Carolyn Harding with Elaine Robertson and Bryn Bird, concerned citizens working to protect their rural communities next to the mega Intel microchip fabrication industrial buildup in New Albany, Ohio.
Elaine Robertson is a founding member of the citizen's action group, Clean Air and Water for Alexandria and St. Albans township. She and about a dozen residents formed the group in 2023 in response to two proposed asphalt plants- one on each end of the town - only 1 mile apart. Due to their effort, in part, neither asphalt plant has permission to operate.
Some of the Clean Air and Water for Alexandria and St. Albans Township volunteers have begun working with the CHIPS Communities United with a goal to bring responsible and equitable implementation of the CHIPS Act. The alliance includes labor, environmental, social justice, civil rights, and community organizations representing millions of workers and community members nationwide.
Elaine currently teaches elementary music for Columbus City Schools
Bryn Bird hails from a dirt road outside of Granville, Ohio growing up on her family's produce farm. After an undergrad at Miami University, she finished her masters degree in public health from The George Washington University. Bryn spent her early career as an epidemiologist working at the Navy and Marine Corp Public Health Center before organizing at Rural Coalition and Rural Organizing. Bryn spearheaded the development of the Canal Market District and Enterprise Hub. Bryn was elected Granville Township Trustee in 2018 and re-elected in 2021. Her passion for just and equitable rural policymaking stems, not only from her own experiences as a family farmer, but the desire for all rural Americans to thrive. She serves on the Board of the Ohio Farmers Union, Buckeye Valley Family YMCA and Rural Organizing. She is co-owner of her family's farm supporting the marketing and direct sale of produce through local markets, CSA's and wholesale accounts. Bryn and her husband Brian are also the proud parents of three daughters 10, 8, and 5! Bryn is currently a candidate for Licking County Commissioner on the November 5th ballot.
It’s an election year and President Joe Biden (D), Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown (D) and Governor Mike DeWine (R) are All In with the Intel mega industrial build outs.
And according to a March 20, 2024 Reuters news article - “Intel is planning a $100-billion spending spree across four U.S. states to build and expand factories after securing $19.5 billion in federal grants and loans....
The centerpiece of Intel's five-year spending plan is turning empty fields near Columbus, Ohio, into what CEO Pat Gelsinger described to reporters on Tuesday as "the largest AI chip manufacturing site in the world", starting as soon as 2027.””
You both live in communities that comprise these “empty fields near columbus” - Tell us what’s going on in your communities, regarding Intel.
Clean Air and Water for Alexandria and St. Albans Township: https://www.facebook.com/groups/904509544135710
https://chipscommunitiesunited.org
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