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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Environmental Justice Action Forum

Environmental Justice Action Forum banner; November 30, 2023, Mebane, North Carolina

Thursday, November 30, 2023
Mebane, North Carolina

The Environmental Justice (EJ) Action Forum was a one-day event held on November 30, 2023 in Mebane, NC. The forum was aimed at identifying, framing, and addressing EJ issues regarding the Western Electric/Tarheel Army Missile Plant in Burlington, North Carolina. The forum was an outgrowth of a collaboration over the last several years with community-based organizations, including West End Revitalization Association, 7 Directions of Service, and the North Carolina EJ Network.

Background

The Western Electric/Tarheel Army Missile Plant, once the site of military missile research, is polluted with toxic substances that have contaminated the groundwater, air, and soil in the area. These contaminants pose a long-lasting threat to the primarily Black and Latino communities near the site. Representatives from community organizations, local and state level officials, and federal agencies were invited to be a part of this collaborative forum to address effective strategies for environmental remediation at the site.

This forum was the first part of a multiphase plan, intended to serve as a model for collaborative action to address EJ issues in the state of North Carolina and beyond.

Insights generated at the EJ Action Forum will identify and define EJ issues to inform the next phases of the action plan. Members of the community and others interested in addressing contaminated EJ communities were invited to provide their own perspectives and goals for the Western Electric/Tarheel Army Missile Plant.

Objectives

  • Identify and define EJ issues regarding the Western Electric/Tarheel Army Missile Plant.
  • Facilitate collaboration between key partners to address EJ issues.
  • Provide a road map for counties within North Carolina and beyond who are working to address EJ issues in communities that are marginalized.
  • Develop solutions to mitigate environmental disparities around the Western Electric/Tarheel Army Missile Plant to restore and revitalize communities in the area.

Agenda and Materials

More Information

If you have questions about the forum, please contact Liam O'Fallon at 984-287-3298 or ofallon@niehs.nih.gov.

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Last Reviewed: December 05, 2024