Drinking water infrastructure and environmental justice

The crisis with water in Flint, Michigan that began in 2014-2015 has brought drinking water infrastructure to the fore as an environmental justice issue, particularly in aging "Rust Belt" cities, many of which are among the country's most segregated.

There is no shortage of information about Flint's problems with water on the Internet, but it may be harder to find materials specific to Milwaukee or other midwestern cities.

If you would like to look at Milwaukee's issues with drinking water and social/environmental justice, one good place to start is the relatively new Freshwater for Life Action Coalition. Here is a series of WUWM reports from February 2017:

http://wuwm.com/post/coalition-calls-mayor-barrett-speed-solution-milwaukee-s-lead-pipe-problem#stream/0

Here are some articles from local news (Fox 6):

http://fox6now.com/tag/freshwater-for-life-action-coalition/

This Facebook page is a very good source of information:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1170188983031882/?active_tab=discussion

And if you follow the leads provided in these articles, they are likely to lead you to still more:

https://hngwiusa.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/flac-challenges-milwaukee-city-attorneys-opinion-that-city-doesnt-own-toxic-lead-laterals-connected-to-homes/.

Brownfields and social/environmental justice in Milwaukee

Although Milwaukee has been one of the many "Rust Belt" victims of deindustrialization, it has been working hard in the past several years to attract new industries and manufacturing jobs. Much of this activity has focused on brownfields - you can find the EPA definition of these here. The highest-profile brownfields redevelopment project is undoubtedly the Menomonee Valley, but Milwaukee has also been working hard to redevelop the many brownfields located in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor.

The inner-city neighborhoods located adjacent to these brownfields redevelopment projects have taken a keen interest, working hard to make sure that they bring well-paid jobs for local residents. My recommendation for the Geography 564 projects is that you see what you can find out about these efforts. Here are some of the key organizations involved, but you'll probably be able to track down others:

16th Street Community Health Center: its program on Sustainable Community Development has been very active in the Menomonee Valley redevelopment project.

Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods, now part of Citizen Action, has been very active in the 30th Street Corridor.

Milwaukee's Department of City Development

You should also look up web sites for the neighborhoods surrounding both of these developments; you'll find  community development corporations and other groups that have been involved. One of our geogr PhD alums, Sandra Zupan, wrote her dissertation on these brownfields projects - you'll find this in the UWM library, and you may be able to find a digital copy on the web as well.

Mining and environmental justice in Northern Wisconsin

Mining has been in the news again in Wisconsin, especially with the controversy over the Gogebic Taconite Mine. You'll find a wealth of information about the proposed mine on the Internet, but you should also take a look at the controversies of the past - especially the Crandon mine. The controversies over mining have multiple dimensions, so to keep it manageable you should focus your project on tribes and tribal lands.

Here are some links about the Penokee / Bad River mine to help you get started - you'll find more links at each of these sites, and several are specifically about the environmental justice dimensions of the case:

Mining Impact Coalition

Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribe

Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice

For background on the Crandon case (for comparison), here's a book: http://www.amazon.com/Exxon-Crandon-Controversy-Michael-OBrien/dp/193254237X. Although there are no academic articles about the Penokee mine (yet!), you'll find some about the earlier controversy.

Also, don't forget to use Google to look around for more links - and there are Facebook pages you can join to help you keep up with the controversy as well. (Just go to Facebook and enter "Penokee" in the search box.)

Valley Coal Plant and Environmental Justice

We Energies' Valley Coal Plant is the site of one of the most visible environmental justice campaigns in Milwaukee - and indeed one of the few at which the term "environmental justice" has been actively used. It is also still active - they hosted a big public meeting in December 2011, and it probably won't be the last.

Here are some sites to help you get started:

The Cleaner Valley Campaign - this blog is a fantastic place to start. There's a lot of information here (indeed, even plenty of data to analyze), and you'll find links to the various partners involved in the campaign. The partnership list will give you some clues about the key constituents who are concerned about their issue. 

Also recommended: join their Facebook page - still more good links here, and this is a great way to keep track of what they might be doing this spring.

CleanWisconsin

Midwest Environmental Advocates

Petition to EPA

To find even more good stuff, don't forget to Google (regular search and news), and try multiple search terms!

Critiques of libertarianism

In Geography 464 and 564, we read a few pieces coming from a libertarian perspective. For those looking for critiques of libertarianism, here's a treasure trove.

Blue Marble 2012

Nice HD - Blue Marble 2012.

"Water revolution looming"?

A new semester has begun, and it's time to revive the blog.

Here's a Journal-Sentinel article about a relatively new book on water scarcity. Not the gloom and doom you might expect, but I'm not sure I'll be able to drink Evian again, thanks to the author's colorful description. Let me know if you've read it.

Meanwhile, here's one author's take on how to deal with looming water scarcity in cities: increase land use density. (Some nice colorful maps too!)