South Carolina’s Port Authority willfully and knowingly seeks to dramatically increase the amount of diesel emissions in an already polluted area of Charleston. A proposal to develop a new port at the old North Charleston navy base is being pushed by the Port Authority, despite knowing the punishing environmental impact the port would have on the surrounding community. The local neighborhoods are poor and comprised mostly of minorities, which bears a striking resemblance to the poor and mostly minority community Hunts Point in New York.
Hunts Point, at the southern tip of the Bronx, just above Manhattan, has one of the highest asthma rates in the nation. Approximately one out of every three children has asthma in Hunts Point.
Given the connection between diesel exhaust and respiratory disease, it is not surprising that Hunts Point is also a hotspot of diesel pollution. The Hunts Point Cooperative Market includes one of the largest meat markets in the world, as well as the Hunts Point Produce Market, through which 80% of fresh produce in the New York area moves. The market draws hundreds of diesel trucks each day, which are a major source of the 20,000 diesel truck trips through the neighborhood each week. On average, a long-haul truck operator can have an 8–12 hour layover at the Hunts Point market while waiting to load or unload, or to comply with the federal rest period requirements. When trucks idle through this layover, the resulting diesel emissions place a serious burden on the people who live and work in Hunts Point.
Considering the connection between diesel exhaust and asthma, why would otherwise rational people choose to pursue a new port in North Charleston that would produce 250% more vehicular trips per day than Hunts Point? Does South Carolina’s Port Authority want to win the title “highest asthma rates in the nation” from New York? And this is using the port’s very low traffic estimate. The reality is more like 500% more trips/day.
You can help prevent this.
1. Contact your state legislators and express your disapproval! You can lookup your legislators here:
2. Consider this article a petition. Write your name and disapproval in a comment on this article. We will aggregate them into a formal complaint to local officials.
Help keep our air clean! Speak up now!
