Moms from St. Louis, Flint want EPA response to respective crises, 02/09/16

ABC12.com
by Peter Zampa

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – (02/09/16) – A coalition of moms traveled to Washington, D.C. to question the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) response to the water crisis in Flint, MI and a radioactive waste problem in a suburb of St. Louis, MO. The moms are worried for their families, who they say have been irreparably contaminated in the two crises.

“I think it’s time for the moms of Flint and the moms of St. Louis to make a pact, and stay strong to fight for our children,” said Kristen Nickel, co-founder of ‘Just Moms St. Louis’.

Mothers from Flint and the St. Louis suburb of Bridgeton have teamed up because they say that they and their kids are sick.

In Bridgeton, Nickel says a nearby radioactive landfill gave her lupus, and that EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy can put a stop to the contamination, but won’t.

“If anyone listens to our story and they turn away, they’re broken,” Nickel said.

Melissa Mays is the founder of ‘Water you Fighting For’ in Flint. She says McCarthy has constantly ignored their requests for help for almost two years.

“They wouldn’t even address us, like we’re not human,” Mays said. “And that’s the worst part, I think they look at us like numbers and not human beings.”

The EPA wouldn’t provide comment for this piece. The moms are planning a protest Wednesday, hoping that will get their attention.

Lois Gibbs is the founder of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. She says she’s never seen an agency so uncooperative.

“I have never in my 38 years seen such dismissal,” Gibbs said. “There’s not even a response to say, ‘Sorry, I can’t meet with you’, or, ‘Sorry, we’re out of town’, or, ‘We’re trying’…there’s absolutely no response whatsoever.”

Mays says if the federal government continues to treat Flint and Bridgeton in this manner, she might have to move to Canada, which is just an hour away from her current home.

“This was a government decision that went wrong,” Mays said. “And so, it’s…it’s hard to think that this is a first world country anymore.”

http://www.abc12.com/news/headlines/Moms-from-St-Louis-and-Flint-want-EPA-response-to-respective-crises-368234331.html

Author: stlradwastelegacy

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