1st Ward Report |
I was pleased and honored to be sworn in as the Alderman of Chicago’s 1st Ward on March 26, 2010. As Alderman, I’ll look for community-based solutions to solve our biggest challenges. I’ll be a strong and independent advocate for the people of the 1st Ward in the Chicago City Council and no one else. |
MEDIA ADVISORY
Emergency Effort to Counter Land and Lakes Initiative
SPRINGFIELD – May 29, 2012 - Working together for “Latino environmental justice,” members of the Chicago and State Latino Caucuses will meet in Springfield on Tuesday in an effort to stop a new landfill proposed for Chicago’s southeast side. A press conference will be held at 11:15am on the first floor of the Capital Building to talk about the landfill’s impact on the Latino community and the environmental.
On Tuesday the Environmental Health Committee State House will consider legislation, HB388, a bill that will prohibit any new landfills or landfill expansions in Cook County. The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Marcus Evans Jr., D-Chicago, and among its co-sponsors is state Rep. Connie Howard, D-Chicago will be heard on Tuesday by the Environmental Health Committee.
The emergency legislative action sprung up this weekend in response to a court decision released Friday in favor of the landfill. Unless the legislature acts, the landfill located at 138th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue can reopen. Latino officials from Chicago are concerned that the landfill will harm Latinos on Chicago’s southeast side by negatively impacting the urban area’s property value, economic development and the community’s ability to promote itself. In addition, the daily exposure of the smell of rotting waste has severe impacts to the respiratory health.
For decades, residents, the local community, and environmental organizations from the Lake Calumet Region have been fighting to maintain a landfill moratorium on the southeast side. This bill, HB3881, secures a landfill moratorium for Cook County and protects the state’s investments in the region.
Allowing landfills to operate in Cook County puts more than $25 million of recent taxpayer state investments at risk. The landfill moratorium guaranteed the community the ability to plan, investments and address quality of life issues. In addition, over 50 community and environmental groups are working with key legislators to help pass a ban on landfills in Chicago and Cook County.
WHO:
Rep. Marcus C. Evans, Jr.
Senator Don Harmon
Ald. John Pope, Chicago 10th Ward
Ald. Joe Moreno, Chicago 1st Ward
Ald. Rey Colon, Chicago 35th Ward
Ald. Rick Munoz, Chicago 22nd Ward
Ald. George Cardenas, Chicago 12th Ward
Peggy Salazar, Executive Director, Southeast Environmental Task Force
Juan Rangel, United Neighborhood Organization (UNO)
Riley Rodgers and Deborah Green, Trustees, Village of Dolton
Lawrence Jackson, Trustee, Village of Riverdale
WHAT: Support HB3881 to stop establishment or expansion of landfills in Cook County.
WHEN: Tuesday, May 29th at 11:15 a.m. CT
WHERE: Illinois Capital Building, First Floor
401 South 2nd Street
Springfield, IL
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