Washington, DC – As the Phoenix City Planning Commission prepares to vote on a planned expansion of the heavily polluting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), community members are urging the city to consider public health and reject the proposal unless there is greater transparency and opportunity for public input. The proposed rezoning for the NorthPark project, a 6,300-acre development in north Phoenix, is scheduled to go before the Commission today, December 4.
“On the anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, in which 4000 people died from a poisonous gas leak, the City Planning Commission is set to vote for a project that will place thousands of homes adjacent to a factory handling hundreds of hazardous chemicals,” says Judith Barish, coalition director of CHIPS Communities United, a national coalition of unions and community organizations. “Workers and neighbors need to know more about the hazardous substances that will be used, transported, and potentially released in their neighborhoods. Without more information about the threat of chemical leaks and exposures and plans for risk management, the Commission should vote no.”
“Consideration of the Northpark Planned Unit Development should include a transparent assessment of the risk to the public, both in the existing neighborhood and in the proposed development, posed by the presence and potential release of hazardous substances, with a focus on toxic gases,” concluded Lenny Siegel, executive director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO) and steering committee member of CHIPS Communities United, in a recent report on the proposed Northpark development.
“What chemicals will TSMC be using?” Siegel asks. “What are the company’s emergency plans for gas leaks and chemical exposures? Does TSMC have a PFAS management plan? Before the city planning commission votes, they should consider the health of not only the current residents of Stetson Valley and North Phoenix but generations to come.” Siegel, the former mayor of Mountain View, California, has been involved in the clean-up and oversight of toxic Superfund sites in Silicon Valley left by former chip-makers.
“Even apart from the threat of accidental releases, TSMC’s emissions could worsen air quality in Phoenix. Phoenix already fails to meet federal air quality standards for ozone and particulate matter, both of which harm our health and are especially dangerous to young people, seniors, and other vulnerable populations,” says Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter.
“Is another fab so close to residential communities without transparent management plans a good idea for our community and the environment?” asks Jennifer Martin-McLeod, a water policy expert with the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter. “The semiconductor industry touts its water reuse, but consumption will still be significant. Amid dwindling Colorado River supplies, shrinking aquifers, and a rapidly changing climate, we need a meaningful cost-benefit analysis that considers water quantity and quality impacts now and 100 years from now.”
“The working people and residents of North Phoenix have a right to know what kind of companies are being placed a mile from where they live, work, and sleep. We need transparency. The city planning commission must consider smart development that provides family-sustaining wages and worker safety during construction and after construction. We encourage consideration for the potential human and environmental costs of this project,” shares Cynthia Diaz, an organizer with Arizona Jobs with Justice.
“The entire process of rezoning North Park has been secretive, unaccountable, and lacking in transparency,” laments Amanda McGowan, president of the Stetson Valley Homeowners Association. “Homeowners in our community have overwhelmingly expressed that they feel they have been kept in the dark about the changes planned for our community, which could put toxic substances near our homes and potentially bring tankers carrying hazardous materials past school crossings. We urge the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council to reject the proposed rezoning plan. This is an inappropriate location for heavy industrial zoning.”
You can find a copy of Lenny Siegel’s report here.
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