Greenpeace

As a Southern California native, I was surprised to learn that millions of people in my home area – as well as across the country – are at risk of a chemical plant leak or disaster. It comes as a surprise to most others I speak to as well.  Los Angeles has over sixteen high-risk chemical plants, with out-dated and minimal safety regulations, using highly toxic chemicals. In the wake of the devastating BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it makes the potential of a devastating chemical disaster all the more real.

Working at the Greenpeace Los Angeles office as Frontline staff and video producer volunteer, I met Field Organizer Jenny Binstock, who is currently working directly on this issue. LA is a major front on our chemical security campaign, particularly because our Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) chairs the Environment and Public Works committee, which is key in drafting legislation to make our chemical plants safer. 

As rumors mounted that Senator Frank Lautenberg’s (D-NJ) long-awaited comprehensive chemical security legislation was about to hit the US Senate floor, we wanted to make sure Senator Boxer supported the legislation. Our local volunteer group decided that we could communicate our message with a short series of videos that showed the voices of concerned citizens. The goal was to send a powerful message to Senator Boxer: now is the time to pass comprehensive chemical security legislation to protect the millions of Americans at risk from a chemical plant disaster.

Greenpeace volunteer Jasmin Vargas interviews a resident of Torrance, CA at the local farmer's market about the risk of a toxic chemical release in the community.  Photo credit: Tae Lim.

Our first video featured retired Los Angeles County Fire Captain Ed Schlegel speaking on the need to pass comprehensive legislation. The video was a huge success, viewed by thousands of people, and was featured in a blog by Greenpeace USA’s Executive Director Phil Radford on the Huffington Post. For our next project, we decided to take the camera to the streets and share just a few of the millions of voices of Angelenos who live at risk from a chemical plant disaster in our city.

We visited a few different farmer’s markets in Torrance and Downey and we pulled people aside to invite them to answer a few questions on camera about our campaign. Many were happy to oblige.

The folks we talked to came from all walks of life, yet their responses were surprisingly similar. They were first shocked by the proximity of chemical plants to their home communities, and upset to discover the lack of safety regulations currently in place. They felt worried for themselves and their families. They “definitely” wanted their Senator to take action on this issue, and their message to Senator Boxer was clear: take action now, pass comprehensive chemical security legislation, and protect our communities.

It was interesting chatting with these local residents once the camera was down.
They said, “Thanks for getting this story out there – not enough people know about this issue.”

Hopefully these videos shine some light on a little-known risk that so many Americans face.  I hope these videos inspire people to urge their Senators to take action and pass Sen. Lautenberg’s Secure Water Facilities Act and Secure Chemical Facility Act.  Here in CA, it is imperative that we urge Senator Barbara Boxer to pass legislation out of her committee when Congress returns from August recess that would provide secure protections for water treatment facilities.  Urge your own Senator to take action TODAY!