Congresswoman Bush Demands DOE & Army Corps Immediately Clean Up Jana Elementary and Hold Public Briefing
Congresswoman Bush is demanding answers on cleanup alongside parents and advocates
Washington, D.C. (Oct. 18, 2022) — Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01) sent a letter to United States Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lieutenant General Spellmon demanding their agencies remediate radioactive contamination within Jana Elementary, and hold a public briefing for community members regarding their efforts. A recent independent report from Boston Chemical Data Corp found traces of radioactive waste in and around Jana Elementary School in the Congresswoman’s district. The Army Corps of Engineers has found unsafe levels along Coldwater Creek adjacent to the school as well. The letter comes after a long series of actions from the Congresswoman to keep kids safe at the site.
“As a lifelong resident of St. Louis, I have been actively working to improve safety in this area for years and as a parent and Congresswoman I am extremely concerned about the health and safety of our children, parents, educators, administrators, and community members as a result of exposure to this waste your agencies both created and are responsible for cleaning up.” wrote Congresswoman Bush. “Our St. Louis community is in urgent need of clarification on what steps your agencies are taking to remediate the concerns from this recent report. We need to see swift action to ensure that we minimize disruptions to the lives of our children and families.”
At a school board meeting on Tuesday, it was announced that Jana Elementary School will be moving students to virtual learning with the goal of redistricting them all together to other schools next semester. Jana Elementary School sits near Coldwater Creek which was used as a dumping ground for the Manhattan Project’s radioactive waste in the 1940s and 50s. Decades later, those same toxic contaminants can still be found in the Creek. Currently, there is no public signage in place along the Creek’s shore warning of the dangers the Creek’s potentially radioactive areas pose to community health and safety, despite requests from county officials dating back to the mid-1990s. In May, Congresswoman Bush introduced the Coldwater Creek Signage Act, legislation that would require signage about the dangers of toxic contaminants found in the creek.
Full letter text can be found HERE.
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Congresswoman Cori Bush sits on the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees, serves as the Progressive Caucus Deputy Whip, and proudly represents St. Louis as a politivist in the halls of the United States Congress.