Areas populated by people of color, low-income residents, and immigrants have always been forced to experience environmental racism in the United States, but New Mexicoers are fighting it. Santa Fe’s Southside and Albuquerque’s South Valley continue their efforts against unjust environmental decisions that disproportionately affect marginalized groups.

In the southern district of Santa Fe, Associated Asphalt and Materials last summer received a permit from the New Mexico Department of the Environment to consolidate its two plants – located on both sides of Highway 599, north of Airport Road – only on the west side of the highway. However, Miguel Acosta — who is the co-director of EarthCarea nonprofit dedicated to ecological health and social justice — and Tierra Contenta resident Linda Marianiello began conversations against this consolidation in early 2020 after applying for the permit in December 2019.

Acosta and Marianiello are still at the forefront of the fight against these operations, and a virtual town hall meeting was held on Tuesday, April 19 to provide an update on past, current and future events.

Acosta and Marianiello began organizing a legal team in February and March 2020. The appeal against the asphalt consolidation permit was filed in August 2021 and the procedure started at the end of February. The team just completed closing arguments on Monday, April 18, and doesn’t expect a decision until the summer.

One of the group’s legal representatives, Maslyn Locke, an attorney for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, explained the future timeline at the meeting: The appeal is first directed to a hearing officer, who 30 days to make a recommendation, then to the Environmental Improvement Council. , who will deliberate and decide what to do next. That’s why they probably won’t get a decision until July at the earliest.

“The department issued a permit, despite the fact that Associated Asphalt Materials will violate ambient air quality standards, and the environment department really did a lot of gymnastics to explain some of the issues that existed in the modeling of air dispersion that were either against the law or cannot be verified, really, by anyone,” Locke said.

This consolidation would specifically impact the South Side of Santa Fe, which is primarily home to a population of low-income residents, immigrants, and individuals and families of color. Similarly, Albuquerque’s South Valley is made up of a majority of Hispanic individuals, and in 2019 the median household income was nearly $10,000 lower than the overall median household income in New Mexico.

The South Valley community in Albuquerque has been battling the spread of industrialization in their home for years. Indeed, just last year, the Albuquerque Department of Environmental Health released another air pollution report. permit in the Mountain View neighborhood, adding to many other applications and permits that have taken place in the South Valley.

“Mountain View residents living in a historic residential and farming community next to the Rio Grande in the South Valley are tired of being the dumping ground for decades of a dirty industry that no one else wants,” said reported Gwynne Ann Unruh for The paper.

During the meeting, Richard Moore, co-coordinator of the Los Jardines Institute, a volunteer-run justice organization, spoke about the struggles the Mountain View community in the South Valley faces, similar to those on the south side of Santa Fe, and said it was a statewide problem. The institute is trying to form a coalition to raise these issues at the Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board, according to Moore.

“We would like to be able to go statewide… We are going to need all of our brothers and sisters, not only in South Santa Fe, but in the South Valley of Albuquerque and other communities, rural and urban, in the whole state,” Moore said.

Regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, EarthCare assistant Domenica Nieto pointed out that there is not enough information or data on the negative impacts of the virus compared to related environmental concerns. to the consolidation of the asphalt. Additionally, there are a variety of negative health effects found, including cancer, after repeated exposure to asphalt.

“Community impacts of operating the Consolidated Plan should be considered in the context of COVID-19 and the cumulative air quality affecting the region,” Nieto said in a 2022 public comment video released during Of the reunion. “We do not believe there was sufficient information or data for NMED to approve the Associated Asphalt permit application.”

However, these are not the only problems that marginalized local communities face. During the first public hearing for Associated Asphalt’s air quality permit in March 2021, Santa Feans witnessed comments against the consolidation, but one person who wanted to speak in Spanish was told to speak in English instead after the translator was not ready for a while. , according to Acosta. Acosta said it discouraged other Spanish-speaking attendees from commenting.

Acosta said it violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which does not allow exclusion or discrimination against individuals in federally funded programs. Acosta said he met with the Environmental Protection Agency, which is seeking a solution to the problem. However, Source New Mexico reported that “the State countered by arguing that there were Spanish interpreters present at the hearings in person and on Zoom. He also dismissed community concerns about civil rights abuses saying the council has no authority over them.

In efforts against the injustice facing the Southside, the Airport Road Corridor will team up with Main Street in New Mexico to help address a number of issues facing the community while revitalizing positive cultural pillars. This application was submitted last year and recently approved, and meetings will begin next month regarding the partnership, for which conversations on final work plans will continue through September.

“There is a link between air pollution, industrial contaminants, poverty and higher rates of infection and spread, according to public health researchers around the world. It is very likely that we have seen higher infection and death rates on the Southside because we live next to an expanding industrial area,” Acosta said. “So keep your masks on and get your shots. Wash your hands. According to the words of Cesar Chavez, “Organize, organize, organize”.

Megan Gleason is the editor of the Daily Lobo. She can be contacted at [email protected] or on Twitter @fabflutist2716