The village.
The policy change resolves the trial of civil rights filed three years ago, which is in response to the approval of a scrape Shreder of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, mainly on the Latino southeast, when the owners shut down their often-traded general iron operations in the white Lincoln park.
Community groups filed a petition for federal intervention, accusing Illinois EPA and city agencies of colliding with developers, so that pollutants in a corner of the city could be concentrated, where residential yard already contains heavy metals and toxic chemicals from nearby industries.
Under an agreement with the US EPA investigators, the state agency promises a need for more effective pollution-control equipment and consider the monitoring of air-disdains if the industries want to build or expand environmental justice communities throughout the Illinois.
The previous violation of environmental laws will also be taken into consideration.
Pollutants, day care centers and medical facilities near schools will increase investigation. Neighbors will get more information about permit applications and the state will require public hearing when requested.
Gina Ramirez, a senior advisor to the South -East Environment Task Force, said, “The separation is alive in Chicago, and this is a future that I do not want to live through my children.” “Illinois should allow these dangerous features with seriousness that is worthy of it. This means that in fact, keeping in mind the health of people living in communities, where they are working. ,
After the Illinois EPA approved a permit for the RMG scrap Shreder in 2020, community groups focused on their efforts on the then Mayor Lori Lightfoot, protested outside their homes and filed a complaint of civil rights against the city with American housing and urban development.
Some opponents staged a hunger strike, which they considered environmental racism.
Lightfoot denied the final permit Ohio-based RMG to the 116th Street and the final permit required to start the scrap metal with the Kalumet River near Avenue O.
RMG is appealing. For now, the company’s machinery stands some blocks away from the Washington High School, where the state monitoring equipment regularly detect some of the city’s dirt air.
The agreement between federal and state officials did not cancel the state permit of RMG. Another part of the deal approved the Illinois EPA from accepting any wrongdoing during the project review.
Lightfoot settled Hud’s complaint shortly before leaving the office.
In September, Mayor Brandon Johnson promised to overhall zoning, plan and land-use ordinances, which promote the heavy industry to move out to other parts of Chicago mainly from the white neighborhood, which were affected by pollution, poverty and disease.
City Hall has not yet followed through those promises.
“We are caught in the middle of a continuous struggle to protect our health, while another non -profit group, another non -profit group, behind the complaints of civil rights, Cherry Johnson, while the industry continues to pile up in the neighborhood like the industry and government agencies continue to permits rubber.”
Johnson said: “This is a huge step in the right direction that will eventually eliminate some of the worst practices of (Illinois EPA) that helped create the sacrifice areas of Chicago.”