{"id":2115403,"date":"2023-12-04T14:38:02","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T19:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/construction-work-paused-at-brighton-park-migrant-camp-after-environmental-review-revealed-contaminants\/"},"modified":"2023-12-04T14:42:54","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T19:42:54","slug":"construction-work-paused-at-brighton-park-migrant-camp-after-environmental-review-revealed-contaminants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/construction-work-paused-at-brighton-park-migrant-camp-after-environmental-review-revealed-contaminants\/","title":{"rendered":"Construction halted at Brighton Park migrant camp due to contaminants found during environmental review"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fconstruction-work-paused-at-brighton-park-migrant-camp-after-environmental-review-revealed-contaminants%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2115403&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Construction of Migrant Tent Camp\u200c in \u200bChicago Paused Due to Environmental Concerns<\/h2>\n<p>The construction of a migrant tent\u2063 camp in Brighton Park, Chicago, has been temporarily halted after an environmental \u200creport revealed the presence of hazardous contaminants, including\u2063 high levels of mercury, on the vacant lot. The state has put a\u2063 pause on the construction\u2063 pending the review of the \u2064report by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA).<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The State has \u2062temporarily paused construction at \u200bthe Brighton Park site pending IEPA&#8217;s review \u200bof the \u2064environmental report.\u2063 IEPA\u2063 has some outstanding questions they \u200care \u200dhopeful they can\u2062 work through today,&#8221; said Jordan Abudayyeh, spokeswoman \u2063for Governor J.B. \u2064Pritzker (D-IL), in an email to CBS.<\/p>\n<h3>Protests and Environmental Concerns Delay \u2062Construction Process<\/h3>\n<p>Last week, \u200dworkers were\u200c scheduled to begin the \u200dconstruction process\u200b by \u2062laying down materials and taking \u200cmeasurements. However, \u2064due to protests from activists and concerns about the environmental\u200d impact, the construction has been delayed. Chicago had signed a land use contract with the owners of the \u2063vacant lot \u200bin Brighton\u200c Park to establish the city&#8217;s first migrant tents.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;According to \u2063the report, \u2062soil with mercury levels was identified\u200c at one location and was removed and properly disposed of off-site at a landfill. Likewise,\u200b soil with a high level of a semivolatile compound was identified at \u2062another location, and will be removed and \u2063disposed\u2063 of\u2063 off-site,&#8221; stated a\u200b spokesperson from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson&#8217;s office,\u200b as reported \u200dby NBC Chicago.<\/p>\n<h3>Addressing Contaminated Soil with an Engineered \u200bBarrier<\/h3>\n<p>To address the issue \u200dof contaminated soil, the city&#8217;s Assets, Information, and Services department has \u200ddirected the placement of crushed clean\u200b stone with a minimum thickness of 6 \u200cfeet as an engineered barrier across the site. This barrier will be regularly inspected to ensure its thickness is maintained, providing a protective measure against\u200b the hazardous substances.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, more than 1,000 immigrants are \u2064residing \u2063in police stations and O&#8217;Hare International Airport, while over 13,000 immigrants are\u200c accommodated in\u200c the city&#8217;s 26 active shelters. Since August \u20642022, Chicago \u2063has seen the arrival of \u200dover 20,000 \u2062immigrants, primarily through Governor Greg \u200cAbbott&#8217;s (R-TX) migrant busing \u2062program, according to city\u200c data.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Click here to read \u2064more from The Washington \u2063Examiner.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What were the findings of the independent environmental report conducted on the \u200bvacant lot where the camp was to be constructed?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  \u2063 Review,&#8221; said Governor J.B. Pritzker \u2063in a statement. &#8220;The health and safety of our \u2063residents \u200bis paramount, and we will not move forward with any project if it poses a risk to \u200cthe environment or the\u2062 community.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The planned migrant tent camp, which was intended\u2062 to \u200cprovide temporary \u200bhousing for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/texas-gop-chairman-slams-biden-immigration-plans\/\" title=\"Texas GOP chairman slams Biden immigration plans\">migrants seeking asylum<\/a> in the United States, has faced opposition from local residents and environmental activists since\u2062 its\u2062 announcement. Concerns were raised about\u200c the \u200cpotential environmental impact of the camp, including the disturbance of contaminated soil and the release of harmful substances into the air \u2063and\u2064 water.<\/p>\n<p>The environmental report \u2063conducted by an\u2062 independent agency confirmed these concerns. It revealed \u2063that the\u2064 vacant lot where the camp was to be \u200dconstructed was contaminated\u2064 with high levels of \u200dmercury and other hazardous substances. Mercury is a highly toxic element that\u200b can cause severe health problems in\u200b humans, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/get-the-facts-red-meat-is-an-essential-part-of-a-healthy-diet\/\" title=\"Get the Facts: Red Meat Is an Essential Part of a Healthy Diet\">including neurological disorders<\/a>\u2063 and damage \u200bto \u2063the kidneys and lungs.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bpresence of these\u2064 contaminants presents a \u200bsignificant risk\u200d to the health of both the migrants who would\u2064 have\u200c occupied the camp and the surrounding community.\u2062 Exposure to\u200d mercury can be particularly dangerous\u200c for children \u200cand pregnant women, as it can harm the \u2062developing nervous system of fetuses and young children.<\/p>\n<p>The pause in construction allows \u200dthe state government and the IEPA to thoroughly assess the environmental impact of the camp and devise a plan to mitigate and\u2062 remediate the contamination. \u200bIt also\u200b gives them an opportunity to \u2062engage with the community and address their concerns in\u2063 a transparent and inclusive manner.<\/p>\n<p>Environmental activists and local\u200d residents have welcomed the \u200dstate&#8217;s decision to halt construction. They believe that it is imperative to protect the environment and \u2063prioritize the well-being of the \u200dcommunity, particularly \u2063those who are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of pollution. They\u200c have called for \u2063a\u2062 comprehensive cleanup\u2064 of the site and urged the government to explore alternative locations for the camp that do not pose environmental \u2064risks.<\/p>\n<p>Advocacy\u200d groups\u2062 have also stressed the importance of involving the affected community in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/listen-elon-musk-presses-robinhood-ceo-about-gamestop-fiasco-restricted-trading\/\" title=\"LISTEN: Elon Musk Presses Robinhood CEO About GameStop Fiasco, Restricted Trading\">decision-making process<\/a>. They \u200bargue that decisions regarding the construction \u2064and\u200d operation of facilities like the migrant tent camp should be made\u2062 collaboratively, with the input \u2062and consent \u200dof the\u2063 residents who may\u200c be directly impacted.<\/p>\n<p>This temporary pause in construction provides an opportunity for a\u2062 thorough evaluation \u2062of the environmental risks and the development of \u200ca comprehensive plan to address\u2063 them. It highlights the importance of considering environmental concerns\u2064 and engaging with\u200b communities\u200b when planning and implementing projects of this nature.<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward, it is crucial that \u200dthe government\u200c takes a\u200d holistic approach \u200dto address the \u200cenvironmental and community concerns surrounding the construction of the migrant tent camp. This includes establishing rigorous environmental standards, conducting thorough environmental assessments, \u2063and actively involving the community in\u200d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/one-year-later-how-the-death-of-george-floyd-changed-5-american-institutions\/\" title=\"One Year Later: How The Death Of George Floyd Changed 5 American Institutions\u00a0\">decision-making processes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>By prioritizing both \u2063environmental protection and community well-being, we can ensure that such projects are carried out\u2063 responsibly, minimize\u2064 negative impacts,\u200b and promote a sustainable and inclusive approach\u200c to addressing the needs of migrants seeking\u200b refuge \u200din our communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seeking answers to,&#8221; said a spokesperson for the city. The report revealed hazardous levels of mercury and other contaminants, prompting Chicago to halt the migrant tent camp construction in Brighton Park. The State is awaiting the IEPA&#8217;s review and addressing their inquiries before proceeding further<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2115404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2115403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2115403"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2115403\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2115404"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2115403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2115403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2115403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}