Washington, DC – CHIPS Communities United, a coalition of unions and community groups, raises concerns about proposed rezoning for the NorthPark project, a 6,300-acre development in north Phoenix that includes plans for a heavily polluting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) expansion.
“Since the earliest days of chip manufacture, many people have believed semiconductor production to be a clean light industry, because the products were fabricated in ‘clean rooms,’ they didn’t drip oil, and the plants were called campuses,” says Lenny Siegel, executive director of the Center for Public Environmental Oversight (CPEO) and steering committee member of CHIPS Communities United. “In reality, chipmaking is a chemical industry, using a vast mix of carcinogens, reproductive hazards, greenhouse gases, and lethal gases, all of which the producers consider essential to production.”
Siegel calls for a transparent risk assessment process and opportunities for public comment as part of the rezoning and development process. On November 13, the North Gateway Village Planning Committee will consider a proposed rezoning plan that would allow TSMC to build a chip factory on land currently zoned for residential and open space and expand residential development on currently undeveloped land close to the (proposed) factory, putting thousands of residents in close proximity to toxic chemicals.
Siegel reviewed the use and potential release of hazardous substances by TSMC and yesterday sent a report to the North Gateway Village Planning Committee raising concerns. As a community activist, environmental professional, and local elected official in California, Siegel oversaw the clean-up of Superfund sites left by semiconductor manufacturing in previous decades.
“Today, chipmakers continue to use toxic solvents such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), hundreds of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ (perfluoro- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), and potent persistent greenhouse gases known as fluorinated gases,” Siegel writes, emphasizing toxic gas releases are of particular concern.
“The NorthPark Innovation Corridor is between one and two miles from existing homes, and the proposed Planned Unit Development could place residences immediately adjacent to TSMC and its suppliers. Toxic releases from the plant or gas storage facilities could easily impact residents and other local property occupants,” Siegel adds, noting toxic releases by Intel in 2013 and 2022, among many other examples of accidental exposure by chip makers.
TSMC is no stranger to the fatal consequences of powerful chemicals. In November of 2024, TSMC was fined $16,000 after a worker was killed by the depressurization of a tanker truck carrying sulfuric acid.
“We cannot start planning for an emergency after it has happened,” says Judith Barish, coalition director of CHIPS Communities United. “As we approach the anniversary of the Bhopal disaster, where a gas leak killed close to 4,000 people and caused the premature death of thousands more, we’re calling for a transparent environmental and public health assessment of the NorthPark project. People have a right to know what extremely hazardous substances are being used, transported, and potentially released in their neighborhoods.”
“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 Village Planning Committee 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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