Clean Up Austin’s Toxic Landfill: Join the Equity Balance Alliance in Transforming Austin

Recent signers:
James Bass and 15 others have signed recently.

The Issue

To Whom It May Concern,

We, the undersigned residents and neighbors of East Austin, write to express our strong support for the Equity Balance Alliance and its mission to ensure transparency, accountability, and environmental stewardship in the redevelopment of legacy industrial lands such as the Travis County Landfill (MSW #684).  It is understood that industrial sites will end their useful life and transition into the urban space, and a predictable and equitable path to do so is needed for the communities they impacted. 

For too long, our communities have lived beside hazards created through decades of poor oversight and underinvestment. The Equity Balance Alliance is the first group to bring together the engineering, legal, and academic expertise required to correct these wrongs in a way that protects residents, restores the land, and turns environmental liabilities into valuable community assets.

We endorse the Alliance’s 2025–2028 Implementation Priorities, including:

  • Securing a Major Amendment to the landfill permit to enforce modern RCRA compliance and transparent record keeping.
  • Launching a Transparency Portal for public access to environmental and engineering data.
  • Partnering with academic institutions to study social equity, create case studies, and bring attention to overlooked environmental injustices.
  • Coordinating with City Code Compliance to prevent ponding, leachate seeps, and further harm to our neighborhoods.

We appreciate that the Equity Balance Alliance operates with integrity and a commitment to balance — coordinating the restoration of historically industrial lands into community-benefiting assets in an environmentally sensitive way that respects equity and accountability.

Their collaborative model — connecting residents, experts, and regulators — gives our neighborhoods a voice, leverage, and lasting oversight in how these lands are remediated and redeveloped.

We sign this letter in full acknowledgment of the Alliance’s vision and express our commitment to supporting their ongoing work.

 

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Recent signers:
James Bass and 15 others have signed recently.

The Issue

To Whom It May Concern,

We, the undersigned residents and neighbors of East Austin, write to express our strong support for the Equity Balance Alliance and its mission to ensure transparency, accountability, and environmental stewardship in the redevelopment of legacy industrial lands such as the Travis County Landfill (MSW #684).  It is understood that industrial sites will end their useful life and transition into the urban space, and a predictable and equitable path to do so is needed for the communities they impacted. 

For too long, our communities have lived beside hazards created through decades of poor oversight and underinvestment. The Equity Balance Alliance is the first group to bring together the engineering, legal, and academic expertise required to correct these wrongs in a way that protects residents, restores the land, and turns environmental liabilities into valuable community assets.

We endorse the Alliance’s 2025–2028 Implementation Priorities, including:

  • Securing a Major Amendment to the landfill permit to enforce modern RCRA compliance and transparent record keeping.
  • Launching a Transparency Portal for public access to environmental and engineering data.
  • Partnering with academic institutions to study social equity, create case studies, and bring attention to overlooked environmental injustices.
  • Coordinating with City Code Compliance to prevent ponding, leachate seeps, and further harm to our neighborhoods.

We appreciate that the Equity Balance Alliance operates with integrity and a commitment to balance — coordinating the restoration of historically industrial lands into community-benefiting assets in an environmentally sensitive way that respects equity and accountability.

Their collaborative model — connecting residents, experts, and regulators — gives our neighborhoods a voice, leverage, and lasting oversight in how these lands are remediated and redeveloped.

We sign this letter in full acknowledgment of the Alliance’s vision and express our commitment to supporting their ongoing work.

 

The Decision Makers

Travis County Environmental Quality Division
Travis County Environmental Quality Division
Equity Balance Alliance
Equity Balance Alliance

Supporter Voices

Petition Updates