This story was originally published in the Fall 2011 UW SRP eBulletin.
In May of this year the University of Washington Superfund Program (UW-SRP) hosted a regional meeting with the Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition (NWTCC) and EPA Region 10 Administrator (RA), Dennis McLerran and his staff. The UW-SRP Research Translation Core's director and staff have been a part of a series of regular discussions between the coalition and EPA staff on targeted topics that began in fall of 2010.
The coalition represents over twenty-five community organizations whose focus includes hazardous waste concerns from the four states of EPA Region 10. This year the annual summit of the NWTCC at the University of Washington offered a venue for the regional administrator to meet again with the NWTCC. This important and significant meeting resulted in plans made to continue collaboration on key points that include organizing an educational workshop for impacted communities on air pollution issues.
The two-day summit included a viewing of the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council documentary We Live by the River - told in the voices of the people of the Yukon. It also featured content sessions on biomass-energy source and related environmental health; legal and economic issues; and regional updates on fish consumption rates from Oregon and Washington.
The community-academic partnership, between the coalition and the UW-SRP, is in its seventh year. Northwest Toxic Communities Coalition was formed with a mission to connect with and empower communities impacted by toxic waste and to share resources, information, and support for toxic cleanup efforts throughout the Northwest states. Coalition members come from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington states.