Communities in Action

Residents of East Providence, RI have won a tremendous victory after a tireless organizing campaign that stretched on for years.  Since 1997, hundreds of families have been suffering in neighborhoods surrounding TLA Pond View, a waste facility that grinds construction and demolition debris and sends toxic dust into the air.  Over the last two years, Toxics Action Center Rhode Island organizer Taryn Hallweaver worked with members of the East Providence Coalition to get their story out in the media, lobby elected officials, and convince the Department of Environmental Management (DEM) that TLA Pond View was operating above the law.  Activists worked to get politicians on their side, passed a statewide bill, turned out hundreds of people to hearings, and met with top state officials.  In January, in a long-awaited and resounding decision, DEM suspended TLA Pond View’s license, something DEM has only done three times in its entire history.  The company is fighting the decision in court, but residents are confident about the outcome and looking forward to a summer of breathing easy, both indoors and out.