Supporting Mountain View Coalition represented by New Mexico Environmental Law Center historic Health, Environment & Equity Impacts Regulation at the Bernalillo County, Albuquerque Air board.
This new rule would consider cumulative impacts and allow the air board to deny air pollution permits to facilities proposed in communities already bearing the disproportionate burden of air pollution.
Rally Against Asphalt Plant, proposed for Mountain View
Downtown Albuquerque, Sept. 2022
Warning from Mountain View Residents:
Mountain View, a residential community south of Albuquerque, NM, is home to one of the state’s largest industrial parks. Mountain View resident Dr. Magdalena Avila (UNM) says her community serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of mixing heavy industry with residential neighborhoods.
“Mountain View has dealt with challenge after challenge of being a dumping ground for toxic industry, including storage tanks for major fuel distributors, large and small wrecking yards, hazardous railyard shipments and toxic leaks, and many other sources of ground and air contaminants. In the 60s, babies were dying of high levels of nitrate poisoning and plumes from contaminated water draining down from Kirtland Air Force Base.
I would hate to see Rio Communities and the Rio Grande corridor get assaulted by hazardous waste and toxic contamination in the way that we have been. For 50+ years, we, the residents, have been paying the price for this so-called development. It has been a cumulative congregate of toxic industrial developments since the 1950s, which has led to extensive toxic dumping amid policies which have supported industry instead of vulnerable residents.”
-- Dr. Magdalena Avila, UNM
