Brandon Johnson announced his commitment to dismantle environmental racism a little over a year ago, vowing “no neighborhood should have to suffer the burdens of pollution more so than any other neighborhood.”
He also assured Chicagoans he would follow through on a binding agreement his predecessor, Lori Lightfoot, signed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reform planning, zoning and land-use practices after a HUD investigation found that polluting businesses were steered to low-income communities of color by City Hall.
The city seems to be doing just that by keeping an eye on federally ordered air monitoring around Sims Metal Management in Pilsen. So far, no dangerous levels of pollution have been detected, and testing will continue until infrastructure is built to properly contain emissions from the facility, according to a city spokesperson.
As the city waits for the new controls, it should also heed the concerns of residents who could be affected if toxins are emitted from the site.
That worry was front and center outside City Hall Monday morning as several Southwest Side community groups demanded the mayor hold off on an operating permit review for Sims.
Theresa McNamara, chairwoman of the Southwest Environmental Alliance, described Sims as a “serial polluter.” She wasn’t exaggerating: Sims has a track record of breaking state and federal environmental laws, though the monitoring data collected over the last year by the city seems to show the company is mending its past ways.
After agreeing to improve its pollution controls through a settlement with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency six years ago, Sims was sued by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in 2021 for failing to do exactly that at its operating site at 2500 S. Paulina St.
Sims is the only car-shredding facility remaining in the city after General Iron was prohibited from opening on the Southeast Side after shutting down in Lincoln Park.
The city is taking the right step in keeping tabs on Sims and holding it accountable, to ensure the health of Pilsen residents now and for future generations.
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