By Lisa and David Pugh
With all that is happening in our world today, it is easy to lose faith in government. We have our rights being trampled on, science being denied, regulations to help our planet being dismissed and our neighbors near and far crying out for help and for justice. These events feel overwhelming and hopefully we all do our part to resist and work to bring about change.
In our small corner of the world here in Dalton, we have been engaged in community activism to protect our neighborhoods from excessive dust created by a company that has not responded to pleas or orders to properly clean up their property and change their practices. We recently secured a historic victory that was the result of long hours, research, and community advocacy. When I say “we” I mean the members of the Dalton Clean Air Coalition, along with other concerned citizens and town volunteers.
Initially, a small group canvassed our neighborhood and were able to rally over 100 citizens to a Board of Health meeting last February. We had been directed by town officials to start there. We were bounced from one board to another. Each board seemed to be working within its own silo, without information flowing between them. While each board was receptive to our concerns, we were told a different board had the authority to help.
We held a neighborhood meeting and collected over 450 signatures on a petition demanding an end to the dust and we formally created the Dalton Clean Air Coalition. We did our homework, we found town bylaws, state and federal regulations that supported our case. We contacted the DEP, our state representative, and organizations on the other side of the state dealing with the same issues. We uncovered a long history of discord between the town and the company. We found old permits, legal proceedings, agreements, and maps. We created packets of information that were distributed to town officials and town boards showing decades of issues with the company and highlighting the laws that protected our neighborhood. Our constant presence at Select, Planning and Health board meetings sent the message we would not be deterred. We canvassed the neighborhood again and held another community meeting. We contacted media outlets to bring awareness to our cause. We also made buttons and placed large signs around town as well as smaller yard signs.
While the town shared responsibility for the lack of oversight, we knew we needed to turn our anger into productive conversations. We always thanked the boards for the work they were doing while also pushing for accountability. We wanted accountability from the boards as well as from the company. We reminded the boards of the control they had over the issue and that they needed to reclaim. We called upon them to act with the same sense of urgency we had. We desired to work together but we were also very firm that anything less than decisive action on the illegal strip mining and the need to mitigate it would be unacceptable.
“The wheels of government turn slowly” is a cliche for a reason. We urged the then-Town Manager to bring the boards together so they could all talk to work out a solution. After several months of advocating consistently, the town Clean Air Committee was formed. This Committee has representatives from relevant town boards, the Clean Air Coalition, and concerned citizens. This committee meets to review the work from each board and discuss next steps. Boards are now sharing information and working collaboratively.
Often people voiced support, but said, “Good luck, you will never stop them.”
We heard the voices of residents as far back as 1976 and we knew we would keep going. When you arm yourself with knowledge, facts, and the law, you have to give it all you can. We need to trust that our government is protecting the rights of its citizens and enforcing rules with consistency. The citizens are the town and when the town government isn’t working, you help.
Our group has brought people together to solve this issue, and we are grateful for the efforts the town is now undertaking. This has been a huge effort on the part of many, but the town is finally controlling the narrative and enforcing accountability.
We are not naïve. This fight is not over but we have won a huge victory with this permit being denied. We persevered and worked to gain the support of town boards and the community and we prevailed.
