CIDA Inc. Hosts Tour of Port Arthur Tx for U.S Environmental Protection Agency

CIDA Inc. alongside with EarthJustice had the amazing opportunity to host and guide a tour of Port Arthur Texas for a dynamic group of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) DC and Region 6 Representatives. This tour was essential in conveying the environmental areas of concern, for the health and safety of residents in Port Arthur Texas. The focus of the tour was two-part: 1. To see first hand the areas where chemical safety and pollution prevention regulations have the potential to destroy or save lives. 2. To get a better understanding of the current combined impacts of multi-source toxic exposure to vulnerable fenceline communities.

Present in Photo; Eve Carter (EarthJustice). Jason Todd (EPA), Daniel Savery (EarthJustice), Kathryn Vogle (EPA region 6),Michelle Smith (CIDA), Kathrine O‘Brien (EarthJustice), Jennie Romer (EPA), Michal Freedhoff (EPA), Hilton Kelley (CIDA), Jeff Morris (EPA), Mark Hartman (EPA).

This tour was a fundamental step at conveying just how “close to home” these risks are to residents. In fact, one stop in the tour was Carver Terrace Park (formerly Carver Terrace apartments) is merely feet away from one of the nation’s largest refinery industries (Motiva).

In fact, in the picture below, a local park where children frequent is the “backyard” of one of the nation's largest refineries. That reality is grim to the health of this community, and the vulnerable youth.

Ensuring agencies such as the EPA visit sites which have the potential to detrimentally and irreversibly impact residents’ health, is a major step in the direction of change and improvement.

Present in Photo; EPA DC; Michal Ilana Freedhoff, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) Jeff Morris, Director of the Existing Chemicals Risk Assessment Division in the EPA’s Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) Yvette Selby-Mohamadu, Deputy Director of the Existing Chemicals Risk Assessment Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) Jennie Romer Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention at EPA’s Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). Mark Hartman, Deputy Director of the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics Sheila, Jason Todd, Ana. EPA Region 6; Kathryn Vogle

We would like to thank these dynamic EPA representatives and EarthJustice, for taking their time to visit Port Arthur Texas, and meet with CIDA’s team to discuss areas of concern, in hopes improvements are made towards a safer and greener Port Arthur Texas.