Officials take action against longstanding threat to residents' health: 'I am glad the community is being heard'

Council member Adam Bazaldua of District 7 in Dallas surprised activists and conservation groups at an August budget town hall when he announced plans to start the process of shutting down a controversial industrial plant, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Bazaldua indicated in the meeting that he would seek appraisal of the "non-conforming" use of the TAMKO plant's property that has been criticized for its pollution and impacts on the local community, as the Morning News reported.

According to the report, residents in the Joppa neighborhood have long protested the industrial plant for its harmful consequences on human health. However, certain laws made it difficult for the city to take any action, which left the industrial plant at a standstill.

TAMKO is a shingles manufacturing company that has occupied the industrial plant in question in Joppa for almost 40 years. It produces residential and commercial roofing products and solutions. The facility had operated at the site 30 years before TAMKO arrived, the Dallas Observer reported.

Environmental advocates have said that TAMKO's operations — such as producing asphalt shingles — contribute to air pollution that negatively affects locals in the community, KERA News reported.

The process for creating asphalt shingles, which are made from petroleum-based materials, releases harmful toxins, including volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides. The pollutants can trigger respiratory symptoms. At their most harmful, the pollutants can be carcinogenic or lead to more serious respiratory conditions.

Findings from a 2023 study led by scientists at Texas A&M University confirmed the higher rates of air pollutants and greater incidence of respiratory conditions in Joppa compared to the rest of Dallas.

Despite these findings, the city could not leverage an amortization process to phase out the harmful industrial operation, per the Morning News.

Senate Bill 929, which passed in May 2023, allows businesses at risk of amortization to request compensation from cities for any losses, including demolition and relocation. Without earmarked funds to pay out the business, the city of Dallas could not initiate amortization against TAMKO to protect and improve community health.

Bazaldua disagreed, stating that while there is no dedicated fund in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2025 to 2026, the money "is there" to initiate the amortization process for the Joppa industrial plant.

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"It's not about finding the money," he said, per the Morning News. "It's more about starting the process at this point."

Jack Ireland, the city's chief financial officer, backed Bazaldua.

"We would move money from one of our reserve funds to address any non-conforming use that the City Council so directs us to do," Ireland explained, per the Morning News.

The first step Bazaldua intends to take is collecting signatures from five other council members to request an appraisal of TAMKO. This appraisal would give a rough ballpark of how much funding the amortization process would require. From there, the city could create a plan of action to move the process forward.

Bazaldua thanked the Joppa community for their "profound patience and resilience while living in the shadow of these facilities."

"This is a tremendous step forward, not only for environmental justice, but for the quality of life and future growth of our community," he said, per the Morning News.

Residents, activists, and conservation groups were surprised to hear that the city was moving to initiate the process to shut the plant down.

"I am glad the community is being heard, but there is a long road ahead," Temeckia Derrough, District 7 environmental commissioner, said, per the Morning News.

The closing of similar harmful plants, such as a coal plant in Pittsburgh known for harmful gas pollution, has led to drastic, positive differences in community health.

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