King County, the City of Seattle, and the Port of Seattle called for increased community engagement regarding work on the Lower Duwamish and East Waterway Superfund Cleanup in a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
In the letter the three local governments voiced strong support for enhanced public engagement and responded to concerns raised by community representatives. The local governments also recognized EPA’s leadership and partnership throughout the cleanup process.
The full letter can be found at the King County, City of Seattle, and Port of Seattle websites.
“The community of the lower Duwamish should not continue to be burdened with legacy pollution,” said Mayor Jenny A. Durkan. “They deserve health justice, which is why we’re fully committed to cleaning up the Duwamish to begin to restore the health of this historically underserved community. Communities of the Duwamish Valley have demanded action and deserve to be heard which is why we are calling on the EPA to undertake an inclusive community engagement process while making real investments in environmental justice.”
“Our long-time commitment to cleaning up historic and current pollution in the Lower Duwamish is unwavering,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “As the EPA deliberates its plan for the East Waterway, we encourage them to host a robust, authentic public conversation so that the communities most impacted can help shape the future of this united effort to protect the river that has forever been central to the way of life in this place.”
“Local governments stand united to clean up the Duwamish River,” said Port of Seattle Commission President Fred Felleman. “Through work already underway in several “Early Action Areas” we have seen how effective it is when we collaborate to protect the environment and the health of the community. We are also requesting EPA host a virtual community meeting with adequate time and accessibility before the planned release to enable the public’s concerns to be heard directly by EPA.”
Contacts
Marie Fiore | King County Wastewater Treatment Division
(206) 263-0284 | mfiore@kingcounty.gov
Sabrina Register | Seattle Public Utilities
(206) 446-8267 | sabrina.register@seattle.gov
Peter McGraw | Port of Seattle
(206) 787-3446 | mcgraw.p@portseattle.org
