Montgomery, AL – A complaint has been filed with the federal Environmental Protection Agency against the Alabama Department of Environmental Management accusing the state agency of racial discrimination when it issued a permit to a landfill in Perry County near Uniontown.
The landfill in one of Alabama's poorest counties initially disposed of toxic coal ash that spilled in 2008 from a Tennessee Valley Authority holding pond in Kingston, Tenn.
Attorney David Ludder of Tallahassee, Fla., represents Perry County residents who live near the landfill. He said the agency discriminated against the mostly black residents when it issued permits allowing the landfill to operate. Ludder said the landfill harms residents by lowering property values, emitting an unpleasant odor and increasing traffic in the area.
ADEM officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
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