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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (July 29, 2016)
News Page 10 Street Roots • July 29-August 4, 2016 PHOTO BY EMILY GREEN The Steel Bridge can be seen under the Broadway Bridge, southern end of the Willamette River’s Superfund site. BY STEPHEN QUIRKE downstream to the Columbia River.” Yakama’s EPA visit adds considerable weight to the concerns of community fter 16 years of study funded by groups who are working closely with urban polluting industries, the public Native Americans and communities of color. comment period for the Willamette River cleanup is scheduled to end on Sept. The Portland Harbor Community Coalition (PHCC), which represents several of these 6, with some officials hoping for a finalized groups, has warned the city that ignoring plan by the end of the year. outreach to these groups may constitute As previously reported in Street Roots, racial discrimination under Title VI of the the Yakama Nation has expressed deep Civil Rights Act PHCC has asked city disappointment with the EPA since its officials to fund outreach to these groups, preferred plan was released in early June. and to use their formal role in the After eight cleanup options were identified, Superfund process to request a longer with price tags ranging from $350 million to public comment period that provides time $9.5 billion, EPA announced its preference for Option I - a $745 million plan that would to organize with their membership. In a July 14 email, the PHCC also remove only 8 percent of the known requested that the Bureau of Environmental contaminants in the river. Services work in partnership with the On Monday, July 25, the Yakama Nation’s coalition to craft the city’s formal comments tribal council flew to Washington, D.C. to in alignment with social and environmental meet with EPA Administrator Gina justice priorities. McCarthy. There, the council explained to “The City's cooperation in these areas is McCarthy why the plan, as it currently a Title VI Civil Rights issue,” the email stands, would violate Yakama Nation’s 1855 states. “And given the weak cleanup plan treaty with the federal government, and released by the EPA, it is even more urged her to implement a more rigorous imperative that the city take the lead in plan that would keep their traditional foods doing what is right, legally and ethically. We free of hazardous chemicals. are counting on the city - especially BES “The EPA’s plan puts people at risk and staff and leaders - to hold polluters and puts our treaty rights in jeopardy,” said other government agencies accountable, on Delano Sealskin, Vice-Chairman of Yakama behalf of Tribes, communities of color, Tribal Council. “Their proposal simply relies immigrant and refugee communities, and too much on natural recovery and as such is low/no-income Portlanders.” not a solution to protect a healthy fishery. It Yakama Nation’s Superfund Coordinator will result in more contaminants traveling Rose Longoria has previously told Street STAFF WRITER A Roots that EPA’s weak plan represents a violation of Yakama’s civil rights, treaty rights and human rights. That position is also shared by Portland’s Native American Youth and Family Center, which serves thousands of urban Native Americans who hold rights to traditional foods. NAYA’s Donita Fry and Roben White described EPA’s clean-up plan as an immense disappointment and agreed with Longoria’s assessment that it represents a serious human rights violation. Fry is the organizer for the Portland Youth and Elders Council, while White is a veteran political organizer who joined NAYA’s Superfund team in June; his aunt, Helen White Peterson, was the first woman to serve as executive director of the National Congress of American Indians. NAYA’s Community Engagement Manager Cary Watters said she also agrees “absolutely” with Longoria, adding “We stand with the Yakama Nation in demanding a full, comprehensive cleanup of this river. Letting big polluters off the hook for 92 percent of their pollution is unacceptable, and is an absolute violation of our treaty rights and human rights. ” “We also have other first foods that are crucial to the livelihood of those that have lived here since time immemorial who we support - including Wapato just downstream surrounding Sauvie Island. It’s just a very important stretch of river for those that See WATER FEUD, page 11
