We the undersigned demand that King County representatives consider the environmental impacts of tenants leasing property owned by the county at 5801 E Marginal Way S.  The current lease holder is Ardagh Group, a large multinational corporation based in Luxembourg with over $9 Billion in revenue and more than 100 production facilities around the world, for use in glass packaging operations. Glass manufacturing is generally considered a toxic process and Georgetown residents are subjected to the related pollution of this plant more than any other neighborhood, although this kind of pollution affects other nearby neighborhoods and the Duwamish river.

In 2011, this facility was named the number 1 polluter in the NW. In 2014, the company fought against including even “Reasonably Available” Emission Control Technology to mitigate air pollution as part of a furnace rebuild. Polluter data obtained by the Toxic Release Inventory Program for the most recent years on file shows over 2000 pounds of pollutants (Lead compounds and chromium compounds).  The nearby Georgetown Urban Food Forrest was recently forced to close in part due to contaminants like lead and arsenic found in the soil, despite  organic farming practices and clean soil being brought in from outside sources. 

We understand that King County council is under pressure from the industrial lands lobby to extend this lease for use in Ardagh’s operations.  However, a lease renewal is in stark contrast to Executive Constantine’s goal of protecting and restoring clean water and healthy habitat.  Life expectancy for residents of the Duwamish Valley is a full eight years shorter than residents of more affluent neighborhoods.  It's time that county leadership prioritizes the health of their constituents ahead of the needs of polluting industry.