{"id":36006,"date":"2024-01-10t21:39:30","date_gmt":"2024-01-10t21:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=36006"},"modified":"2024-01-30t19:19:01","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30t19:19:01","slug":"ivy-city-environmental-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/ivy-city-environmental-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"across the wards | one brick building in ivy city is finally hammering home the need for environmental justice in d.c."},"content":{"rendered":"
the intersection of fenwick place ne and capitol place ne in washington, d.c. is permeated by the smell of what can only be described as burning rubber. at first, the cause of such a smell is a mystery. the primarily residential block of the ivy city neighborhood is sandwiched between industrial buildings like a seafood distribution center and a large parking lot housing dozens of official city government vehicles with the familiar red d.c. stars and stripes. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n take a closer look at the intersection of fenwick and capitol. at that very corner, there’s a one-story building with a brick facade that extends down the street. it seems to subtly avoid advertising its purpose. an antenna-esque pipe sticks out above the roof, where the distinct smell seems to emanate from. and there’s a metal blue plaque announcing the name of its owners: national engineering products, inc.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n in this very neighborhood, on the outskirts of the nation’s capital, a ripple of doubt is sweeping through the communities of ward 5 as d.c. officials and agencies fail to deliver on environmental justice issues. that’s why councilmember zachary parker’s choice to announce his latest bill outside the unremarkable brick building on capitol avenue ne was nothing short of deliberate. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n for 80 years, national engineering products, incorporated (nepi), a company producing naval sealants for military operations, has operated in ivy city.<\/span> in february 2023, the department of energy and the environmental held public briefings<\/a> on air quality tests performed “inside, on, and near the premises” of the building the previous year. these tests demonstrated that, among other chemicals, formaldehyde was found in higher concentrations<\/a> than the epa’s regional screening level threshold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n brenda ingraham, a 58-year resident of ivy city, took part in a letter-writing event this october. neighborhood residents, activists and empower dc organizers banded together to send almost 100 letters addressed to political figures like mayor muriel bowser, congressional delegate eleanor holmes norton, as well doee leaders and nepi president gail peterson.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n at the october event, ingraham said she was previously unaware of the role nepi played in her community until she was informed by parisa norouzi, empower dc’s executive director. like other ivy city residents, she now questions whether some of the serious health problems she and her adult son developed while growing up in ivy city may have resulted from the plant’s presence. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “i have cancer, and my son has respiratory problems,” ingraham said. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n ingraham noted she can’t directly attribute her and her son’s diagnoses to the nepi plant. still, exposure to chemicals such as formaldehyde, which is being emitted by nepi’s chemical product process<\/a>, is consistent with the issues both ingraham and her son now live with.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n although ward 5 is one of the city’s eight total wards, this section of the city houses half of d.c.’s industrial development. it’s not for lack of people \u2014 ward 5 is also home to <\/span>20%<\/span><\/a> of the households in d.c. demographically, <\/span>64%<\/span><\/a> of its residents are black, indigenous, or people of color. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\nempowering ivy city<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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