Our Ohio River Valley organizer Rachel Meyer (above) lives in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, which begins only about 1,000 feet from where the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio unfolded. Rachel’s home is 20 miles from the site of the petrochemical release, but that’s still too close for comfort.
- Smoke from the controlled chemical burn traveled into Beaver County. Rachel tells WKBN News First 27 that she worries about how the chemicals in that toxic cloud could impact her family’s health.
- This disaster underscores the need for stronger petrochemical protections. In an interview with Spectrum News 1, Rachel makes the connection between what happened in East Palestine and a larger issue–a petrochemical industry that is dangerous to our health. She says that the potential consequences of being exposed to these chemicals is “a huge worry long-term that will always be in the back of our minds.”
- This recent catastrophe adds another layer to an already “bad” petrochemical situation. Many Ohio River Valley residents are already living with oil and gas operations and petrochemical buildout in their proverbial backyards. Rachel’s “bad neighbor” is a Shell ethane cracker plant that malfunctioned yet again last week. She tells CBS Pittsburgh that the company’s lack of transparency around this (and other) incidents is alarming.
- This isn’t the first time transparency has been an issue. Rachel says that improved transparency could help earn Shell some (minor) points with the surrounding community. Read more in the Pittsburgh Union Progress and Pittsburgh Business Times.
Back in East Palestine, Ohio, WKBN First News 27 reports that resident and Mom Jessica Conard is still waiting to see more action from government and industry. Jessica says: “Stop apologizing and start making some commitments to these people.”
IN OTHER NEWS…
A day in the Sun: Shaina Oliver, our North Denver-based Colorado organizer, is profiled alongside other community leaders in a Colorado Sun article that dissects the Suncor Refinery’s impact on the people who live nearby.
- “We as moms continue to advocate for stronger regulations,” says Shaina. But she says that this itself is complicated for her: “We know regulation means we’re still allowing them to exist. And we don’t want this [pollution harming the community] to happen anymore.”
Cutting soot at its source: New Mexico organizer Ana Rios outlines the many ways that soot pollution threatens our health in an interview with Telemundo Puerto Rico.
- Heavy-duty vehicles like diesel-powered trucks and buses produce soot and other types of harmful air pollution. That’s why Moms are fighting for stronger truck pollution protections, Texas organizer Erandi Treviño tells La Red Hispana. That’s also why clean air advocates like Michigan organizer Elizabeth Hauptman are working so hard to bring zero-pollution electric school buses to their communities, M Live reports.
- Stronger air pollution protections are important to the health of Latino communities, as they are disproportionately impacted by unhealthy air. Iowa organizer Karin Stein speaks more about this environmental injustice in an interview with Hecho en California.
Telemundo honors EcoMadres on Women’s Day: Telemundo profiles EcoMadres and their work to fight for clean air and environmental justice.
- The English translation was published in The Limited Times.
Honorable mentions: A couple news hits that deserve a shout-out!
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- Our National Manager for Health Equity Almeta Cooper spoke at an event honoring the memory of the late Representative Donald McEachin. EIN Presswire reports.
- Former Florida Moms organizer Yaritza Perez shouts out Moms in an interview with ClickOrlando.
- Republic of Green lists Moms as one of the 14 top US-based organizations fighting climate change!
- The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports on an upcoming environmental justice conference where Heather McTeer Toney, Moms’ former Senior Director, will speak.
- New Mexico Political Report names Moms as one of the groups concerned about the state legislature’s lack of action on climate.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD
- WKBN (Jessica interview): https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1637917842199785472
- CBS Pittsburgh: https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1637505164520112130
- Colorado Sun: https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1636444134998196224
- Pittsburgh Union Progress: https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1631666215000178689
- M Live: https://twitter.com/Moms_Press/status/1631305354469425152
TELL BIDEN AND EPA: PROTECT PEOPLE FROM THE DISASTROUS PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY