Coalition Members

The East Palestine train derailment occurred on February 3, 2023, in East Palestine, Ohio, when a freight train operated by Norfolk Southern derailed while carrying hazardous chemicals.

 Thirty-eight railcars left the tracks, several of which contained toxic materials such as vinyl chloride. Fires burned for days, and officials evacuated nearby residents before performing a controlled release and burn of some chemicals to prevent an explosion. 

It was later revealed through NTSB hearings the tankers were never in danger of exploding. Norfolk Southern only blew the train cars up to limit the time their tracks were not running. 

The derailment raised major concerns about air, water, and soil contamination, killed thousands of fish in local waterways, and sparked nationwide debate about rail safety and the transportation of hazardous materials. 

The Piketon, Ohio area has faced long-term environmental and health concerns linked to the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a Cold War–era uranium enrichment facility built in the 1950s to produce enriched uranium for nuclear weapons and later nuclear power. 

Over decades of operation, the plant generated radioactive and chemical contamination that affected buildings, landfills, wastewater ponds, and groundwater around the site. 

Cleanup efforts have been ongoing since the plant stopped enrichment operations in 2001, but concerns persist among residents about potential health impacts and environmental exposure.

In 2019, a nearby middle school temporarily closed after tests detected radioactive isotopes such as neptunium and enriched uranium in the area, highlighting continuing worries about contamination while federal and state agencies continue monitoring and remediation of the site. 

The Aliso Canyon gas leak, often called the Porter Ranch gas leak, began on October 23, 2015, near Porter Ranch, Los Angeles, California, when a well at the Aliso Canyon underground natural gas storage facility operated by Southern California Gas Company ruptured and released massive amounts of methane and other gases into the air. 

The leak lasted nearly four months and became the largest natural gas leak in U.S. history, releasing about 100,000 tons of methane.

Thousands of residents were forced to evacuate their homes, and many reported health symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and nosebleeds due to chemicals added to the gas. 

The disaster led to a state of emergency, lawsuits, and large settlements, and it sparked national debate about the safety of underground gas storage facilities and environmental regulation.

The BioLab chemical fire in Conyers, Georgia, happened on September 29, 2024, when a large warehouse at the BioLab facility storing pool‑ and spa‑related chemicals reacted violently after water contacted reactive substances, sparking a massive fire and sending a dense plume of toxic smoke over the region. 

The blaze and chemical cloud forced the evacuation of about 17,000 residents and shelter‑in‑place orders affecting roughly 90,000 people across the Atlanta metro area, closed roads including a major interstate, and disrupted daily life as emergency crews battled the hazard for days.

Federal investigators later cited BioLab for serious safety violations tied to improper chemical storage, and the company ultimately decided to end manufacturing at the Conyers plant after months of cleanup and community pressure, though its distribution center remains open while concerns about long‑term environmental and health impacts persist. 

Trevor’s Trek Foundation, a nonprofit started by Trevor Schaefer after he survived brain cancer to advocate around chemical exposures and childhood cancer. 

Trevor’s Trek focuses on raising awareness about how environmental chemical exposures may contribute to childhood cancer, pushing for research, tracking suspected cancer clusters, and supporting laws and community action to better investigate and prevent toxic exposures that could harm kids’ health. 

Their work helped get Trevor’s Law passed in 2016, which strengthens how potential disease clusters linked to environmental toxins are studied and addressed by federal agencies. 

A recent environmental controversy in Piqua, Ohio, involved the burning of lithium-ion batteries at a fire-training facility between 2018 and 2023. 

The testing program, conducted by a private research group to study how batteries ignite, involved intentionally setting batteries on fire—sometimes large ones used in electric vehicles. 

Many local residents said they were unaware the testing was happening and later raised concerns about possible exposure to toxic chemicals released during the burns. 

After an investigation, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency revoked the site’s permit and ordered the program to stop, leading to ongoing testing and debate over whether the fires may have affected air, soil, or water in the surrounding community. 

The Red Hill water crisis in Red Hill, Hawaii, was a major environmental and public health disaster that began in November 2021 when a World War II‑era underground fuel storage facility operated by the U.S. Navy leaked thousands of gallons of jet fuel into the water system serving Joint Base Pearl Harbor‑Hickam and nearby communities. 

The contamination caused foul‑smelling, petroleum‑tainted tap water and symptoms like nausea and headaches among residents, forced evacuations and water use advisories, and left tens of thousands without safe drinking water for weeks. 

The incident triggered extensive cleanup efforts, ongoing health monitoring, federal lawsuits, and the decision to defuel and permanently close the Red Hill tanks amid concerns about long‑term environmental impacts and military accountability. 

The Smitty’s Supply plant explosion occurred on August 22, 2025, at a lubricant manufacturing facility operated by Smitty’s Supply in Roseland, Louisiana. The explosion triggered a large fire and thick smoke plume, prompting officials to order a mandatory evacuation for residents within about a one-mile radius of the plant.

Although no injuries were reported, the fire burned for days and left oily soot across surrounding neighborhoods, raising concerns about environmental contamination in the Tangiphoa river and leading to cleanup efforts and lawsuits from affected residents. 

The Southwest Mountain Valley Coalition is a grassroots alliance of residents, local landowners, and environmental advocates in Southwest Virginia and surrounding Appalachian communities organized to oppose the construction and expansion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a controversial 303‑mile fracked‑gas project that cuts through West Virginia and Virginia. 

These community members and allied groups have raised concerns about threats to water quality, forests, private property rights, and environmental justice, engaging in public education, protests, permit challenges, and coordinated resistance to push back against the pipeline’s permits and construction, arguing it sacrifices local ecosystems and health for fossil‑fuel infrastructure. 

Keep Waverly Moving is a grassroots community advocacy initiative in Waverly that raises awareness about environmental health concerns and infrastructure safety, including questions about possible chemical exposure risks and local government decisions that members believe affect public health and quality of life. 

The group uses social media to share resident experiences, organize petitions and public comments, and promote civic engagement on issues like water safety, transportation planning, and broader environmental justice challenges facing the community. 

Heritage Works, Inc. is a community-focused organization based on the coast of Georgia, dedicated to the empowerment and uplift of local leaders and “community champions.” 

The group works to strengthen neighborhoods, support civic engagement, and foster initiatives that improve social, cultural, and economic outcomes for residents. By providing resources, mentorship, and advocacy, Heritage Works, Inc. seeks to inspire positive change both within coastal Georgia and in surrounding communities, promoting sustainable development and community resilience. 

The Moss Landing battery plant fire occurred in 2022 at a large energy storage facility in Moss Landing, California, where lithium-ion batteries used to store electricity caught fire inside the Vistra Energy Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility. 

The fire burned for several days and released smoke containing potentially harmful chemicals, prompting evacuations and safety concerns among nearby residents. 

Although no deaths were reported, the incident raised questions about the safety of large-scale battery storage systems and led to investigations and new safety discussions surrounding energy storage technology.