News
Amplifying the Fight.
WILMINGTON, NC – A coalition of community, public health, and environmental justice groups and Southeastern North Carolina residents has moved to intervene in a legal challenge by chemical manufacturer Chemours to the drinking water health advisory recently issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for GenX chemicals.
The ‘Forever Chemical’ PFAS will forever impact our communities and facilitate health disparities for decades. The CDC has found PFAS in the blood of 99% of Americans.” - Sanja Whittington, Democracy Green
Helping North Carolinians rebuild: ​​A conversation with Democracy Green
North Carolina is no stranger to hurricanes, but when Hurricane Florence slammed into the state’s coast in 2018, it quickly broke records. Five days of rainfall left the state with massive flooding and thousands of homes and businesses were damaged in the storm. A month later, the state would see some of the impacts of Hurricane Michael, as well.
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Southerly spoke with Sanja Whittington, the director of Democracy Green, a nonprofit that’s been helping North Carolinians rebuild since the hurricane’s devastating effects.
Democracy Green, alongside partners EcoRobeson, handing out supplies after Hurricane Florence. (Photo courtesy Democracy Green)
The letter to EPA Administrator Michael Regan urges the agency to finalize the classification “expeditiously.”
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The agency proposed the designation of the two most notorious PFAS – PFOA and PFOS – nearly a month ago.
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The letter underscores strong support for the EPA’s designation from low-income communities and communities of color, which often bear disproportionate exposure to chemical pollution. “The EPA’s proposal to designate these two forever chemicals as hazardous is ushering in accountability for polluters,” said Sanja Whittington, executive director of Democracy Green.