local context
Environmental Racism has become a huge infiltrator in the city of Chicago. The city is inhabited by three of the top twelve most toxic coal burning power plants in the US. Two of the power plants are currently the top two in the list meaning they are the top offenders of the Environmental Justice Standards. The two power plants are Fisk and Crawford, which are both located in low-income communities dominantly inhabited by Latinos. “Over 31,000 people live within a mile of the plant; three public schools and several parks are also within a mile of [Crawford] ("Coal Blooded Putting Profits Before People").” In addition, “over 45,000 people, and 13 elementary and secondary schools reside within a mile of [Fisk] ("Coal Blooded Putting Profits Before People").” Midwest Generation owns both of the power plants and it is a part of Edison International. “Midwest Generation owns seven coal-fired power plants, six of which are located in Illinois (five of which are located within Greater Chicago). The six Illinois plants all earned environmental justice performance grades of F ("Coal Blooded Putting Profits Before People").”
Fisk And Crawford have highly polluted the air that the Latinos in the communities of Little Village and Pilsen unfortunately have to breathe. The pollutants that both power plants have released are NOx and SOx, which are two pollutants that are said to be carcinogenic. “Each year from 2002 through 2009, the total SO2 emissions from the two plants exceeded the level of 11,000 tons emitted in 1999. In 2006, total SO2 emissions from these two plants were 33% above the 1999 level. The total NOx emissions from these plants averaged more than 3,400 tons each year from 2004 through 2009 ("Midwest Generation’s “Unpaid Health Bills”: The Hidden Public Costs of Soot and Smog From the Fisk and Crawford Coal Plants in Chicago").” Clearly both power plants have released tons of pollutants that exceed the limits regulated by the Clean Air Act. “In August 2009, the U.S. EPA and the State of Illinois filed a lawsuit against Midwest Generation, charging that the company had repeatedly upgraded its Fisk and Crawford plants without adding the modern pollution controls required under the Clean Air Act ("Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People in Illinois").” The power plants are responsible for the large increase in air pollution in Chicago over the past years as well as for the many health incidents that have risen due to the inhalation of the contaminated air. Fisk and Crawford are responsible for the many cases of asthma, cancer, respiratory problems, etc. among the Latino communities. “In 2001, a Harvard School of Public Health study estimated the Fisk and Crawford plants alone are responsible for 2,800 asthma attacks, 550 emergency room visits and 41 early deaths every year ("Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People in Illinois").”
Fisk And Crawford have highly polluted the air that the Latinos in the communities of Little Village and Pilsen unfortunately have to breathe. The pollutants that both power plants have released are NOx and SOx, which are two pollutants that are said to be carcinogenic. “Each year from 2002 through 2009, the total SO2 emissions from the two plants exceeded the level of 11,000 tons emitted in 1999. In 2006, total SO2 emissions from these two plants were 33% above the 1999 level. The total NOx emissions from these plants averaged more than 3,400 tons each year from 2004 through 2009 ("Midwest Generation’s “Unpaid Health Bills”: The Hidden Public Costs of Soot and Smog From the Fisk and Crawford Coal Plants in Chicago").” Clearly both power plants have released tons of pollutants that exceed the limits regulated by the Clean Air Act. “In August 2009, the U.S. EPA and the State of Illinois filed a lawsuit against Midwest Generation, charging that the company had repeatedly upgraded its Fisk and Crawford plants without adding the modern pollution controls required under the Clean Air Act ("Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People in Illinois").” The power plants are responsible for the large increase in air pollution in Chicago over the past years as well as for the many health incidents that have risen due to the inhalation of the contaminated air. Fisk and Crawford are responsible for the many cases of asthma, cancer, respiratory problems, etc. among the Latino communities. “In 2001, a Harvard School of Public Health study estimated the Fisk and Crawford plants alone are responsible for 2,800 asthma attacks, 550 emergency room visits and 41 early deaths every year ("Coal Blooded: Putting Profits Before People in Illinois").”