Attorney General Raoul opposes expansion of toxic waste disposal facility in Chicago
Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul has filed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) regarding the Corps’ plan to expand a toxic materials disposal facility along Lake Michigan on Chicago’s Southeast Side. The brief emphasizes the historical environmental harm experienced by Southeast Side neighborhoods and the increased occurrences of asthma, cancer, and other serious medical issues among local residents. It also addresses state permitting issues and past enforcement actions taken by the Attorney General’s office.
The lawsuit was initiated by community organizations opposing the expansion, including the Alliance of the Southeast and Friends of the Parks, represented by Environmental Law and Policy Center public interest attorneys.
The facility, located in an environmental justice community, is used to handle and dispose of dredged material from local waterways such as the Calumet River and harbor. This material contains highly toxic substances like mercury, arsenic, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The Corps aims to expand the facility vertically to accommodate an additional 530,000 cubic yards of toxic waste over 20 years despite previously promising to return the lakefront property to the Chicago Parks District once full. The proposed expansion would be less than a mile from residential areas, Douglas Taylor Elementary School, Calumet Park, Calumet Beach, and various recreational fields.
“The residents of the Southeast Side of Chicago have shouldered an unfair share of environmental harm for far too long,” Raoul stated. “Prohibiting the expansion of this facility is an important step to prioritize residents’ quality of life and bring long overdue environmental justice to a Chicago community that has been overlooked for too many decades in our city’s history.”
Raoul filed his brief in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division as part of his role as chief law enforcement officer responsible for enforcing environmental laws and regulations. This action is part of his ongoing commitment to advocating for environmental justice communities.
Historically attracting industrial development, Chicago’s Southeast Side was once one of the largest steel-producing regions globally but faced pollution complaints from steel mills as early as the 1840s. Raoul’s brief details decades-long industrial waste dumping into marsh areas and Calumet River due to steel industry activities. It also highlights detrimental health impacts on generations residing in this largely immigrant community.
Despite steel mill closures, significant environmental challenges persist in this region which houses 250 facilities regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It remains Chicago's only industrial corridor zoned for hazardous waste storage. Since 2014, USEPA has investigated over 75 companies on potential air pollution violations here.
Raoul's brief contrasts this industrial landscape with insufficient green space for area residents while identifying four neighborhoods within it as environmental justice communities based on USEPA pollution indicators rankings alongside demographic makeup reflecting historical discrimination experiences—South Chicago being directly adjacent with 70% Black residents plus over 20% Hispanic population facing higher asthma rates among other health burdens.
Attorney General Raoul’s Environmental Enforcement Division enforces civil environmental laws recovering millions from polluters requiring them undertake improvement projects within impacted communities encouraging residents report concerns via ej@ilag.gov.