Mighty Acorns Grow!
Bayview Hunters Point Environmental Health & Justice Leaders Meet with High Ranking EPA Officials
Mighty Oaks — From Little Acorns Grown
“Mighty oaks — from little acorns grow is a 14th century English proverb that inspires us never to give up and to always remember that great things do indeed come from very small beginnings.” An adorable eight year old crowned “Little Miss Flint” wrote an endearing letter to an American President in March of 2016 from her home in Flint, Michigan requesting to meet with him about the public health crisis in her community. April 25, 201 6 marked the second anniversary of the Flint Michigan public health crisis that began when the drinking water source from the Detroit system was switched to the Flint River as a cost saving measure that led to lead and bacterial contamination leaching into the faucets of homes. A September 2015 research study conducted by Hurley Medical Center physician Dr. Mona Hanna Attisha found the percentage of Flint infants and children with elevated lead levels doubled citywide and tripled among children at high risk of lead exposure. A spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Public Health countered by claiming blood lead levels had remained steady for children under the age of 16 since the city switched to Flint river.
Dr. Attisha and Dr. Lawrence Reynolds, president and CEO of Mott Children’s Center, met with Public Works Director Howard Croft on September 21, 2015 and were told it would bankrupt the city to return to a clean drinking water source from Lake Huron.
Based on a database of blood tests collected from over 150 doctors and health care providers, the study recommended the city declare a public health emergency to secure additional federal government resources. On September 24, 2015 doctors representing the county Medical Society, Greater Flint Michigan Health Coalition and Community Health Network held a news conference in support of a public health advisory and calling for a reconnection with Lake Huron as Flints water source: https;//www.mlive.com/news/flint/2015/09/study_shows_twice_as_many_flin.html
Read the letter from “Little Miss Flint” that stirred Obama to visit Flint. “And I am so proud of you for using your voice to speak out on behalf of the children of Flint.”
The Flint Michigan water crisis continues to inspire us as “little acorns grow.” A fairness hearing over the proposed partial settlement of $641 million in civil lawsuits filed by 150 Flint residents has been scheduled by a federal judge to be heard in July of 2021.
It worked! Popsugar.com reports Obama finally met “Little Miss Flint”, and it was beyond adorable.
Hundreds of toxic sites await cleanup as the future of the Superfund program under the Trump administration is questioned. The EPA Office of Superfund Remediation under President Joe Biden affirms, “We’re committed to ensuring that the hazardous waste sites on the National Priorities List are cleaned up to protect the environment and the health of all Americans.” https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-land-and-emergency-management
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As reported in the SF Bayview Newspaper article, Why I am calling for a Local Health Emergency in San Francisco, California Health & Safety Code Section 10108 includes a regulation enacted to facilitate immediate response to hazardous materials and spills and expanded to include ANY “imminent and proximate threat of the introduction of ANY contagious, infectious or communicable disease, chemical agent, noncommunicable biologic agent, toxin or radioactive element.” Urinary toxic exposure screenings conducted by HP Biomonitoring on Hunters Point and Treasure Island residents offer proof of exposure and associated health effects when combined with geospatial mappings of clusters of environmentally linked cancers and diseases. The April 22, 2021 community led declaration of a local public health emergency declaration mirrors the September 24, 2015 call by Flint Michigan residents, doctors and health officials for a public health advisory “to secure additional federal funding and resources….because the city has so far failed to act” n Earth Day 2021 in San Francisco, Hunters Point community leaders- including Democratic County elected representative Gloria Berry, SF Bayview editor Malik Washington and Arieann Harrison — founder of the Marie Harrison Community Foundation -joined a broad coalition of environmental activists, doctors and lawyers on the steps of City Hall to call for a local public health emergency under California law applied to “any situation where urgent and immediate action is required to mitigate or prevent an adverse situation that threatens public health, property and the environment.”
Ahimsa Porter Sumchai MD PD, Medical Director & Principal Investigator Excerpt from letter sent to EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan copied to EPA Region 9 Administrator Enrique Manzanilla on March 26, 2021
On Thursday, May 5, 2021 a letter sent to the Biden administration EPA Administrator Michael Regan requesting a meeting with federal EPA officials to present mounting evidence of community wide exposure to toxic dust generated by excavations being conducted on properties meeting federal Superfund criteria at Hunters Point, Yosemite Slough and Treasure Island was granted. Convened by Barry Breen, Principal Deputy Assistant EPA Administrator of the Office of Land and Emergency Management, the virtual meeting was attended by fifteen high ranking federal and Region 9 EPA officials including Matthew Tejada — Director Office of Environmental Justice, Greg Gervais — Director Federal Facilities Restoration & Reuse, John Chestnut and Yolanda Sanchez of the Region 9 EPA. The EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management provides policy, guidance and direction for the Agency’s emergency response and toxic waste programs. OLEM governs the Office of Superfund Remediation and is charged with supporting local governments in redeveloping and reusing contaminated sites and responding to active hazardous waste sites and chemical releases through the Superfund program.
“At EPA, we know it’s not just about the cleanup. We’re leading with the mentality that environmental protection and economic prosperity are not mutually exclusive.” Michael S. Regan — EPA Administrator
Mighty Acorns Grow! Mari Copeny — Activism — The Shorty Awards. Since her 2016 letter to President Barack Obama, “Little Miss Flint” has raised $350,000 for the children of Flint, Michigan through active fundraising and social media advocacy.
Originally published at https://ahimsaportersumchaimd.medium.com on May 22, 2021.