Thursday, March 26, 2015

State Agencies Hit with Civil Rights Complaint over Toxic Waste Dump Expansion

Two environmental groups last week filed a civil rights complaint against the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Toxic Substances Control. Last May, the state agencies approved expansion of the toxic waste landfill near the Central Valley town of Kettleman City. In response, San Francisco-based Greenaction and a local group, People for Clean Air and Water, based their complaint on the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964. The groups claim that state agencies used an environmental impact report by Kings County that discriminated against the largely Latino population of Kettleman City in approving the expansion. Pacifica’s Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.