'We just want clean air': Why neighbors are rallying against a Providence scrapyard
PROVIDENCE – Protesters are calling on state and city authorities to shut down Rhode Island Recycled Metals following a recent fire at the Allens Avenue business that sent plumes of black smoke over the Providence skyline.
At an Earth Day rally Monday evening, a dozen people representing advocacy groups and nearby neighborhoods said the scrap-metal business is a threat to public health and the environment.
“There are days we don’t want to go out in our yard the air is so bad,” said Washington Park resident Ellen Tuzzolo. “We just want clean air to breathe.”
Neighbors have long complained about the port, scrapyard
Neighbors have long complained about pollution from the industrial area in and around the Port of Providence. Carbon-containing gases vented from storage tanks filled with asphalt and other petroleum products cause noxious odors. Tanker ships that burn dirty bunker fuel and diesel trucks that cut along surface streets to pick up loads of gasoline, heating oil and liquefied natural gas produce emissions. And scrap operations stir up dust and smoke.
Critics say that similar pollution wouldn’t be tolerated in wealthier parts of Rhode Island.
“We wouldn’t see a scrap yard or these types of polluting industries within Blackstone Boulevard, within the East Side of Providence, so why is it that the South Side of Providence has to suffer?” said state Rep. David Morales, a Providence Democrat.
RI Recycled Metals has had a history of disputes
The fire that started on the evening of April 10 and burned through the night was the latest incident to raise concerns about Recycled Metals.
The business has been locked in a long-running dispute with the Attorney General’s Office and the state Department of Environmental Management over a number of environmental issues, including the possibility of contaminants washing into the nearby Providence River.
More recently, the administration of Mayor Brett Smiley has called for the business to cease operations for failing to obtain what city officials say is a necessary municipal license. A lawyer for Recycled Metals has countered that it has the required state licenses to operate a scrap business and doesn’t need a license from the city.
Patrick Sweeney, a spokesman for Recycled Metals, cited a previously reported statement from the DEM that air quality at the closest monitoring station was within normal levels during the fire and that runoff from firefighting efforts appeared to have been contained on site. Sweeney also said recent testing of the property found there is no evidence that material there poses an environmental concern.
The rally against the business was organized by Linda Perri, president of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association. Washington Park and other neighborhoods around the port are primarily low-income and have large populations of people of color – which are known to disproportionately shoulder the burdens of pollution. They have the highest rates of asthma in Rhode Island, which ranks highest in the nation in prevalence of the disease.
"People do live here,” Perri said. “It’s not just a dump. It’s a neighborhood just up the street.”
Topher Hamblett, executive director of the environmental group Save The Bay, said that authorities have allowed Recycled Metals to operate for 15 years despite repeated allegations of violations by the company.
“This site should not be here,” he said. “This site should be shut down once and for all.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI Recycled Metals fire sparks protests as neighbors push for clean air
