Focus on Environmental Justice in Greater 5th Ward

The public and officials are coming together to address environmental health concerns in the Greater Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens. With three Superfund Sites, two known cancer clusters and recent concerns over contamination from the Union Pacific railyard, residents have been calling for action on environmental justice for years…and now they may be getting it. 

The EPA met with the community last month to spell out its plan to have the railroad test the homes near the yard for dioxin and other chemical contamination. At the meeting, the EPA announced it was forming a Community Advisory Group (CAG), which will meet regularly to discuss the contamination threat from the railyard. THEA has been invited to be a member of the CAG, which will meet again June 1st. 

At the meeting, we asked U.S. representative and mayoral candidate Sheila Jackson Lee about the collaboration between the community, officials and groups like THEA.

In the meantime, Mayor Sylvester Turner and other city officials are calling on Congress to pass tougher safety laws on railroads.