September 1, 2022Biden promised billions for environmental justice. Will it get into the right hands?

Eboni Cochran, an advocate with Rubbertown Emergency ACTion, has a family go-bag ready in case of an industrial disaster. Chickasaw Park and other areas of Cochran's neighborhood are in the 98th percentile nationally for proximity to Risk Management Program facilities — facilities where the handling of "extremely hazardous materials" necessitates emergency response procedures. West End residents don't even know what they're breathing, and Cochran said that's been a big part of REACT’s focus. Federal funding could go a long way toward establishing a comprehensive, real-time air monitoring system that would allow those residents to know what they’re breathing and whether it’s safe to go outside, Cochran said.