Environmental concerns are at the forefront of a decision by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who recently filed an amicus brief in opposition to the expansion of a toxic waste disposal facility on Chicago's Southeast Side. The area, which has a long-standing burden of industrial pollution, is facing the proposed enlargement of a facility that handles and disposes of materials dredged from local waterways. The contentious plan, spearheaded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, seeks to increase the facility's capacity by roughly 530,000 cubic yards, according to a release from the Attorney General's office.
In a stance resonating with residents, Attorney General Raoul remarked, "The residents of the Southeast Side of Chicago have shouldered an unfair share of environmental harm for far too long". Bolstering his point, the Attorney General's brief noted health concerns in the communities near the facility, including heightened rates of asthma and cancer. The proposed expansion is within proximity to residential areas, schools, and parks—distressingly less than a mile away from an elementary school and recreational spaces. Community groups such as the Alliance of the Southeast and Friends of the Parks, represented by the Environmental Law and Policy Center, have brought a federal lawsuit opposing this move.
Historically, Chicago's Southeast Side was a hub for heavy industrial development, particularly steel manufacturing, which has left a legacy of pollution and health impacts. The area, largely composed of Black and Hispanic residents, has long faced environmental disparities. Kwame Raoul's brief provides a window into these struggles, highlighting that over 250 facilities in the Southeast Side require EPA regulation and that the community, being historically redlined, battles ongoing discrimination and limited access to green spaces, as per the Office of the Illinois Attorney General. Moreover, it's still the only industrial corridor in Chicago zoned to store hazardous waste.
