels for this site over the course of a lifetime could have harmed people’s health. This was considered to be a public health hazard for homes in the McCook Field Neighborhood south of the Behr Dayton Thermal facility where indoor air TCE concentrations exceeded the long-term screening level.
Breathing indoor air contaminated with TCE could increase the likelihood of harmful noncancer health effects and the development of certain types of cancer. Installation of the vapor abatement systems has lowered the concentrations of contaminants to levels that are not expected to cause adverse health effects upon exposure.
Before vapor abatement systems were installed, breathing indoor air contaminated with TCE for longer than two weeks but less than a year at four homes in the McCook Field Neighborhood south of the Behr Dayton Thermal Products facility could have harmed people’s health.
People using water from the Dayton public water supply for drinking, showering, or other household uses are currently not at risk for harmful health effects.
Additional info:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tXRg3-bEg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHigrMRNpSE
The Valleycrest Landfill Site is located at 950 Brandt Pike. The site consists of an area of approximately 100 acres that is separated into eastern and western portions by north-south-trending Valleycrest Drive. The eastern portion of the site consists of approximately 35 acres, and the western portion of the site consists of approximately 65 acres. The site is located above the Great Miami Aquifer, which is a sole-source aquifer for the City of Dayton. The site is located in a mixed urban, industrial, and residential area. The site is bordered on the east and northeast by a residential neighborhood, on the north by several residences, on the southeast by commercial and residential structures and Valley Pike, and on the southwest by the CSX railroad property and residences. The site is bordered on the west by two residences and several industrial facilities, including the Brandt Pike petroleum terminals, Van Dyne Crotty Inc., industrial cleaner facility, and the Hotop demolition landfill. More than half of the area was used for landfilling industrial and municipal wastes into unlined former gravel pits. Five disposal areas have been identified. The site sits atop and within a federally designated, sole-source aquifer. Landfill operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Many fires have also occurred on site. Residents with affected drinking water wells have been connected to the public water supply. Following immediate actions to protect human health and the environment, planning and negotiation efforts for the site’s long-term remedy are ongoing.
The site is currently owned by the Keystone Gravel Company of Dayton, Ohio, and was operated as a sand and gravel quarry from before 1935 until the 1970s. In 1966, the site began accepting solid waste, and later, industrial waste, including hazardous waste drums in the eastern portion of the site (Area 1). Filling in the eastern portion of the site continued until approximately 1970. In 1970, the site began accepting waste in the western portion of the site (Area 5) and continued until approximately 1975.
Read more.
Why We Care
For more than 10,000 years, the Gwich'in people have lived in harmony with the land we know today as Alaska and the Yukon. In 1960, some of the most ecologically rich parts of the Gwich'in peoples' ancestral homeland were set aside for protection and named the "Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." Since protections were established for the 30,000 square mile area, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has been under perpetual threat of losing its conservation status. That is because a provision of the Refuge's establishment stated the Coastal Plain area of the Refuge could be opened up at any time for oil exploration and drilling through an act of Congress.
For decades, faith communities have stood by the Gwich'in to help them defend the Coastal Plain from oil exploration and drilling. Gwich'in people call the Coastal Plain "the sacred place where life begins." The Coastal Plain is the birthing ground of the porcupine caribou herd, on which Gwich'in people depend for food and for spiritual wellbeing. Many Gwich'in people integrate traditional Gwich'in beliefs with Christian faith, and are active in the Episcopal Church. The Gwich'in have appealed to the Episcopal Church and other people of faith to stand with them, and we have answered their call. Learn more about Creation Justice's ongoing efforts at www.creationjustice.org/arctic. |
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About this Blog
This blog shares the activities of Creation Justice Ministries. We educate and equip Christians to protect, restore, and rightly share God's creation.
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