U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer is demanding that the government act more urgently to solve the persistent problem of the foul odor in Mecca.
May 2011
In a bluntly worded letter to the Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer on Thursday demanded that the government act more urgently to solve the persistent problem of the foul odor in Mecca.
The Boxer letter was welcomed by Mecca residents and community activists, who are hopeful the senator's clout will lead to action to extinguish the odor.
"East valley residents have waited long enough as state and federal agencies slammed doors in their faces," said Megan Beaman, a Coachella-based lawyer with the nonprofit California Rural Legal Assistance advocacy group.
"Now, we ... are getting the type of representation and attention that will be necessary to protect the present and future health of east valley communities."
Boxer's letter comes after months of air and soil testing by state and federal environmental regulators, who have been unable to determine what's causing the odor.
But their reports have pointed to a soil recycling plant just upwind of Mecca, Western Environmental, as the primary source.
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