Love Canal

Earth.Org has the following definition of a federal mandate that serves our nation well: Climate justice addresses the impacts of capitalism and consumerism on the environment and how they affect rich and poor communities very differently.

It was nearly three years ago, in September 2022, that the EPA created the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, OEJECR, to address pollution and waste hazards in minority and low-income communities.

Realizing the above, a sensible, decent person must wonder out loud why President Climate Denier and his past accomplice Musk on February 6, 2025, attempted to abolish the OEJECR!

Please keep this in mind as I provide you with a long-ago example of why the EPA’s actions on behalf of suffering people came about in 1970 and proved to be the quintessential rescue for Americans.

Until now…

Enter the saga of Love Canal.

Situated about four miles from one of America’s glorious wonders, Niagara Falls, this canal was originally determined to be a source of the area’s electricity. In 1894, it was dug to connect the upper and lower Niagara Rivers with hydroelectric power in mind; but the concept was abandoned when it became apparent that there were other more reliable options for electricity. For about 20 years, a partial amount of water in the Love Canal made it a recreational haven, only to be transformed into a dump site for the city of Niagara Falls. 

But it wasn’t until 1943 that the canal’s future darkened for decades to come. That was the year an electrochemical company grabbed up the dig to dump 21,000 tons of hazardous chemicals, then covered its waste with several feet of fine soil. Known today as Occidental Chemical Company, it was in the nearby business of manufacturing dyes, perfume, and solvents. Once the decision was made to bury leaking, contaminating metal drums in the 16-acre landfill, Oxychem sold the land to the Niagara Falls Board of Education for one dollar and drove away in 1953 after nine years of toxic pollution.

Not even a chemical warning on the deed of sale! 

Visually, the beautiful area was most appropriate for families and, despite a late warning from the chemical company’s attorney, 800 homes were built around an elementary school near the camouflaged landfill. By 1976, the community was ranked the fourth best in the Niagara Falls vicinity to reside in. 240 low-income apartments had been added to what was known at the time as an official suburb.

Strange residues and odors had been previously reported by Love Canal’s residents, yet it was mid-1970s that cases of epilepsy, asthma, chromosome damage, migraines, birth defects, miscarriages, and leukemia were reported in surprising numbers. It required the effort of an investigative reporter’s door-to-door survey to bring the matter to the attention of responsible authorities. The suffering took a long time to come to the forefront because it took the late arrival of unusual very wet winters that raised the groundwater level thus sending chemicals into basements, yards, and the school’s playground. Later, it was proven that the toxic waste contained at least twelve known carcinogens and more than 200 distinct organic compounds.

On top of all that, New York state officials at first dismissed the reports as coming from a group of hysterical housewives. 

It was President Jimmy Carter who showed some love when he declared a state of emergency in 1978 and 239 families were eventually relocated out of the area. Love Canal was indeed national news.

The remaining families were declared as an improbable risk until two more years of arguing resulted in moving the rest of the tiny population away. The EPA followed up with a Love Canal Area Revitalization Agency in conjunction with FEMA, and all of the evacuated homes were demolished by 1982. It is believed by many that this is the very first case to be recognized where a small community “overflowed into existing toxic chemicals instead of the other way around.”

When Congress mandated the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, Love Canal was the first entry. Thus, a National Priorities List was established for the Superfund cleanup of hazardous waste, and a powerful statement was made regarding the inability of certain irresponsible chemical companies to follow the law unless someone is there to look over their shoulders.

After the Superfund’s National Priorities List was established in 1983, about 457 toxic waste sites have been cleaned up and removed from the list. However, with 1340 sites remaining on the list as of last year, there is much work to do, and that’s not all. 39 proposed hazardous locations are under consideration for being added to the list. 

One thing is for sure: The EPA knows how to track down those companies responsible for their unlawful environmental action, hold them accountable, and enforce reimbursement whenever possible. A great example: On April 4, 2025, it was announced that Chevron must pay a minimum amount equal to $740 million due to its efforts to try and get away with dumping billions of gallons of wastewater into the Louisiana coastal wetlands. Of course, in its effort to hide its profits-over-health despicable behavior, the uncaring fossil fuel company fought the allegations for 10 years.

That’s what big oil and gas does my friends!

In my mind, Love Canal was the catalyst that brought our nation to its senses regarding marginalized, voiceless people’s inability to understand personal tragedy brought on by corporate waste, until it’s too late. If not for that incident of around 50 years ago, the ability to hold violators of proper chemical waste disposal accountable for harming others would have been delayed for who knows how long. Given President Climate Denier is who he is, it’s hard to comprehend why even he would try to eliminate such a critical part of our EPA. One can only hope the much-needed Office of Environmental Justice and Civil Rights objectives will remain in place, and only the office title is dismantled.

After all, the title touches on what the president is deliberately trying to upend - the mention of oppressed people at a federal level.