North Casper: Wyoming's "A Civil Action"?
by Steff Kessler
North Casper has been termed the "catch basin" of all Casper pollution
and "ground zero" of the Amoco refinery emissions. It is underlain by shallow
groundwater contamination plumes and soil contamination of tetrachloroethene
(PCE), trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, ethylbenzene, toulene, xylene
and other contaminants. In addition, the community sits downwind
and down-gradient of the Amoco refinery, with a natural groundwater flow
north and east along the historic river plain at a rate of 2,000 feet per
year. Other contaminants found at the refinery include chloroform, lead,
naphthalene, 2-methynaphthalene, dioxins and 2,4-D. Many of these chemicals
are proven carcinogens and exposures can cause a wide array of health problems
and even death.
Alarming Disease Rates
Residents report alarming rates of illnesses, childhood diseases, leukemias,
cancers and other health problems. WOC investigated the rate of brain tumors
and leukemia over 10 years in the zip code for the area through the Wyoming
Department of Health’s Cancer Surveillance Program, and found that the
area had a higher rate for these diseases than Wyoming or Natrona County
(which has a dramatically higher rate for cancers than the rest of the
state). However, due to the small sample size, these data can not be ruled
as statistically significant. (To put this in perspective, the Woburn,
Massachusetts, childhood cancers depicted in the film "A Civil Action"
with John Travolta were ruled by the Centers for Disease Control as not
statistically significantly either—for the same reason.)
Ignoring Pleas for Help
Local officials have turned a deaf ear on North Casper residents’ pleas
for cleanup action, and state and federal agencies say they can’t help
with cleanup. Part of the problem is that no responsible party (polluter)
has been identified, although several are suggested in environmental reports.
Further, many believe that testing of the contamination by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Wyoming Department of Environmental
Quality (DEQ) has been inadequate to characterize the true extent of the
pollution and its sources. Agency action over the years has been hampered
by funding limitations and, as a result, has been haphazard and unsystematic.
For example, significant gaps exist in testing of pollution plumes and
pathways.
Environmental Injustice
North Casper is a relatively low-income neighborhood with a high minority
population. Residents report a decline in property values of 40-80% due
to the contamination and stigma now attached to the area. Their plight
is a classic case of environmental injustice. Across the country, low-income
and minority communities bear far more of the burden of toxic contamination
than other communities. Traditionally, because such communities have little
political voice and power, they become sites for noxious industries and
dumping grounds for contaminants.
This is clearly the case in the city’s and county’s treatment of North
Casper residents’ complaints: no action. Yet the same local government
made a deal with Amoco to allow the corporation to leave its toxic wastes
in Casper’s soils and groundwater — which just adds the threat of more
pollution to North Casper’s neighborhoods and its residents’ health. What
a slap in the face to these citizens!
But the residents of North Casper have not given up. Local organizations
have struggled to get the government’s attention for nearly a decade and
WOC is currently working with North Casper citizens to bring greater public
attention and government response to the problems there.
Everyone’s ultimate desire is cleanup. Residents want to see a comprehensive
community health survey and further testing of the area’s environmental
conditions. Some citizens have also gotten actively involved in the public
debate about "brownfields" legislation and Amoco’s collaborative process.
At a brownfields hearing in May, citizen testimony significantly shook
up the legislature’s Interim Minerals Committee with tales of what it’s
like to live daily with toxic contamination.
A Real-Life "Civil Action"
We do not need to go to a movie like "A Civil Action" to appreciate
the real-life impacts of industrial pollution. The story is playing out
right now in North Casper, a community with serious public-health problems
and debilitating property devaluation.
Stigmatized by its pollution legacy, North Casper’s economic future
is grim. The community’s plight is a case study in how local government,
pressured by big business, can turn a deaf ear to the public health concerns
of the very residents they are charged with protecting and what happens
when polluters are allowed to leave behind their mess.
If Amoco and its proponents succeed in changing Wyoming’s law through
Senate File 147, the Amoco-pushed "brownfields" bill, the saga of North
Casper could well be repeated in other parts of the state.
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