Editing Bradford, Rhode Island (section)

== Environmental contamination ==

Bradford is a working-class village in southwest Rhode Island where the Bradford Dyeing Association (BDA) has operated for nearly 100 years. BDA is the largest producer of battle dress uniform fabrics to the U.S. Dept. of Defense.<ref>[http://www.bdadye.com/about_us.html Bradford Dyeing Association – About our company<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106101745/http://www.bdadye.com/about_us.html |date=January 6, 2008 }}</ref>

In violation of the federal Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, the BDA plant polluted the Pawcatuck River and fouled the local air. The RI DEM (Department of Environmental Management) was not responding to local complaints about the contamination so the Bradford Coalition 2 Stop Pollution, a community group of homeowners and tenants, lobbied to reduce BDA's pollution.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/altoncommunityaction/sun827.doc http://www.geocities.com/altoncommunityaction/sun827.doc]{{dead link|date=October 2010|bot=AnomieBOT}}</ref>

A civil lawsuit was successfully filed in 2005 in collaboration with the TAC (Toxic Action Center),<ref>[http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/settlements/06652/fabric-pollution.html Bradford Dyeing Association Inc. Pollution Fines<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> RIPIRG (Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group) and Sierra Club. The BDA settled in November 2005, agreeing to pay $150,000 in fines and make improvements on the textile mill to reduce pollution. The plant will build taller smokestacks, install a soot-reducing device and better manage its sewage sludge pond.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.toxicaction.org/ |title=Toxicaction.org |access-date=December 31, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921172249/http://toxicaction.org/ |archive-date=September 21, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

“State and federal environmental regulators had given BDA a free pass for years,” explained RIPIRG Advocate Matthew Auten. “By requiring the company to significantly upgrade its air pollution and water pollution controls, this settlement demonstrates the important role that citizens can and often must play in enforcing our [[environmental law]]s.”<ref>[http://www.nelconline.org/nelc.asp?id2=30680 National Environmental Law Center<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070710220850/http://www.nelconline.org/nelc.asp?id2=30680 |date=July 10, 2007 }}</ref>

In 2011, BDA's success was already in decline <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.progressive-charlestown.com/2011/07/bradford-dyeing-is-dying.html|title = Bradford Dyeing is dying}}</ref> and as of 2019, the association was shut down and site sold.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thewesterlysun.com/news/westerly/bradford-mill-property-reported-sold-for-325-000/article_df6cc528-a990-11e9-869e-3f4a14c2cdb1.html|title = Bradford mill property reported sold for $325,000| date=July 21, 2019 }}</ref>