On October 1, four PSARA members joined with two activists from Communities for a Healthy Bay (CHB) to patrol Commencement Bay in Tacoma for pollution and learn about environmental issues in this historic port. Carol Conley, Tim Burns, Ron Stone, and Richard Burton met and learned from Stefani Stockwell and Audrey Holloway from CHB.

The PSARA crew ready to embark on their cruise

We did this after learning about a recent report written by Communities for a Healthy Bay: South Sound’s Dirty Dozen. As its name implies, this incisive report details the environmentally irresponsible record of the 12 worst offending companies on or near Tacoma’s Commencement Bay. You can read it here: South Sound's Dirty Dozen - Communities for a Healthy Bay.

The hard working staff at Communities for a Healthy Bay acknowledge some good actors, i.e., South Sound industrial facilities that are doing the right thing, “proving that with investment, oversight, and a commitment to environmental health it is possible to operate responsibly, even within the same legal and regulatory frameworks that others exploit.”

These good actors are:

•    Auto Warehousing Company

•    Georgia Pacific Gypsum

•    MK Fibers

•    Globe Machine Manufacturing

Additionally, both University of Washington Tacoma and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium are congratulated for their commitments to green infrastructure, transparent emissions tracking, climate responsive design, and a detailed “Climate Action Plan” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But then the following “Dirty Dozen” companies are named. These are facilities that repeatedly exceed stormwater discharge limits, contribute to toxic air emissions, mishandle hazardous waste, and operate atop Superfund sites with little regard for ongoing risks.

The Dirty Dozen:

• Carlile Transportation Systems, LLC

• Concrete Technology Corporation

• Emerald Services, Inc.

• Kleenblast Division

• Manke Lumber Company, Inc., Sumner

• Simon Metals

• Tacoma Wheel Shop

• Tacoma Export Marketing Company (TEMCO)

• Tru Grit Abrasives, Inc

• Quality Transport & Truck Rail Handling

• Superlon Plastics, Inc.

• Occidental Chemical Corporation (OxyChem)

The neighborhoods surrounding these various facilities rank among the highest in the state for pollution expo- sure, health risks, and socioeconomic vulnerability. The people in these communities experience disproportionate rates of asthma, heart disease, limited access to healthcare and fewer political resources. Moreover, many of these bad actors operate on or adjacent to lands protected under the Medicine Creek Treaty and stewarded by the Puyallup Tribe of Indians, violating treaty rights and undercutting tribal sovereignty.

PSARA activists look forward to joining with Communities for a Healthy Bay and other allied groups to fight against this dirty dozen, but also against the current system in the South Sound of noncompliance, weak enforcement and accountability, and preventable harm to the health of the ecosystem.