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1301 Constitution Ave NW
Washington DC 20004
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MULTIMEDIA HIGHLIGHTS OF
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NOVEMBER 1 7 - 1 8, 2 0 0 9
IN THE NEWS
www.epa.gov oEPA
Nov. 17-18: Administrator Jackson to Make First Official Visit to New Orleans
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to
Release date: 11/16/2009
WASHINGTON - Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, a New Orleans na-
tive, is scheduled to make her first visit to the city as EPA Adminis-
trator on Tuesday and Wednesday, November 17 and 18.
On Tuesday, November 17, Administrator Jackson will speak at the
ERA'S National Brownfields Conference at the Morial Convention
Center. Her remarks will be open press.
On Wednesday, November 18, Administrator Jackson will join rep-
resentatives from local non-profits to tour sustainable development
projects in the Lower Ninth Ward. From there, the administrator will
travel to Southern University for a roundtable with students and pro-
fessors. Following that Administrator Jackson will tour a site where
green homes will be constructed in Ponchartrain Park. Finally, Ad-
ministrator Jackson will speak at a Dean's Colloquium at Tulane
University, her alma mater. All of these events are open press.
~	* ~ tk x •
Tuesday, November 17
9:30 a.m. CST Administrator Jackson delivers remarks at EPA's Na-
tional Brownfields Conference
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
900 Convention Center Blvd
New Orleans, La.
Wednesday, November 18
9:30 a.m. CST Administrator Jackson tours Lower Ninth Ward
sustainable development projects
12:30 p.m. CST Administrator Jackson
participates in roundtable with South-
ern University students and profes-
sors
Southern University
1:15 p.m. CST Administrator Jack-
son tours site of future green homes
in Ponchartrain Park. Tour will start at
5562 Park Drive
New Orleans, La.
2:30 p.m. CST Administrator Jackson
Speaks.at Tulane Dean's Colloquium
TulaneUniversity
Freeman Auditorium, Woldenberg Art Center
1229 Broadway Street
New Orleans, La.
Administrator Lisa Perez Jackson grew up in Ponchartrain Park in
New Orleans' Ninth Ward. The Administrator went to St. Gabriel the
Archangel grammar school and St. Mary's Dominican High School,
where she was valedictorian of the class of '79. She also graduated
with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Tulane University. Her
mother and several members of her family were displaced from the
city when their house was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina.
ADMINISTRATOR I.ISA P. JACKSON'S Nl W OKI I ANS VISIT . NOV! M BI R 2000

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Eyewitness Morning News * WWL (CBS)New Orleans, LA * Nov 18 2009 6:34AM CST
Transcribed text from the broadcast:
...the new head of the epa and new Orleans native, lisa jack-
son continues her first official visit to new Orleans today, she
has a very full schedule, she will join representatives from
nonprofit organizations, jackson will ao participate in around
table discussion with students and professors, she will follow
that with a tour and she will wrap up with a speech at tulane
university.
http://www. criticalmention. com/report/10607x104885.htm
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Lisa P. Jackson, the administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency, is coming to New Or-
leans, the city where she grew up. This will be her first trip to
New Orleans as the EPA head.
Jackson is expected to spend two days in New Orleans, where
she will speak at the EPAs National Brownfields Conference,
tour the Lower 9th Ward and speak at Southern University at
New Orleans and Tulane University, her alma mater.
IN THE NEWS
Associated Ap
EPA head to visit New Orleans
Associated Press - November 17, 2009 5:34 AM ET
She grew up in Pontchartrain Park in New Orleans' Ninth
Ward. Her mother and several family members were dis-
placed from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina destroyed
their home.
AIHIINIS IRA TOR I ISA l\ lACKSON's N1 W OKI I ANs V I s IT . NOVI MB! R 2(UH>

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IN THE NEWS
www.huffingtonpost.com & NRDCs Switchboard blog
Contaminated Soil in New Orleans:
New Research Finds Arsenic is from Katrina Flood
Gina Solomon
Senior Scientist, NRDC
Posted: November 16, 2009 02:46 PM
"The arsenic was probably there all along."
That's what our team of scientists kept hear-
ing from EPA and Louisiana Department of
Environmental Quality (LDEQ) staff in the
months and years following Hurricane Ka-
trina. As a public health advocate, I didn't
see that it mattered: After all, tests by EPA
and others in 2005-2006 repeatedly showed
significant levels of arsenic in sediment and
soil in New Orleans. These levels exceeded
State and Federal clean-up standards, and
posed a risk of cancer and chronic illness to
returning residents, especially children who
play in the dirt and put their hands in their
mouths. It turns out it did matter, since clean-
up funds were earmarked for contamination
that was from the storm, not preexisting con-
tamination, regardless of the public health
significance.
So the government didn't clean the arsenic
up, and the residents returned.
The problem gnawed at me. I worried about
the health risks, and I wondered where all that
arsenic came from. I searched the scientific
literature and State data, finding no useful in-
formation on historic levels of arsenic in New
Orleans. Until one day in late-2006 when I
talked with Dr. Howard Mielke, a soils expert
at Xavier University, who told me about his
soil archive. Dr. Mielke and his team of gradu-
ate students had spent two years from 1998-
2000, collecting soil samples from throughout
New Orleans for studies of lead contamina-
tion (lead was a KNOWN preexisting problem
in New Orleans). Their samples were care-
fully geo-coded, sealed in polyethylene, and
stored at 20-24 degrees Centigrade for the
past six years, undisturbed and unaffected
by the flooding of New Orleans, What a gold
mine! The results of our research were pub-
lished this month in the journal Environmental
Research.
Our team of researchers identified 70 resi-
dential locations in the City of New Orleans
where post-Katrina samples showed levels
of arsenic above Louisiana soil screening
levels, and where location-matched samples
were available from the soil archive. When
the laboratory results came back, the findings
were stunningly clear: the arsenic was new!
Every single one of the samples had higher
levels after the flooding compared with pre-
flood. The average level of arsenic in the soil
samples post-flood was over 23 milligrams
per cubic meter (mg/m3); pre-flood, the aver-
age was below 4 mg/m3. The Louisiana soil
screening level is 12 mg/m3, and EPA sug-
gests a cancer concern at even lower levels,
so this dramatic increase was highly signifi-
cant - both statistically and from a health per-
spective.
When the arsenic results came in, we de-
cided to go back to all these residential lo-
cations one more time, to see whether the
arsenic was lingering during the recovery
period. During that trip, we also sampled at
15 schoolyards and 15 playgrounds that had
reopened to children. We were reassured
to see that the arsenic contamination in the
residential neighborhoods had dropped sig-
nificantly - Probably some had washed down
storm drains, some had been cleaned by
street sweeping, and some had been ground
deeper into the soil But in some areas, such
as the Lower 9th Ward, 75% of the samples
were still higher than they were pre-Katrina.
The more worrisome story was at the schools
and playgrounds. One-third of the samples
taken in schoolyards, and 13 percent of
samples at playgrounds still exceeded the
Louisiana soil screening level that could (and
should) trigger clean-up. Yet as far as I know,
these sites have still not been cleaned up.
We still don't know where the arsenic came
from There are numerous theories, but the
most likely source was arsenic-treated wood
used in the past to build decks, fences, play-
ground equipment, and even houses. The
wood can leach arsenic into the soil below
the wooden structures, and when the wood is
soaked in water it can also release arsenic. A
group of researchers found arsenic contami-
nation in 23 percent of the wood waste from
destroyed structures after Katrina. This arse-
nic was mobilized by the flood waters and de-
posited as a layer of grayish sediment all over
people's land and homes after the flooding.
Some community groups have undertaken
volunteer efforts to clean up their own neigh-
borhoods, such as the Deep South Center
for Environmental Justice's Safe Way Back
Home campaign. But the money to clean up
these remaining contaminated sites has been
tied up at the state level for years. Now the
professional staff in city government with the
expertise to oversee proper spending of the
clean-up funds will no longer be employed
after this month.
The Federal EPA had walked away years
ago. Fortunately, this week, the new EPA
Administrator, Lisa Jackson, and other senior
EPA officials are in New Orleans to talk about
the problem of contaminated soil, and to lis-
ten to the community's concerns.
I hope that this new research convinces the
Agencies to re-engage. It's definitely not too
late to learn from the mistakes of the past,
and to move forward and rebuild a safer New
Orleans.
This post originally appeared on NRDCs
Switchboard blog.
ADMINISTRATOR I I s A P. JACKSON'S Nl W ORI I ANS VISIT . NOV! MRI R 2000

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if,
m
"I'm humbled to be back in my hometown, a town that
nurtured me, a city that fed my appreciation for the
beauty of God's Providence in all of its natural forms,
a city that awakened me in the mysteries of science,
a city/community that gave me and my family
opportunities to learn and to grow and to achieve."
Brow
•*


ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. I AT K SON'S N I W OKI I ANs VISIT . NOV I MR] R 2000

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IN THE NEWS
NOLA.com
Brownfield cleanups in New Orleans set example for nation, EPA leader says
Molly Reid
November 17, 2009, 8:40PM
In its ongoing struggle to transform defunct industrial sites into usable
properties, New Orleans provides an example of environmental reme-
diation and revitalization to the rest of the country, U .S. Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said Tuesday at the
2009 National Brownfields Conference.
"New Orleans gives hope to the rest of the country," Jackson said
in a keynote speech for the conference, held at the Ernest N Morial
Convention Center Sunday through today.
The conference focuses on how cities can clean up contaminated or
potentially tainted "brownfields" sites for reuse as residential, com-
mercial or public properties.
Jackson described the EPA's Brownfields Program, which offers
grants for contamination assessment, cleanup and job training, as
critical to the Obama administration's environmental policy, but said
its influence also extends to the country's economic recovery and pub-
lic health.
"Brownfield cleanups create jobs," Jackson said, citing $110 million
in federal money available for environmental remediation job training.
"Doing right by the environment is doing right by the economy. Once
that process of cleaning up sites is complete, the sites themselves go
to work."
The conference touted several local examples of successful brown-
fields cleanup projects, including the site of the former American Can
Co., which sat vacant in Mid-City for more than two decades before
being turned into an apartment building and retail center. Also in Mid-
City is the former Falstaff Brewery building, which recently was con-
verted into a mixed-use complex after undergoing asbestos removal,
lead abatement, air monitoring and other cleanup measures.
On Monday, conference attendees took part in a walk-through of the
Constance Lofts, a nearly-completed mixed-income apartment build-
ing that received one of Louisiana's first state-administered brown-
fields tax credits.
The Central Business District building, which takes up half a block
on Constance Street, was the site of a paint manufacturing company
until the 1930s, and had been abandoned for the past 15 years, said
Jim Blazek with Leaaf Environmental Consulting and Remediation,
which worked with developer Classic Construction of New Orleans
on the project.
Classic Construction opted to take advantage of the state Department
of Environmental Quality's Brownfields Investor Tax Credit, created
in 2005 and set to expire this year. The program offers developers a
15 percent tax credit for the investigation of current or potential site
contamination, as well as a 50 percent tax credit for the total cost of
remediation. According to Joseph Stebbins with Classic Construction,
the Constance Lofts project was one of the first brownfields sites to re-
ceive the DEQ tax credits, which were added to approximately $14.7
million in financing from federal and state historic tax credits, GO Zone
bonds and Community Development Block Grant money.
In the investigation and remediation processes, the developers ex-
pected to deal with a significant amount of lead contamination from
the building's former life as a paint manufacturing plant, Stebbins said.
The investigation found lead - about 515 to 1,200 parts per million
throughout the site - but only a small amount from paint. Instead,
a former foundry next door and the Constance building's incinerator
were found to be the culprits, Stebbins said.
Approximately 200 cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed
from the site, and a concrete cap sealed the rest, Blazek said. In addi-
tion, the remediation team removed asbestos and lead paint.
The resulting 50-unit apartment building has a 60-40 split of market-
rate to affordable housing, and incorporates many of the former ware-
house's architectural elements, such as industrial-size windows, large
concrete pillars, sealed concrete floors, exposed brick and lighting
fixtures inspired by construction lamps.
The DEQ tax credits were a major factor in the building's redevelop-
ment, and they also make Louisiana an anomaly when it comes to
brownfields sites, Blazek said.
"Here in Louisiana, brownfields doesn't have the same connotation as
it does in the rest of the country," he said. "People don't shy away from
it as much." That connotation may change, however, as the tax credits
are set to expire at the end of this year, Blazek said.
Molly Reid can be reached at mreid@timespicayune.com or
504.826.3448.
ADMINISTRATOR USA l\ lACKSON'S Nl W OR],I ANS VISIT . NOVI M HI R 2000

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IN THE NEWS
NOLA.com
EPA keeping close eye on Louisiana, new chief Lisa Jackson says in N.O.
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
November 18, 2009, 6:45AM
The Environmental Protection Agency will more closely monitor the
regulatory activities of Louisiana and other states that administer the
federal Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, and may step in when
states aren't adequately enforcing the law, EPA Administrator Lisa
Jackson said Tuesday.
"Many of these state programs are 20, 30 years old, and we might
even need to hit the reset button and say, 'OK, we're going to hold you
to a standard. If you're doing your job, great, but if you're not, we're
going to be here going inside until you are," Jackson said in an inter-
view with reporters and editors of The Times-Picayune.
"It's EPA's job to oversee," Jackson said. "We often say we're part-
ners, but we're also delegating our authority to a state, and of course,
ultimately that means your ultimate answer would be to take it back.
"But I would hope that would rarely if ever be resorted to," she said of
revoking a state's authority to administer federal pollution laws.
Jackson, a New Orleans native, made her first visit to the city this week
since she was appointed EPA chief by President Barack Obama. Her
schedule includes a tour of the Lower 9th Ward on Wednesday morn-
ing, followed by a roundtable discussion with students and professors
at SUNO at 12:30 p.m., a tour of green home sites in nearby Pontchar-
train Park at 1:15 p.m., and a 2:30 p.m. speech at Tulane University's
Freeman Auditorium as part of the university's Dean's Colloquium.
"My priorities reflect the president's, but go a little bit further," Jackson
said.
Atop her list is pushing the administration's "clean energy and climate
revolution," she said, including efforts to reduce greenhouse gases
and the economic and national-security costs of reliance on imported
oil and natural gas.
"I believe firmly that we have a real opportunity here to transform our
country's users and producers of energy, but in so doing, make sure
that we create jobs, that we build a foundation for economic prosper-
ity, that we address national security concerns about foreign oil and ...
make ourselves more energy independent," she said.
Under her stewardship, EPA also will be focusing on water issues,
working to revitalize the nation's drinking water systems and reduce
urban and agricultural runoff pollution. Such pollution plays a role in
creating low-oxygen problems like the Gulf of Mexico's vast "dead
zone" near the mouth of the Mississippi River, she said.
"I think there are enormous opportunities in reconnecting Americans
with the importance of clean water and a regulatory structure that's all
about clean water," she said.
Jackson is also refocusing the agency's emphasis on toxic chemicals,
in response to what she says is increasing public concern about the
chemicals in everyday products.
"There are over 80,000 chemicals on the market today," she said.
"Most of them haven't been adequately tested in a way that someone
can say whether or not they're safe."
That's largely the result of a toothless Toxic Substances and Control
Act, she said, which has been slow to require testing of new chemi-
cals.
"And I think we're at a point in this country where both the chemical
industry and the federal government, and the public health commu-
nity, really all three, are coming together to say we believe it's time to
change that law, to strengthen it," Jackson said.
Jackson said she's also interested in providing a voice for people,
including people of color, who are outside the mainstream of modem
environmentalism.
"People in this country still think of the Rocky Mountains or some
sweeping vista of natural beauty (as the environment) and that seems
important," Jackson said.
"But for me, coming from the city, being a city girl, my call to environ-
mentalism was very much different," she said. "It was about a belief
about an engineered world could be engineered in a way that was
protective of people's health and protective of people's environment."
She said small communities and neighborhood groups are helping re-
shape "environmental" to apply to health concerns like asthma, about
toxic substances in their soils, and the safety of their water supplies.
"I think what's important is making sure those communities have a
seat at the table when decisions about what environmental priorities
should be ours, because too often what they really are looking for is
ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. lAfKSON'S NIW OR] I ANS VISIT . N O VI M 111 R 200l>

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an ability to make sure their issues are reflected in the environmental
tableau," Jackson said. "So I spend a lot of time doing that as an African-
American woman. As the first head of EPA who is a person of color, I think
it is really important."
Jackson also hopes to add her voice as a former New Orleans resident to
the administration's review of federal and state coastal restoration efforts
in Louisiana.
"I know that (White House Council for Environmental Quality Chairwom-
an) Nancy Sutley was here and the White House has made it clear they're
coordinating an effort across the federal government (to review coastal
restoration plans), but I would be lying to you if I didn't say I have a special
interest in making sure the EPA is doing all it can to move those issues
forward," she said.
Early Tuesday, Jackson spoke before EPAs National Brownfields Confer-
ence at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, saying she was humbled
to be back in "a city that nurtured my appreciation for God's providence
in all its natural forms."
"This city is literally a place where a young African-American woman
could grow up to be a member of the Cabinet," she said. "I still do dream
of coming home one day. The arms of the city are warm and embracing."
Jackson grew up in Pontchartrain Park and attended St. Mary's Domini-
can High School, where she was the 1979 valedictorian. She holds bach-
elor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering
Jackson worked for EPA for 16 years, and later headed the New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection. She became EPA administrator
in January.
Her mother and several family members were displaced from New Or-
leans when their home was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. Her
mother now lives in Bossier City.
Molly Reid contributed to this report. Mark Schleifstein can be reached at
mschleifstein@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3327.
ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. I At K SON'S
-.Vi'
W OKI I ANS VISIT . NOV I Ml* I R 2lHH

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A P M I N I s I R ATO li 1 ISA P. } A I K SON \s N I W O R1 I ANS V I s I 1 . NOV I M IH R 1 009

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IN THE NEWS
Greenwire
Greenwire
Jackson commends New Orleans for
cleanup efforts
11/18/2009
New Orleans has set a strong example for successful cleanup
projects, U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said yesterday
during the 2009 National Brownfields Conference held in the
city.
"New Orleans gives hope to the rest of the country," Jackson
said in a keynote speech for the conference. She cited vari-
ous successful local projects, including the site of the former
American Can Co., which has been converted into apart-
ments and a retail center. She also cited the former Falstaff
Brewery building, which was turned into a mixed-use complex
after undergoing asbestos removal, lead abatement, air moni-
toring and other cleanup measures.
Jackson said her agency's Brownfields Program, which pro-
vides grants for contamination assessment, cleanup and job
training, is a key component of the Obama administration's
environmental policy. She said the program also benefits the
country's economic recovery and public health.
"Brownfield cleanups create jobs," Jackson said, noting that
$110 million in federal funds are available for environmental
remediation job training. "Doing right by the environment is
doing right by the economy. Once that process of cleaning
up sites is complete, the sites themselves go to work" (Molly
Reid, New Orleans Times-Picayune, Nov. 17). - JK

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ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. JACKSON S Nl W ORIJ ANS VISIT • NOVI MM R J o l>

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vl° Ru Rh Pd A9 Cd in Sn So t,
,^ V "it a k r c c J
W Re Os Ir Pt AuHS Tl PS Bi d
Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho
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".the things that are happening here,
and the presence of so many talented
young people give me hope that we
can deliver for this city, for this
country, and for your generation
in this defining moment."

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ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. lACKSON'S Nl W OKI FANS VIM I . NOVI M BI R 2 00*>

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IN THE NEWS
Fox S W~LM
Top EPA official tours 9th Ward
Last Update: 11/19 2:30 am
http://www.fox8live.com/news/local/story/Top-EPA-official-tours-
9th- Ward/508QP_-d 1 Uu VdhHnGvOjtw. cspx
Lisa Jackson, the woman in charge of making sure our air and water
stay safe at the top EPA administrator, is now back in a place that's
shaped her career agenda.
"Spiritually these folks have a since of renewal and purpose about
the importance of sustainability, the importance of the environment,"
said Jackson.
A purpose Jackson says was all there before, but was awakened by
the need to react to the storm, in ways that will be long term, and
sustainable.
"To know that this community is now considered one of the green-
est, that they've already adopted carbon goals," said Jackson.
Jackson took part in a grand tour of sustainable green projects in
the lower 9th ward, taking a closer look at a model green home,
part of the Holy Cross project, a wide ranging initiative launched by
Global Green U.S.A.
"The community is doing it here, they're just asking us to support
them," said Jackson.
These projects have been driven by public contributions and non-
profits coming in from all over the world to help launch a green New
Orleans. Linda stone with Global Green USA says the lower 9th
Ward is the most sustainable green community in the country. It's
projects like this Lisa Jackson says she wants to spotlight, and con-
tinue to move forward during her time in Washington.
ADMINISTRATOR LISA P. I AC K SON 'S N
"And there's a huge awareness here that was never here before,"
said Linda Stone, Policy Associate with Global Green U.S.A.
The 9th Ward, which since Katrina has become a household name,
is now drawing praise from the country's top EPA administrator.
Top EPA official lour* 9th Ward
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W OKI I A N S VISIT . NO V I M H I R 2 000

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ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. JAC KSON'S NI W OKI CANS VISIT . NOVI Mill R joiw

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"New Orleans gives hope to the rest of the country. When people see that this city - a city that
has been through an unprecedented environmental disaster and an unavoidable national
economic downturn — is able to rebuild; when they see that it can emerge stronger
and better than before - not only with jobs and prosperity,but with a sense of community
and possibility - it shines a light on the road ahead of us."
THE GLOBAL GREE

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IN THE NEWS
Fox 8 News at 7 AM• WVUE (fox)New Orleans, . Nov
Transcribed text from the broadcast:
...epa director lisa jackson is back home, for the first time
after being named director of the e-p-a. her schedule today
includes a trip to the lower ninth ward, southern university
and tulane, plus a tour of sites for future green homes in
pontchartrain park, jackson grew up in pontchartrain park,
after speaking at the national brownfields conference yes-
terday, she told fox 8 that the president has made louisiana
wetlands a priority, but the administration has stopped short
of offering new federal dollars for restoration projects.
http://www. criticalmention. com/report/10607x 104885.htm
Jackson's N.O. Schedule
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APMINIS TRATOR 1 ISA P. JAlkSON's NIW OKI I ANs VISIT . NOVI Mil I R J0OO
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ADMINISTRATOR 1 ISA P. JACKsON's Nl W OR! \ A N S VISIT . NOV! M HI R J00l)
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DEAN'S I
COLLOQUIUM
"But today the stories are starting to change.
More and more, they are stories of rebuilding,
renewal and revitalization. As Tulane students,
your stories are going to be among the new
stories that are told. Regardless of whether
you grew up in NOLA or came here for school,
by being in this place at this time of rebuilding,
your achievements and accomplishments
mean something more."
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IN THE NEWS
ABC 26 News . WGNO (ABC) New Orleans, LA . Nov 18 2009 6:34PM CST


Lisa Jackson
EPA ADMINSTRATOR
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Transcribed text from the broadcast:
"proud that new Orleans is becoming a leader in green build-
ing." that's what e-p-a administrator - lisa jackson says
about a neighborhood she's known since childhood, she's
touring houses built under the strictest green guidelines -
like global green's show house in the holy cross neighbor-
hood. jackson says she's proud her hometown is taking a
lead in building environmentally sensitive houses, lisa jack-
son: to know that this community is now considered one of
the greenest, they've already adopted carbon goals, they're
thinking ahead about what they want their community to be.
it not only heartens me, new Orleans has always given me
back much more than i give to it. "jackson alsoook a helicop-
ter tour of the state coastline and got an eye-opening view of
how fast it's vanishing, not a flight risk...
http://www. criticalmention. com/report/10607x 104885.htm

ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. JACKSON'S Nl W OKI I ANS V I S IT • N O V I M H I K 2001)
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IN THE NEWS
Good Morning Ark-La-Miss * KNOE (CBS) Monroe, LA • Nov 19 2009 6:05AM CST
Transcribed text from the broadcast:
... to new Orleans now ...where the aftermath of floodwaters are still
causing concern, it's been four years since hurricane katrina and a
new study shows as the flood water receded — it left behind high
levels of arsenic in the soil, paul murphy has reaction from the federal
e-p-a secretary - and tells us why children may be the most at risk,
they called it toxic gumbo, the flood waters that covered 80- percent
of new Orleans after hurricane katrina contained oil and gas -- bat-
tery acid ~ mold soaked building materials -- and other dangerous
chemicals, according to a new study by the natural resource defense
council the flood waters left behind an environmental disaster, the
n-r-d-c found that more than a third of sediment samples collected
18-months after the storm - exceeded the safe level for arsenic in
the soil, "the high levels of arsenic were not here before katrina. it is
an issue of concern and we're trying to get epa to do something to
clean them up. " the sierra club's darryl malek wiley says every sedi-
ment tested after the flood - exceeded the arsenic concentration of
pre-flood soil collected in new Orleans ten years ago. "in some cases
we know it's from treated lumber, but, for the broad variety of arsenic
in different locations, we don't know how it got here." wiley is one of the local environment leaders who presented e-p-a
secretary lisa jackson with the new data, this morning -- eyewitness news caught up with jackson as she toured new
homes in the lower ninth ward, "some of that data is going to show levels that aren't really levels of concern.some of it
might show that there may be some hot spots, if that's the case that's where we need to focus all of our efforts together. "
"as part of the study, researchers tested soil samples taken from school sites and playgrounds that flooded in new Orleans
during hurricane katrina. they found that 33-percent of the school yards and 13-percent of the playground had elevated
arsenic levels. " "one of our prime areas of focus is the health of our children, they are often the first line of being exposed
to something, they are little people, they are nearer to the ground, their bodies can't take toxic chemicals at the same
rate as adults can. "today - 75 year old desoto jackson tended his garden in the upper ninth ward, he says after hearing
about the high levels of arsenic - he's thinking about getting his soil tested. 7 might bundle up a little bit and send it up to
baton rouge and have it tested, but, i'm not a worrier, if god let it grow and if i give it to people, i know it's not going to do
them no harm. "
EPA SECRETARY
http://www. criticalmention. com/report/10607x104885. htm
ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. |Al"KSON'S N f W O RI I ANS VISIT • NOVl M HI R 2000
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r boost. 4«w*t WWLI V-Com follow Eyewun fe45
IN THE NEWS
Eyewitness Morning News * WWL (CBS)
New Orleans, LA ~ Nov IS 2009 6:44AM CST
7 minute in-studio interview with Administrator Jackson

ADMINISTRATOR USA P. I At" K SON'S Nl W OKI I ANS VISIT . NOV I MB! R 2009
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A P M I N 1 S T R AT O R 1.1 S A P. I ACKSON'S N I W O R I I A N S V I ^ I I • MOV I M IH R J 0 0 ^
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IN THE NEWS
The Advocate ADVOCATE
Summit promotes N.O. cleanup
By Amy Wold
Advocate staff writer
Published: Nov 18, 2009 - Page: 11A
NEW ORLEANS—After highlighting the recovery and redevelopment
of the New Orleans East area following Hurricane Katrina, the Rev.
Vien Nguyen said there is still much the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency could do to improve the community.
While showing photographs of illegal dumping in New Orleans East,
he asked EPA officials at the Brownfields 2009 conference in New
Orleans to help the community.
"It's past time to do studies, to convene, to discuss It's time to take
action," said Nguyen, pastor at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church in
New Orleans East.
The Brownfields 2009 conference — which continues today in New
Orleans — brought together planners, city officials and community
leaders to discuss how turn brownfields into useable property.
Brownfields are polluted properties that need to be cleaned before
they can be used again.
Nguyen pointed to illegal dumping that has gone on in the wetlands in
and around New Orleans East for decades.
The state Department of Environmental Quality, which has done sev-
eral enforcement actions in the area, announced Tuesday that Charlie
Hampton, 55, of Hamp's Enterprises LLC and Hamp's Construction
LLC was sentenced to pay criminal fines of $40,000 and to clean up
one of those illegal dumping sites in New Orleans East.
Nguyen, however, said more needs to be done.
ADMINISTRATOR I ISA P. JACKSON'S
He pointed to landfills that are legally permitted, asking EPA repre-
sentatives to give more consideration to the residents who live near
these areas.
EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said the agency is working toward
that kind of input and engagement. She said the brownfields program
through EPA is a good example of how that can work.
Not only can cleaning up properties create jobs, protect public health
and give people hope, it can also engage communities that surround
these polluted properties, she said.
Too many polluted sites across the country are located in or near mi-
nority or low-income areas, she said.
In an attempt to better connect with these communities, a new position
was created at EPA in August to work on this issue, she said. In addi-
tion, two new individuals were hired to work on environmental justice
issues and the backlog of complaints that have been filed, she said
In addition, EPA is going to designate 10 environmental justice show-
case communities across the country to help determine what works
best in making sure these communities don't unfairly bear the burden
of pollution.
"Ultimately they, too, will allow us to expand the conversation," Jack-
son said
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ADMINISTRATOR I I ^ A P. JACKSON'S N V W OKI I ANS VISIT . NOVI MBFR 2000
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IN THE NEWS
Associated Press
Hurricane propels Jackson's justice quest at EPA
By Dina Cappiello
Associated Press Writer
Posted: Saturday, Jan. 09, 2010, 06:58 am
NEW ORLEANS — More than four years after Hurricane Katrina, the
single-story brick rancher in Pontchartrain Park where Lisa Perez
Jackson grew up stands empty.
Floodwaters long ago ate away the walls of her corner bedroom,
where the current head of the Environmental Protection Agency once
hung Michael Jackson and Prince posters and studied her way to the
top of her high school class.
Faded spray paint, left by search teams to indicate that no bodies
were found, serves as a reminder of the day Jackson evacuated her
mother, Marie, to Bossier City ahead of the approaching storm.
Katrina was the closest that an environmental disaster had hit home
for someone who has spent her career solving environmental prob-
lems. Now, she's in charge of ensuring that all communities are equal-
ly protected from pollution.
The storm's toll on Jackson's childhood house and on New Orleans,
particularly the Ninth Ward where she was raised, has intensified her
quest for what's known as environmental justice. That means involv-
ing and getting fair treatment for the poor and minorities, who often en-
dure the greatest exposure to environmental hazards but are outside
the mainstream movement trying to find solutions.
It's this fight that Jackson wants most to be remembered for from her
tenure as President Barack Obama's chief environmental steward.
As the first black EPA administrator, Jackson has infused race and
class into environmental decisions even though she acknowledges
it's not a top priority for Obama. She's changed the way EPA does
business with minorities and has called on the predominantly white
environmental movement to diversify.
In speeches, she says she's trying to alter the face of environmental-
ism. She started in her own office, appointing a special adviser for
environmental justice issues and hiring a multiracial staff to lead an
agency where she often finds herself the only nonwhite at the table.
"This is a unique moment, where you now have a person of color in
charge of the EPA for the first time ever and not trying to make that into
a one-liner, but say, 'OK, what does that mean?'" said Jackson, 47, in
an interview with The Associated Press.
"It means that I can sit in a room ... and maybe use my position to hear
in a different way folks who don't feel heard. ... It's about me trying to
figure out what I would like people to say about the Lisa Jackson EPA
when I'm done. And I want them to say, 'You know, she really opened
that agency up, she really made ways that have lived past her for that
agency to speak to people of color, to speak to the poor, and to make
sure their issues are taken into account '"
That philosophy was on full display during her first visit back to New
Orleans as EPA head in November. Some community activists who
felt shut out by the EPA during the Bush administration got a chance
to meet with the agency leader for the first time.
When one group crashed an invitation-only luncheon with environ-
mental justice leaders, Jackson told the organizers that she still want-
ed to hear what they had to say.
"I was shocked. When she said I am going to listen to you, I said,
'Huh?'," said Albertha Hasten, president of the Louisiana Environmen-
tal Justice Community Organizations Coalition, who said she was un-
aware the meeting required an invitation.
Jackson's next stop was a sit-down with representatives of some of
the nation's largest environmental groups. Not only did the color of
those around the table change, but so did the topic. Hasten and oth-
ers discussed soil contamination, illegal dumping and health problems
caused by industries in their communities. The big environmental
groups talked to Jackson about the importance of saving the disap-
pearing Gulf Coast.
"I feel both sides," said Jackson in an interview after the two meet-
ings.
A n M INISTRATOR I ISA IV JACKSON'S N I W OKI I A N S V I SI I . N O V I M R I R JOOO
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Adopted at two weeks old from Philadelphia, Jackson and her two
brothers were raised by Benjamin Perez, a postal delivery man in New
Orleans' French Quarter, and his wife, Marie, who sometimes worked
as a secretary. Her father died when Jackson was in the 10th grade.
She grew up in the middle-class black suburb of Pontchartrain Park.
The tight-knit neighborhood, centered around a golf course, resem-
bled more of a Mayberry, the fictional Southern town from "The Andy
Griffith Show," than a pit of pollution amid industry, according to Troy
Henry, a neighborhood resident and a candidate for mayor. It was
home to politicians and professionals - and the actor Wendell Pierce.
"When I was growing up, it wasn't like I looked around and said, 'Well,
I gotta do something about this, I live next door to a factory," said
Jackson. "It is not that neighborhood."
Her mother says she was "sheltered from some of the hurt that other
people felt. She realized the differences and she knew that there were
some people that didn't have the same things she had. She always
realized that neighborhoods were different, she realized as she got
older... waterways and our pollution and our canals and the oil refiner-
ies and the drilling ... (are) detrimental to people."
After graduating from a girls' only Catholic high school, Jackson made
it to Tulane University, where she stood out in the chemical engineer-
ing department. She was one of the smartest, and the lone black
woman in her class.
Sam Sullivan, emeritus associate dean of engineering who recruited
Jackson to Tulane in the late 1970s, said, "She is a minority, her family
was not rich. She grew up in that environment, so she can relate to
some of the problems that people at that level have that frankly a lot of
people who have been in that job just couldn't do"
Before Jackson took over at the EPA, Robert Bullard, regarded as
the father of environmental justice, had "basically zero" contact with
agency chiefs. He's met with Jackson at least a dozen times.
"We never had anything like that before," said Bullard, director of the
Environmental Justice Center at Clark Atlanta University. "What that
openness and access has to do with is that African-Americans and
communities of color were shut out."
Months after Katrina hit, Jackson was under consideration to be envi-
ronmental chief for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine - a job she later took
- and she couldn't get back to New Orleans when her mother returned
to Pontchartrain Park to clean up.
The house, like many in the neighborhood, was filled with 6 feet to 8
feet of water. There was no flood insurance to cover the damage, so
Jackson's mother eventually sold the home to the state.
ADMINISTRATOR 1 ISA P. JACKSON'S
Jackson hasn't forgotten the photograph of her mother sent to her by
the Catholic charity that helped gut her house. It shows Marie Perez
in a wheelchair watching as all the belongings collected over her life
were removed. She also can't forget how she was unable to financially
help her mother to rebuild.
During her visit to New Orleans in November, Jackson went back to
Pontchartrain Park and learned that the house would be razed and
rebuilt into an energy-efficient model.
"After the hurricane I kept saying if I were rich, I would knock this
house down, and rebuild an energy-efficient, elevated house for my
mother," Jackson said. "But then to be able to come back as the head
of the EPA and say maybe I couldn't help my mother in her one in-
stance, and thank God she is OK, but maybe I can help some people
and help my city and help the Gulf Coast. You know even one or two
times would make a difference."
Hurricane propels Jackson's justice quest at EPA
By DIN A CAPPIELLO
Associated Press Writer
Mora than lour years after Hurncane Katnna the
wngle-slory bnck rancher in PontcfiarVatt Park where
Liu Perei Jackson grew up stands amply
Floodwaters long ago el» away ma will of her comer
bedroom. where tha currant head ol lha Environmental
Protection Agency once hung Micnael Jackson arid
Prince posters and stud tec her way to (he top ol her high
school ciaae
Faded spray paint left by eearch teams to indicate that
no bodies ware found. serves as a reminder of the day
Jackson evacuated her mother Maria lo Bossier Clry
ahead of the approaching siorrr
Katrina was the doeeel thai an environmental (toaster
had hn home tar someone who has spent her career
solving environmental problems Now. «*s In charge of
emitting lhat all communities are equally protected from
poauton.
Tha storms tot on Jackson's childhood ruuae ami on
New Orleans particularly the Ninth Ward where she was
raised has intensified her quest tor what's known as
environmental justice Thel means involving and galling
fair treatmant tar tha poor and minorities who often
endure the greatest eiposure to environmental hazarda
but are outside the mainstream movement trying to find
soluMnt
It's tus light that Jackson warts moat lo Oe rememoered
lor from her tenure as President Bareck Obama s chief
environmental steward
As the first black EPA adnumelraloi, Jackson has inluaad
race and daas into environmental daemons even though
ine acknowledges tra not a top priority for Obama She's
changed the way EPA does buemaea with minonllaa and
has caled on ma predominantly white environmental
movement lo diversity
In speartea. she says ahe'a trying to altar lha face of
Ferns* Mesi
This ocpy of an undated photo provided by tha
Jackson family shows Enwonmantal Protection
Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson In her youth
m t &
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Usa Jeckeon
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