Two environmental advocacy groups in Dallas are urging city officials to take action against two heavy industrial sites, claiming they are responsible for degrading air quality and harming public health in surrounding areas.
During a press conference held at City Hall on Monday, representatives from Downwinders at Risk and Singleton United/Unidos spoke out against the GAF and TAMKO asphalt shingle factories.
Cindy Hua, board chair of Downwinders at Risk, emphasized the persistent environmental challenges faced by residents in West Dallas and Joppa, calling attention to years of neglect and disinvestment in these communities.
“Every day the residents of West Dallas and Joppa are facing environmental harms that stem from years of neglect and disinvestment,” Hua stated.
To mobilize support for their cause, the groups launched what they term the “Toxic Twins” campaign, which targets the city council to initiate a shutdown of the two facilities through a process called amortization.
This procedure allows the city to begin the scheduled closure of nonconforming land uses that no longer comply with current zoning regulations.
Caleb Roberts, executive director of Downwinders at Risk, explained the reasoning behind the campaign’s name.
“We call it the ‘Toxic Twins’ because both Joppa and West Dallas are some of the most polluted communities in Dallas.
Both have major asphalt shingle producers as the linchpin polluters in their community,” he remarked, noting the significance of having such operations in these neighborhoods.
Roberts also discussed the process required for city council members to activate amortization.
“They have to confer with the [non-conforming use] fund and estimate if they have enough money in the fund to pay for the removal of a non-conforming use,” he mentioned.
This fund serves as a zoning regulation mechanism that helps address land uses originally established legally but are now inconsistent with current zoning laws.
In addition to calling for the facilities’ closure, the advocates aim to increase awareness of environmental injustices experienced by Dallas residents through a series of upcoming events.
Responding to the activists’ claims, a spokesperson for GAF issued a statement asserting that the company operates in accordance with its air permit and complies with all federal and state regulations.
“Since announcing plans to close the West Dallas facility in July 2029, GAF has also voluntarily lowered the facility’s maximum output capacity to further reduce emissions, and has implemented further emission reduction strategies, which have been demonstrated through stack testing,” the statement read.
TAMKO, on the other hand, did not respond to KERA’s request for comment but maintains on its website a commitment to safe and sustainable practices that have a long-standing history.
This renewed push for action coincides with ongoing legal proceedings, as a Dallas County judge is currently reviewing a lawsuit filed by Janie Cisneros, a leader of Singleton United/Unidos.
The lawsuit challenges a recent change to the development code implemented by the City of Dallas, which disallows residents from initiating the amortization process.
Cisneros argues that this change, made official in February of this year, unjustly affects her case and is unconstitutional.
Pablo Arauz Peña is KERA’s growth and infrastructure reporter. If you have any tips, you can contact Pablo at [email protected].
image source from：keranews
