'This case shows how the state permitting process fails to protect communities, and that's why federal action is needed,' said Earthjustice attorney John Petoskey.
"The fact that EGLE has acknowledged environmental justice concerns with this asphalt plant and decided to go ahead and permit it anyway reflects a much larger problem."
This concentration of industrial activity has left inhabitants with high rates of cancer, asthma, and other respiratory illnesses, prompting them to demand an assessment of the cumulative impacts of the projected emissions from the proposed asphalt plant along with the pollution emanating from other toxic facilities in the area.
In addition to challenging the permit in court, the community groups have filed separate Title VI civil rights complaints with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, requesting an investigation into EGLE's alleged racism in this permitting process and a comprehensive review of the agency's compliance with civil rights laws more broadly.
As Earthjustice associate attorney John Petoskey put it: "The fact that EGLE has acknowledged environmental justice concerns with this asphalt plant and decided to go ahead and permit it anyway reflects a much larger problem. This case shows how the state permitting process fails to protect communities, and that's why federal action is needed.”
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