Chester, Pa.; Kettleman City, Calif.; and Warren County, N.C., all have one thing in common:  Environmental injustices have slowly suffocated the people living there.

With a lawsuit filed March 18, Camillus, N.Y., was added to the list of countless towns, cities and counties that continue to be wrongly gripped with environmental injustice.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, environmental justice is the “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.” This is unfortunately not practiced in many locations throughout the country.

Camillus, the location of a dumpsite for the toxic dredged material from Onondaga Lake called waste bed 13, is about 15 minutes west of Syracuse.

A group of 50 Camillus residents have sued the Honeywell Corporation claiming their health and livelihoods have been greatly affected by the toxins in the dumpsite. The Camillus residents have organized within the Camillus Clean Air Coalition, and voiced concerns about the air quality surrounding the site.

Many homes are directly adjacent to the waste bed, and residents are complaining that Honeywell has not been accurately measuring the air quality at the Superfund site.

The United States established the Superfund system with the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980. The system identifies abandoned hazardous waste sites and works through the EPA to clean the areas to meet environmental standards.

The elimination of dangerous sites is just a part of the process for establishing environmental justice.

Though Camillus shares a similar environmental injustice concern with many locations nationwide, it is unlike most sites due to a contrasting demographic.

Camillus’ population is more than 94 percent white with a medium income of about $50,000 annually per household, according to 2010 census data. This is contrary to the demographics of most environmental injustice cases, where populations are normally minorities and in lower-income brackets.

Environmental injustices are too often felt by lower socioeconomic and minority communities. Predominately white neighborhoods often have the means to stay clear of such discrimination, but in the case of Camillus and other towns throughout our nation, this just isn’t so.

Despite the demographics of a town’s residents, environmental justice should be maintained by all people – no matter what race, creed or socioeconomic standing.

Environmental injustices happen throughout our country, as many decision-makers work outside of the affected community. They rule in favor of the most efficient ways to deal with waste and other toxins. This often results in power-holders cutting costs without taking the community into account, therefore causing injustices to occur.

All people must be considered, no matter their background, which makes tough decisions tougher when dealing with waste that has already been created and must be disposed of.

Though environmental justice is a complex endeavor, the health and safety of all people in our country, no matter who they are, must come first. These injustices are unacceptable in all cases – big or small.

The right to a clean environment — where we work, play and live — deserves more time and energy than has been devoted in the past. We have a right to be healthy and safe, regardless of who we are and where we come from.

Meg Callaghan is a junior environmental studies major at SUNY-ESF. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at mlcallag@syr.edu.

Published on April 10, 2013 at 1:00 am