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Environmental Justice and the Politics of Risk: Water Resource Controversies in Taiwan

The Taiwanese government attempted to construct a water diversion in the early 2000s in order to help mitigate potential effects of future droughts. While both environmental scientists and local indigenous groups argued against the building of it due to the potential for it to destabilize the area it was being built geologically, the project continued until Typhoon Morakot in 2009 suspended its construction indefinitely.

Guoyang2023-09-10T03:46:15+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Construction Engineering and Management, Earth Systems, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure, Geotechnical Engineering|0 Comments

Urban IFL Projects

Urban Integrated Field Laboratories are to be constructed in three U.S. cities through funding by the Department of Energy. These Urban IFL projects will aim to better understand the climate challenges affecting the designated areas and how to address climate adaptations while taking into account groups that have historically been underrepresented.

Guoyang2023-09-10T05:59:50+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Earth Systems, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure|0 Comments

South Wake Landfill in Holly Springs

In the early 90's, the town of Holly Springs was predominantly African American, and was chosen for a site for a landfill to be built. Over time, the area shifted demographics until it was predominantly white, at which time the permit for the site was issued, denied, and re-issued. This is in spite of the fact that there appeared to be no such concerns when the area was predominantly African American.

Guoyang2023-09-10T06:05:38+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Construction Engineering and Management, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure, Water Quality and Health|0 Comments

Valley Park Levee along the Meramec River

In recent years, the Meramec River has been experiencing historic flooding that may be exacerbated by the Valley Park levee that was built by the Army Corps of Engineers and protects an affluent community. Nearby communities who are less fortunate, experience frequent flooding where homes are routinely lost and rebuilt at the expense of lack of flood management in the area and the nearby levee being built on outdated models.

Guoyang2023-09-10T06:01:14+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Environmental Engineering, Hydraulics and Hydrological Engineering|0 Comments

Brentwood Bus Depot in D.C. and How it Affects Communities of Color

D.C. is planning to build a 230 bus terminal in Brentwood, a historically black community in ward 5, that already faces disproportionate affects of pollution. Community members are upset with the decision due to the lack of a comprehensive environmental assessment done by the lawmakers as the city intends to transition to electric vehicles, eliminating the need for an assessment.

Guoyang2023-09-10T03:33:09+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Construction Engineering and Management, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure|0 Comments

Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)

For more economic gas transportation and storage, a pipeline was to be built from North Dakota to Pakota, Illinois. However, this pipeline induced great concern and many people were protesting about it. If it leaks, it will have a huge environmental impact on soil and water sources. Also, the pipeline crosses the local tribe's sacred land, which is not accepted by the tribal people. The pipeline is a vivid example of how the building of infrastructure struggles with social/environmental factors.

Guoyang2023-09-10T03:35:52+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Construction Engineering and Management, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Justice|0 Comments

Reconstruction of Rochester’s Inner Loop Highway in New York

Rochester, NY is surrounded by an Inner Loop of highway. This loop is not level with the surrounding buildings and streets. A portion of this loop was replaced with infill development to encourage downtown investment and connection between the two communities surrounding it. Actions taken after the initial removal were met with mixed interests.

Guoyang2023-09-10T04:51:36+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Transportation Engineering|0 Comments

The Kinzua Dam Construction and the Effect on the Seneca People

The Kinzua Dam, built in 1965, serves the purpose of protecting the people of the greater Pittsburgh area from the flooding and pollution of the Allegany River. The construction of the dam sparked public controversy due to it flooding 10,000 acres of the Seneca Nation of Indian's Allegany Territory that is protected under a federal treaty. Legal battles ensued, pleas were made from the Seneca people, and even an alternative option to the Kinzua Dam was proposed but ultimately it's construction has resulted in the loss of indigenous homes and arising issues of upstream flooding from climate change.

Guoyang2023-09-10T05:21:52+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Construction Engineering and Management, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure, Hydraulics and Hydrological Engineering|0 Comments

Air Pollution and Environmental Justice in Washington, DC

Researchers found that although PM2.5-related health problems have decreased in Washington, D.C., over the past 20 years, these problems are uneven and inequitable across neighborhoods and subgroups. Of the 51 neighborhoods studied, the 10 with the highest PM2.5-related health risks had 10% lower education and employment rates, 10% more people living in poverty, and $61,000 lower median household income compared with their less at-risk counterparts. The 10 neighborhoods with the highest PM2.5-attributed mortality had 54% more Black residents.

Guoyang2023-09-10T03:36:26+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Earth Systems, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure|0 Comments

Pollution in DC rivers at the intersection of environmental and racial injustice

Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is suing Velsicol Chemical for decades of manufacturing and distribution of the carcinogen chlordane even though the company knew of its risks to human and environmental health. The lawsuit says studies have linked long-term exposure to chlordane to liver cancer, as well as miscarriages, depression and bone-marrow diseases. Shorter-term exposure, it says, has been linked to blurred vision, headaches, tremors and insomnia, among other central nervous system symptoms. Flanked by environmentalists and representatives of the local NAACP, Racine (D) said at a news conference that the effects of Velsicol Chemical’s alleged contamination particularly hit “low-income Black and Brown” residents, in a case that bridges environmental and racial justice.

Guoyang2023-09-10T04:47:36+00:00June 16, 2023|Categories: Case Summary|Tags: Environmental Policy and Sustainable Infrastructure, Hydraulics and Hydrological Engineering, Water Quality and Health|0 Comments

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