Saturday, September 30 from 11:00am-1:00pm, join in a gathering to learn and pray about toxic Superfund sites under the management of the Environmental Protection Agency northwest of Philadelphia. Nationwide, toxic Superfund sites are polluting our air and water, while also harming communities health. According to the landmark Toxic Waste and RAce study by the United Church of Christ, communities of color are most likely to live near toxic sites, contributing to racial disparities in health problems such as asthma and cancer.

We will meet at Valley Forge Acres Park, then view the Stanley Kessler Superfund Site and the Crater Resources/Keystone Coke/Alan Wood Superfund Site. Protodeacon Sergei Kapral of the Orthodox Church in America will lead us in prayer.

This event is co-sponsored by the National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Creation Justice Ministries, and Lutherans Restoring Creation. Please join us as we urge Congress to properly invest in the work of the Environmental Protection Agency and its Superfund Site remediation program. RSVP to [email protected]

Stanley Kessler Superfund Site
The 3-acre Stanley Kessler Superfund site is located in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. A welding wire degreasing and repackaging business operated on site from the 1960s to 2000. During operations, site operators improperly disposed of solvent degreasers. In 1979, sampling detected contaminants in the Upper Merion Reservoir, a source of drinking water for the area. EPA added the site to the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1983. Cleanup included groundwater treatment. Groundwater treatment and monitoring are ongoing. Two tenants continue to operate industrial facilities on site.

As of December 2016, EPA had data on one on-site business. This business employed 20 people and generated an estimated $10,530,000 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

Crater Resources, Inc./Keystone Coke Co./Alan Wood Steel Co. Superfund site
The Crater Resources, Inc./Keystone Coke Co./Alan Wood Steel Co. Superfund site is located in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania. The 95-acre area consists of four inactive quarries. Beginning in 1919, Alan Wood Steel Company disposed of wastes generated by its coking facility in three of the quarries. In 1977, Keystone Coke Company purchased the Alan Wood Steel Company and continued to dispose of wastes at the site until 1980. Site investigations identified contaminated wastes, liquids, soil and sediment in the quarries. Groundwater was also contaminated. EPA placed the site on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 1992. Cleanup activities required removal of contaminated soil and sediment and capping. Groundwater monitoring and some cleanup activities are ongoing. A commercial office park is located on site. As of December 2016, EPA had data on 62 on-site businesses. These businesses employed 3,083 people and generated an estimated $733,261,984 in annual sales revenue. For additional information click here.

Sunday, September 24 from 3:00 – 5:00pm, faith community leaders will gather for a  briefing and tour in Dayton, Ohio. We will visit toxic Superfund sites under the management of the Environmental Protection Agency.

We will gather at 3:00pm at Westminister Presbyterian Chapel (125 N. Wilkinson St), learn together for 30 minutes, then travel to the South Dayton Dump, the Behr Dayton Thermal System Plume Site, and the North Sanitary (Valleycrest) Landfill. We will hear remarks from University of Dayton professor Marianist Sister Leanne Jablonski FMI, Jerry Bowling III, and Emilee George. The event is co-sponsored by National Religious Partnership for the Environment, Creation Justice Ministries and UD Hanley Sustainability Institute & Marianist Environmental Education Center.

Nationwide, toxic Superfund sites are polluting our air and water, while also harming communities health. According to the landmark Toxic Waste and Race study by the United Church of Christ, communities of color are most likely to live near toxic sites, contributing to racial disparities in health problems such as asthma and cancer.

Please join us for this important prayer event as we highlight the need to protect communities from toxic pollution and urge Congress to fully fund the EPA and its Superfund Program. RSVP to [email protected]


See information about the Superfund Prayer Tours in St. Louis, Missouri on September 23 and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 24.

DAYTON SUPERFUND SITES: BACKGROUND INFORMATION
  Source: EPA website and map for Superfund, brownfield, etc. at https://www.epa.gov/cleanups/cleanups-my-community

South Dayton Dump and Landfill Background
The South Dayton Dump and Landfill is a former disposal area for industrial and municipal waste. The site is approximately 80 acres and includes a 15-acre pond, as well as property now occupied by an operating asphalt plant and other businesses. Open burning, landfilling and storage of hazardous waste throughout its half-century operation has resulted in contamination of soil and portions of the ground water aquifer underlying the site, potentially threatening the adjacent Great Miami River. Soil contains metals that include lead, copper, mercury and other chemicals. Groundwater contamination is mainly organic chemicals such as tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride, and benzene. In 2006 the Agency and the potentially responsible parties signed an agreement for EPA to oversee the PRPs investigate the nature and extent of contamination, determine risks posed by the site to human health and the environment, and develop cleanup options.”
 
EPA’s Involvement at this Site
Site investigations from 2008 to 2010 included a geophysical survey, test pit and test trench sampling, vertical aquifer sampling, landfill gas sampling, and groundwater monitoring well installation and sampling. Based on these investigations, site work was divided into two parts or "operable units." Operable unit 1 will involve evaluating cleanup alternatives to address 55 acres of the landfill and will include cleanup alternatives that allow on-site businesses to remain open and operate safely. Operable unit 2 will involve detailed investigation of surface water and sediment in the on-site quarry pond and the Great Miami River, in floodplain soils and in off-site groundwater.

A vapor intrusion study in 2011 and 2012 found that vapor intrusion and landfill gas migration posed an imminent and substantial endangerment to human health. Vapor intrusion occurs when chemicals in landfill materials and groundwater give off gases that can rise up through the soil and seep into buildings through foundations. To reduce sub-slab and indoor levels of trichloroethylene (TCE) and methane, EPA issued an Action Memo in October 2012 requiring site PRPs to install sub-slab depressurization systems at several on-site buildings. These systems, similar to radon mitigation systems, have been installed in several buildings along Dryden Road. They draw TCE, methane and other vapors out of the soil under the buildings and vent them outside. The PRPs installed the mitigation systems and demolished other buildings in the summer of 2013. Site PRPs are currently conducting additional investigations of on-site groundwater and contaminant sources before finalizing cleanup alternatives.
 
Site Status
In June 2016, EPA and several PRPs entered into a new Administrative Settlement Agreement and Order on Consent, under which the PRPs will collect additional samples of soil, groundwater, and sediment to characterize the site, understand the risks to human health and the environment, and develop remedial alternatives to address site risks. Sample collection is expected to begin in fall 2016.
Based on sampling of groundwater, soil gas, sub-slab air, and indoor air in 2012, EPA documented a completed exposure pathway for vapor intrusion at the SDDL Site. Vapor intrusion occurs when chemicals in landfill materials and ground water give off gases that can rise up through the soil and seep into buildings through foundations.
 
In order to reduce the sub-slab and indoor levels of TCE and methane, EPA issued an Action Memo in October, 2012, that required the PRPs to install sub-slab depressurization systems at several on-site buildings. These systems, similar to radon mitigation systems, have been installed in several buildings along Dryden Road and are drawing TCE, methane and other vapors out of the soil under the buildings and vent them outside. 
 
As of summer 2016, most of the buildings are in compliance with indoor air and sub-slab vapor requirements, but additional modifications were made to the depressurization systems of a few buildings in early 2016. EPA will review the sampling data from these buildings to determine if they are now in compliance.
 
Site Risks
Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or touching contaminants in soil, sediment and groundwater, and inhaling contaminated soil or sediment particles.

Behr Dayton Background
The Behr Dayton Thermal System VOC Plume site is located northeast of the confluence of the Greater Miami and Mad rivers in Dayton, Ohio. MAHLE Behr Dayton Thermal Products LLC makes vehicle air conditioning and engine-cooling systems at the site. Chrysler Corporation owned and operated the facility from about 1937 to April 2002. Groundwater beneath the plant is contaminated with volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, including the solvent trichloroethene, or TCE. Polluted groundwater from beneath the plant has migrated underground to the south/southwest through residential, commercial and industrial areas of the neighborhood. Site investigations and cleanup planning are ongoing.
 
Site Risks
Risks and pathways addressed by the cleanup include health risks from people ingesting or inhaling contaminants in soil and groundwater. Vapor abatement systems installed in residential homes have taken care of people’s potential exposures to indoor air contamination. Not all homes have systems installed.
 
EPA’s Involvement at this Site
EPA first became involved in the site in 2007 and was initiated in response to a request from Ohio EPA. The site was added to the National Priorities List (NPL) as a Superfund site in 2009. After EPA was unable to reach agreements with the site’s potentially responsible parties (PRPs) to lead the site’s remedial investigation, EPA began the remedial investigation in late 2009. EPA collected soil and groundwater samples across the area between 2009 to 2016. In 2009 and in accordance with an EPA-issued legal order, Behr Dayton Thermal Products LLC (now MAHLE Behr Dayton LLC) took over the ongoing operation, maintenance, and monitoring activities to prevent accumulation in businesses and homes of harmful vapors associated with the site. These activities include installation of vapor mitigation systems and they are still ongoing.
On December 22, 2015 EPA reached a legal agreement with MAHLE that requires MAHLE to install and operate a system involving air injection with subsequent extraction and treatment in an area at the southern edge of MAHLE’s Dayton operation. This is the portion of the groundwater contaminant plume that has the most significant concentrations of contaminants. A draft remedial investigation report was first submitted to U.S. EPA for review in August 2016, and a draft study of cleanup alternatives was first submitted in February 2017.  Both of these reports are currently undergoing revisions.
 
Site Status
The remedial investigation at the site has included studying potential source areas in and around several facilities, extensive groundwater sampling, and soil sampling. The cleanup investigation identified areas of concern outside of the original vapor sampling locations. These areas will now be investigated. U.S. EPA and the PRP are planning to conduct additional vapor intrusion sampling to assess if there are other homes in area that may have issues with vapor intrusion. This sampling will continue into next year and will help the agency complete its investigation in order to develop cleanup options for the entire site.
In accordance with the 2015 EPA's legal agreement with MAHLE (PDF) (45pp, 1.65 MB), preliminary work began in the summer of 2016 to install and operate a system involving air injection with subsequent extraction and treatment in an area of MAHLE’s facility. The full implementation of this activity is expected to occur in late 2017. EPA expects to make a decision on how to clean-up the overall site in 2018.
 
Health Impacts (as per Ohio Department of Health)
Before vapor abatement systems were installed, breathing indoor air contaminated with TCE above the established long-term screening levels for this site over the course of a lifetime could have harmed people’s health. This was considered to be a public health hazard for homes in the McCook Field Neighborhood south of the Behr Dayton Thermal facility where indoor air TCE concentrations exceeded the long-term screening level.
Breathing indoor air contaminated with TCE could increase the likelihood of harmful noncancer health effects and the development of certain types of cancer. Installation of the vapor abatement systems has lowered the concentrations of contaminants to levels that are not expected to cause adverse health effects upon exposure.
Before vapor abatement systems were installed, breathing indoor air contaminated with TCE for longer than two weeks but less than a year at four homes in the McCook Field Neighborhood south of the Behr Dayton Thermal Products facility could have harmed people’s health.
People using water from the Dayton public water supply for drinking, showering, or other household uses are currently not at risk for harmful health effects.
Additional info:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8tXRg3-bEg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHigrMRNpSE

North Sanitary (Valleycrest) Landfill Background
The Valleycrest Landfill Site is located at 950 Brandt Pike. The site consists of an area of approximately 100 acres that is separated into eastern and western portions by north-south-trending Valleycrest Drive. The eastern portion of the site consists of approximately 35 acres, and the western portion of the site consists of approximately 65 acres. The site is located above the Great Miami Aquifer, which is a sole-source aquifer for the City of Dayton. 

The site is located in a mixed urban, industrial, and residential area. The site is bordered on the east and northeast by a residential neighborhood, on the north by several residences, on the southeast by commercial and residential structures and Valley Pike, and on the southwest by the CSX railroad property and residences. The site is bordered on the west by two residences and several industrial facilities, including the Brandt Pike petroleum terminals, Van Dyne Crotty Inc., industrial cleaner facility, and the Hotop demolition landfill. More than half of the area was used for landfilling industrial and municipal wastes into unlined former gravel pits. Five disposal areas have been identified. The site sits atop and within a federally designated, sole-source aquifer. Landfill operations contaminated soil and groundwater with hazardous chemicals. Many fires have also occurred on site. Residents with affected drinking water wells have been connected to the public water supply. Following immediate actions to protect human health and the environment, planning and negotiation efforts for the site’s long-term remedy are ongoing.
The site is currently owned by the Keystone Gravel Company of Dayton, Ohio, and was operated as a sand and gravel quarry from before 1935 until the 1970s. In 1966, the site began accepting solid waste, and later, industrial waste, including hazardous waste drums in the eastern portion of the site (Area 1). Filling in the eastern portion of the site continued until approximately 1970. In 1970, the site began accepting waste in the western portion of the site (Area 5) and continued until approximately 1975.
Read more.

The best thing you can do to make a difference right now is call your US Senators. Call the Senate Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. From now until October 6, 2017, please also also sign a faith-rooted advocacy letter. Creation Justice Ministries will deliver your signature to your Senators and the Trump Administration.

Listen to the voices of the Gwich'in people, who are opposed to oil drilling, and struggling for their survival.

Saturday, September 23, people of faith gathered at 11:30am at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Bridgeton, Missouri to learn about some of the most wounded parts of God's creation in the greater St. Louis area. We gathered with urgency to learn, pray, and call for action to protect our communities' health and safety.

While Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt has said that cleaning up toxic Superfund sites is one of his top priorities, the Trump Administration's proposed budget would cut the EPA's Superfund remediation budget by more than 30 percent. Failure to prioritize resources for cleaning up toxic messes has had devastating impacts on our drinking water, air, and communities' health. According to the landmark Toxic Waste and Race study by the United Church of Christ, communities of color bear an unjust burden of having toxic sites nearby, contributing to racial disparities in health problems such as asthma and cancer. If we don't invest in cleaning up now, matters will only get worse.

The Rev. Dr. John Shear has been the pastor of JCPC for 14 years.  Prior to that he served two other churches in the St. Louis Area.  He has a BA in Political Science from the University of Missouri St. Louis and both an MDIV and DMIN from Eden Theological Seminary. Before his work in direct ministry, Pastor John served as an elected official in St. Louis County, representing one-seventh of the county.  His district happened to include those sites effected by radioactive contamination in the North County Area and as a County Councilman he worked to get the Federal Government off the idea of building a storage bunker in North County and instead encapsulating this contamination for shipment to the rock burial in the western states. Rev. Shear is married to Rev. Jackie Havis-Shear, an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church. They have a blended family of six children, five grandchildren, one cat and two dogs.

Dawn Chapman (pictured left) is a mother of three special needs children and co-founder of Just Moms STL, to fight for environmental justice and downwinder status. Just Moms wants the complete removal of radiation from the West Lake landfill and for the EPA to take responsibility and buy out families that live one mile from the perimeter of the landfill. Dawn wants to see a safe and permanent clean up of radiation from the West Lake Landfill.

Karen Nickel (pictured right) is a wife, mother and grandmother doing everything she can to protect her children and community from radioactive waste. She is the founder of the the West Lake Landfill Facebook group, and Co-founder of Just Moms STL. Karen grew up exposed to the radioactive Coldwater Creek site, and for the past twenty years, she has lived 1.8 miles away from the West Lake – Bridgeton Landfill Superfund Site. For Karen, working with Just Moms is what “SHE HAS TO BE” doing to protect her family and future generations.

Sister Jeanne Derer, FSM is a Franciscan Sister of Mary residing in St. Louis, MO. She is an artist and an advocate for our common home and our common good. She  has been faithfully co-organizing prayer vigils near the WestLake Landfill Superfund site every second and fourth Wednesday of every month. 

Jennifer Reyes-Lay is a board member for Creation Justice Ministries, representing the Ecumenical Catholic Communion. She serves as Assistant Director for the Congregational Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Office of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word. She is also a student at Eden Theological Seminary.

While it feels more and more like we’re living in important and historic times, it can also be challenging to keep pace with today’s news. For instance, in light of other scandals roiling Washington, parts of President Trump’s recently-released budget proposal have flown under the radar. Yet, we should pay close attention to these details. They could have huge implications for people across the United States and the world – including the Gwich’in people of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
 
For tens of thousands of years, the Gwich’in have been faithful stewards to the Arctic Refuge’s Coastal Plains region. For all those millennia, they’ve relied on the Porcupine caribou that migrate there each spring – both for sustenance and for their spiritual well-being. The caribou and the Gwich’in are so intertwined that their tradition holds that they share a piece of each other’s heart.
 
President Trump’s budget proposal is the latest in a long line that have tried to open the Gwich’in’s home to petrochemical companies that would exploit the potential oil and gas that might lie beneath the earth. There’s no certainty that the profits these companies seek can be found. However, studies have shown conclusively that discovering those answers would permanently disrupt the caribou’s migration, dwindle their population, and ruin the only way of life the Gwich’in have ever known.
 
The Episcopal Church has long been opposed to exploiting the Arctic Refuge. Our concern for and stewardship of God’s creation calls us to this position. What’s more, 9 of 10 Gwich’in are my brothers and sisters, of one Body of Christ, (indeed, of one shared heart) in the Episcopal Church. They know the refuge’s future is their future, and we believe the Gwich’in’s future is ours. That’s why I urge our Senators to reject President Trump’s proposal to exploit these lands and ruin my Gwich’in brothers’ and sisters’ home.
 
Of course, the caribou and the Gwich’in aren’t alone on the coastal plains. It’s also the migratory home for millions of birds from across the country – including Arizona – and around the world. It’s one of the few places where America’s polar bears give birth to their young. This pristine, untouched wilderness is among the last of its kind in the country, or on the planet. You can even drink fresh, clear water from its streams. All of that is in peril again, and we owe it to our Gwich’in neighbors and to ourselves to stand firm.
 
In the nearly six decades since the Arctic Refuge was first designated, the Gwich’in have beaten back multiple attempts to ruin what they call “the sacred place where life begins.” Washington wasn’t immune to scandal then, and it certainly isn’t now. So, we can’t let the latest headline distract us from treating our neighbors with the same dignity and respect with which we wish to be treated – perhaps, even, to love them as we love ourselves.
 
If someone was coming to ruin my way of life, or to destroy our community’s homes, I know my fellow Arizonans would stand by us. I ask you now to stand with my Gwich’in brothers and sisters, and tell Senators connected to Navajoland, including Senators McCain and Flake of Arizona, Senators Udall and Heinrich of New Mexico, as well as Senators Hatch and Lee of Utah, to reject President Trump’s plan to exploit the Arctic Refuge. Long after the latest scandals have subsided in Washington, the caribou will return to the plains region and the Gwich’in’s age-old rhythms will begin anew – but only if we stand up and speak out now for our brothers and sisters, and the sacred place where their life begins.

By: Bishop Dan Edwards
 
From September 1 through October 4 (St. Francis Day), Christians world-wide are observing the Season of Creation: a time to show reverence for all God has made. Churches will hold Animal Blessings, take experiential learning trips, and study our role as caretakers of God’s creation. Global religious leaders such as Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and General Secretary of the World Council of Churches Olav Tveit are urging Christians to devote this time to thanking God for creation and repenting for ways we have neglected, defiled, and polluted our world.   
 
During this season, Congress goes back in session. Senator Heller, Senator Cortez Masto, Rep. Titus, Rep. Amodei. Rep. Rosen, and Rep. Kihuen will face many challenges in the weeks ahead particularly in the budget appropriations process. I am watching closely to see how each member of our Nevada Congressional delegation uses his or her power to care for God’s creation.
 
In Genesis, God calls into being the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and beasts of the earth. God declares it all good, then entrusts his good creation to our care. When earthly life is threatened by flood, God instructs Noah to ensure every type of creature can enter the Ark, two by two, so all species would continue life on Earth.
 
The Endangered Species Act is one of the most important policies Americans have adopted to safeguard the ongoing life of God’s creatures. This year, some members of Congress are pushing for harmful fundamental changes to this bedrock environmental law.
 
For 40 years, the Endangered Species Act has ensured that decisions about species protection lie in the hands of scientists charged with preventing extinction, rather than politicians. Proposed changes would ignore science and exclude scientists from the conversation. The Endangered Species Act has saved  hundreds of species from extinction, including the bald eagle, the humpback whale and the peregrine falcon. The Act has also been effective at pulling many species back from the brink of extinction; 29 species have made such significant recoveries that they have been taken off the list of endangered species. It also safeguards special places, ensuring that our children and grandchildren continue to enjoy our God-given natural heritage.
 
Legislation to undermine the Endangered Species Act, delay or withhold funding for species recovery efforts, or to de-list species for political rather than scientific reasons undermines our obligation to be faithful stewards. In a time when one in six species are threatened or endangered, we must act with courage. This Season of Creation, may our Members of Congress show respect for our Creator through their actions to care for God’s creation.
 
 
 
Dan Edwards has served for 9 years as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada. He is the author of God of Our Silent Tears and Three Stories: Perspectives On Practicing Law And Christianity At The Same Time.  In Nevada, he has been active with Clergy And Laity United For Economic Justice, Nevadans For the Common Good, Bread for the World, and Creation Justice Ministries.

​Hear Bishop Dan talk more about the Endangered Species Act in this video:

My last graduate class offered the surprising opportunity of journeying from my home in a small rural Oklahoma town to Washington, DC with Creation Justice Ministries.  I arrived to find a magical place, strategically centered next door to the U.S. Capitol, the U.S. Supreme Court and Senate buildings, where social work and faith principles easily mix. 

Closing many doors behind me, I accepted the challenge of learning macro social work advocacy with the understanding my role as a student would come first.  Learning as much as I possibly could in a short 4 months about applying macro social work to faith based environmental and social justice was my plan. 

What I found here at Creation Justice Ministries was an ecumenical advocacy approach that is parallel to social work’s ethical values and responsibilities of social diversity, cultural diversity and social inclusion. For those who may not have had an experience with ecumenism, let me enlighten you.  Ecumenism refers to Christians from all beliefs and doctrines coming together to foster strong relationships to better understand one another.  Ecumenism is an effort to promote unity in the Christian faith.  It is God’s love in action through us.  The ecumenical approach to environmental justice (advocacy) seeks an avenue to create a powerful energy force with one purpose: environmental justice.  Environmental justice through an ecumenical approach produces a bridge for all types of people, regardless of race, ethnicity, culture or socio-economic status, from all types of faiths and spiritualities by embracing social inclusion.  Through that approach, Philippians 2:2 comes alive: “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose”. 

I brought to the table an Indigenous Native perspective and voice.  There is a saying among the Indigenous Natives of the United States that goes like this:  Tell me and I will forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand. 

The positive learning space created by Creation Justice Ministries gives students the chance to practice leadership, active team participation, independent learning and build strong relationships to increase networking skills.  Their leadership understands that student learning and practical contribution to organizational goals and objectives go hand in hand.  At Creation Justice Ministries, I oversee my learning and am treated as an associate and partner, which made my transformation from a macro social work student to a colleague a smooth transition.  I am proud to be able to hold the status of colleague and partner with Creation Justice Ministries by telecommuting from my home in Oklahoma.