Archinect - News

Superfund sites sit idle under President Trump

2020-01-08T18:21:00-05:00

The Trump administration has built up the biggest backlog of unfunded toxic Superfund clean-up projects in at least 15 years, nearly triple the number that were stalled for lack of money in the Obama era, according to 2019 figures quietly released by the Environmental Protection Agency over the winter holidays. The accumulation of Superfund projects that are ready to go except for money comes as the Trump administration routinely proposes funding cuts for Superfund and for the EPA in general.

Under the current presidential administration, funding earmarked for cleaning up superfund sites has slowed to a trickle. According to an Associated Press report, the number of unfunded projects has ballooned from 12 in 2016, President Barack Obama's last year in office, to 34 this year.

Sites that need cleaning up include abandoned gold, lead and copper mines, according to the report, as well as lead contamination leftover from industrial uses at sites and pollution resulting from petrochemical manufacturing operations. In all, unfunded superfund clean-up sites exist in 17 states and Puerto Rico; President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed to substantially reduce funding appropriated for both the Environmental Protection Agency and the Superfund program it oversees.

Julián Castro unveils national lead abatement plan

2019-06-13T14:32:00-04:00

In response to the ongoing toxicity crisis gripping the town of Flint, Michigan, 2020 Democratic presidential contender Julián Castro has unveiled a nationwide lead abatement plan.

Last week, Castro, former Housing and Urban Development secretary under President Barack Obama, became the first presidential candidate to visit the ailing town, where a slow-motion environmental disaster has been playing out since 2014.

(For a thorough breakdown of the Flint water crisis, see this informational story from CNN.)

Castro proposes to establish a presidential task force on lead “charged with eliminating lead poisoning as a major public health threat” while asking Congress to allocate $5 billion per year for a decade to replace lead pipes around the country. The funding would also go toward abating lead contamination in household paint and in soil "in areas of highest need." In addition, the plan would allocate $100 million per year toward lead poising prevention efforts. Castro told BuzzFee...

Dispatch from Flint: How architects can help, on Archinect Sessions #54

2016-02-25T17:31:00-05:00

The tragedy of Flint, Michigan's water crisis seems to worsen with every newly uncovered detail. As a manmade public health crisis provoked by willful denial and compromised safety standards, the entirely preventable poisoning of Flint's water supply with lead stands not only as a failure to care for the citizens of one city, but as a dreadful harbinger for the U.S.'s deteriorating infrastructure networks.

Like any concerned citizen, Filnt-based architect Kurt Neiswender sees this as a call to action to help any way he can. Kurt joins us on the podcast this week to discuss how architects might apply their skills to improve such a monstrous situation, and address the real limitations the profession has when it comes to these scenarios.

Listen to episode 54 of Archinect Sessions, "Dispatch from Flint":

iTunes: Click here to listen, and click the "Subscribe" button below the logo to automatically download new episodes.
Apple Podcast App (iOS): click here to subscribe
SoundCloud: click here ...