Featured Citizen Action Add your comments and then click to send your message. Dear Mayor Johnson and City Council Members, Forty years ago, the City of Dallas made an historic decision that dangerous lead smelters should no longer be allowed to operate in residential neighborhoods in West Dallas and East Oak Cliff. In 2024 I’m urging you to make the same decision when it comes to Dallas’ two asphalt shingle factories, TAMKO in Joppa and GAF in West Dallas. Both factories are 80-years old. Both are operating in Black and Brown neighborhoods because of racist zoning. Both factories are among the city’s largest air polluters. Both factories have no modern scrubbers for controlling their Sulfur Dioxide pollution. Both factories are classified as “non-conforming” businesses, meaning they should be targeted for closure. Both have decades of public nuisance complaints against them. Both factories are owned by wealthy out-of-town white families profiting from the poisoning of Black and Brown Dallas residents. They are Dallas’ Toxic Twins. A recent Texas A&M health survey of Joppa residents found reported asthma rates two to three times the Dallas County and Texas state averages. West Dallas residents have conclusive evidence of asphalt routinely raining down on their property. Both GAF and TAMKO contribute to DFW’s poor air quality, especially now that Dallas County is violating the new EPA standard for Particulate Matter pollution. I urge you to endorse and work toward the goals of the Dallas Earth Day Action Alliance: Close the GAF and TAMKO asphalt shingle factories ASAP. Use the tools of city government to put these non-conforming businesses out of business. Levy a city shingle production tax on all asphalt shingle factories. Direct the proceeds to benefit the neighborhoods they’ve been poisoning with their pollution for decades. Declare West Dallas and Joppa No Industry Zones in both the current Forward Dallas Plan and the subsequent change in the city zoning code. Prohibit the purchase and use of GAF and TAMKO products on any City of Dallas or City-supported facilities In 2024, asphalt is the new lead. It’s time the City of Dallas close these 80-year-old monuments of environmental racism. Sincerely, Name* First Last Address Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzechiaCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatiniEthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth MacedoniaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwedenSwitzerlandSyria Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, the United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluTürkiyeUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands Country Email* Please add your own comments. Δ