Kettleman Hills Hazardous Waste Facility facts for kids
The Kettleman Hills Hazardous Waste Facility is a very large place where special kinds of waste are handled. It covers about 1,600 acres (that's like 1,200 football fields!). This facility takes care of both dangerous waste and regular trash. It's run by a company called Waste Management, Inc.. You can find this landfill about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Kettleman City in California.
People in the local community and environmental groups often worry about the facility's impact on health. A local group called 'People for Clean Air and Water' (El Pueblo para El Aire y Agua Limpio) and other groups like Greenaction often say the facility might be a health risk.
However, Waste Management, Inc. says it helps the local area by providing jobs. They also donate money to the community, including the Kettleman City Elementary School. The facility manager once said that many different government agencies regularly check the site. But community leaders like Maricela Mares-Alatorre argue that donations don't make up for potential health problems.
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Rules for Waste Disposal
To keep people and the environment safe, there are important laws about how waste is handled.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
This law was created in 1976. It helps manage how solid and dangerous waste is thrown away. The main goals of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for this law are:
- To protect people's health and nature from waste.
- To save natural resources.
- To reduce the amount of waste we create.
One part of this law is called "cradle to grave." This means that dangerous waste is tracked from when it's made until it's safely disposed of. Facilities that treat, store, or dispose of hazardous waste, like Kettleman Hills, must have special permits. This means they have to follow strict rules to operate. The Kettleman Hills Facility needed to ask for a change to its permit to expand by 14 acres to hold more waste.
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Also passed in 1976, this law controls the sale and use of chemicals in the U.S. It especially focuses on a group of chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). For the Kettleman Hills Facility to expand and accept PCBs, it also needs a permit from the EPA.
When the EPA decides on such a permit, they must tell the public. They also hold a 60-day period where people can share their thoughts, and there's a public meeting.
Environmental Justice Rules
In 1994, a special rule called Executive Order 12898 was put in place. It focuses on environmental justice. This means that minority and low-income groups should not suffer more from pollution or health problems than others. It says that government agencies must work to identify and fix unfair environmental and health impacts on these groups.
For example, this rule requires important documents to be translated into the local language. Groups like Greenaction have used this rule in their discussions with the Kettleman Hills Facility, especially since many residents in Kettleman City speak Spanish.
Why Environmental Justice Matters
The idea of environmental justice is very important for places like Kettleman City. This community has a large minority population. Studies show that people from minority groups or with less education are more likely to live near polluting facilities.
Greenaction, an environmental justice group, works with the Kettleman City community. They believe there are issues of environmental injustice because of the town's makeup. For example:
- Many adults in Kettleman City have not finished high school.
- Most residents are from Mexico and speak Spanish.
- In 2000, the average household income was low, and many people lived below the poverty line.
- Residents are often younger and more likely to rent their homes.
Environmental justice is about making sure everyone has the same protection from environmental and public health laws. There are different reasons why environmental injustices might happen:
Economic Reasons
Some people argue that companies don't mean to harm specific groups. They just want to make money. So, they build facilities where land is cheap. This often happens in areas where labor and materials are also cheaper. Over time, if a waste facility causes problems, wealthier residents might move away. This can make land values even lower, leading to more poor people moving in.
Sociopolitical Reasons
Another idea is that companies and governments choose locations where people are less likely to fight back. They try to avoid arguments. So, they pick areas where communities might not have the power or organization to oppose a new factory. Communities with less social connection, lower voting rates, or less wealth might be more at risk.
Racial Discrimination Reasons
This idea suggests that even if decisions today seem fair, they might still lead to unfair results because of past actions. For example, industrial zones might have been set up in the past in areas where people of color lived. So, even if a new facility is built in an "industrial zone," it still ends up affecting these communities more.
Impacts on the Environment
In 2008, Waste Management wanted to make their landfill bigger to store more polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) waste. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studied the area to see if the expansion would harm animals and plants. Their 2009 report said that two species might be affected: the San Joaquin kit fox and the blunt-nosed leopard lizard.
Also, in 1984, Waste Management found that groundwater (water under the ground) was polluted under two old ponds. They cleaned up one pond starting in 1988 and closed another in 1997. Cleanup for groundwater began in 1985. The company now has 48 wells to check the water. In 2012, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) ordered the facility to clean up PCB spills around a storage building. By 2012, the DTSC said the soil cleanup was done and there was no longer a threat.
In 2008, an engineering firm called CH2M Hill looked at the possible environmental impacts of the expansion. Here's what they found:
- Looks and Scenery (Aesthetics): The expanded parts of the facility would not be seen from Kettleman City, so there would be no major change to the view.
- Air Quality:
* The project would not go over federal and state limits for many air pollutants like nitrogen oxides or carbon dioxide. * However, it would exceed the limits for tiny particles in the air (PM10) at the facility's edge. The area already has worse air quality than national standards for ozone and tiny particles. So, the project would add to air quality problems.
- Wildlife and Plants (Biological Resources):
* The expansion would use 103 acres of land outside the current facility. * Four protected wildlife species could be in this area. * Because construction would happen in untouched areas, the project was not expected to have a big impact on these species.
- History and Fossils (Culture and Paleontology):
* The area does not have important old human sites. * But, there's a moderate to high chance of finding fossils in the proposed area. * So, there's a moderate to high chance of impacting fossil sites.
- Other Impacts:
* The project would continue the same waste transport and disposal activities. * There would be no new impact on Kettleman City Elementary School, which is about 3.5 miles away.
- Groundwater:
* The project was designed to meet state and federal rules to prevent harm to groundwater or surface water. * No major impact on water resources was expected.
- Noise:
* The loudest noise levels from the project would stay below the county's limit of 70 decibels for farm areas.
- Climate Impact:
* The carbon dioxide emissions from the expansion are not new. They are a continuation of the facility's regular vehicle trips. * So, transportation emissions would not cause a new increase in global greenhouse gases. * However, any large amount of greenhouse gas emissions is considered important for climate change. The facility's emissions would add to the overall greenhouse gases, which is seen as a significant contribution to climate change.
In 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger asked state agencies to check if pollution was linked to health issues in Kettleman City. This was because of community worries about health concerns. The Kettleman Hills facility was not found to be the only direct cause of these health issues. State agencies tested air, soil, and water around the facility, farms, the school, and possible illegal dump sites. They looked for 27 pesticides, air pollutants, arsenic, lead, and soil contaminants. They found higher than normal arsenic in some water, low levels of lead in some wells, benzene in the air near a water treatment unit, and high levels of a banned pesticide in one home's yard.
Money Matters
The situation in Kettleman City has led to many discussions about money for the county, city, and the company. The Kettleman Hills Hazardous Waste Facility wanted to expand because its 10.7 million-cubic-yard site was almost full.
A spokeswoman for Waste Management, Inc. said that because they couldn't expand, they had to lay off more than two-thirds of their employees. This had a big impact on their business and the local economy. In 2012, the company reportedly paid about $312,000 in fines for not reporting waste spills.
The county also benefits financially. It expects to get $1.5 million in fees each year from the waste trucks. The facility's operations also bring about $17.5 million to the county's economy.
The residents of Kettleman City were also promised money if the expansion happened. Waste Management offered donations and to pay off the Kettleman City Community Services District's water system debt, which was about $552,000. This would help the community get state grants. They also offered $150,000 to create safe walking paths on Highway 41. However, community leader Maricela Mares-Alatorre opposes this funding. She said, "I know Chem Waste likes to frame it as they’re being good neighbors, but the truth is that they’re buying good will. If you give me a choice between my good will and the health of the community, the health of my family, I’m going to choose the health of my family.”
Images for kids
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Kettleman City Protest
