> The group, which ultimately named itself Concerned Citizens for Responsible Remediation (CCRR), collected maps, dug into newspaper archives, and filed requests for public records. Members spoke with scientists knowledgeable about tannery chemicals and hired an environmental attorney with a background in geology to help them strategize.
This is a great example of civic action leading to results. But it's an even better reminder that you need nontrivial resources, in the form of time and money, to get companies to admit wrongdoing and to nudge the government (at any level) to do anything about it. For every ex-company town that succeeds in this kind of recognition, there are ten others (usually, but not always, poorer and not as white) that are quietly suffering from externalized pollution.