This week Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency asking that the 35th Avenue Superfund site be prioritized for cleanup in the wake of public corruption.

Now, he is asking for residents to get involved and sign a petition urging the EPA to make the North Birmingham Superfund site a priority and place it on the National Priorities List (NPL), which would speed up cleanup of the site.

Sign the petition here.

"In light of the recent revelations concerning the public corruption, we believe this situation demands a much more robust response," Woodfin stated in the letter to EPA. "The United States Attorney has already done their job by exposing this criminal hoax and bringing those responsible to justice. Still, these injustices continue until the North Birmingham 35th Avenue Superfund site is placed on the National Priorities List and all necessary resources are provided to the people of this community."

Balch & Bingham attorney Joel Gilbert and Drummond Company Vice President David Roberson were convicted of bribery, three counts of honest services wire fraud, and money laundering in July.

Prosecutors said the two men bribed former state Rep. Oliver Robinson to oppose the EPA's expansion of a Superfund site, and to oppose the site's listing on the NPL, which would prioritize the site's expensive cleanup. Robinson has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

Woodfin said as a result of these illegal actions, thousands of people remain at risk, including the 1,070 people living in 394 public housing units and 751 children attending Hudson K-8 school.

The letter to the EPA states that the necessary remedies include screening and health care to address pollution-related health issues, relocation and reconstruction of Hudson K-8 school, non-resident redevelopment of the Superfund site and reclamation of Village Creek.

At a community forum on Tuesday, Woodfin spoke out against the actions of Robinson, Gilbert and Roberson, and announced he was sending a letter to the EPA.

He said their actions were "morally wrong," and he is "going to go to bat" for the people of north Birmingham.

"The site may be included on the NPL if its scores sufficiently high on the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which is a mathematical formula that serves as a screening device to evaluate a site's threat to human health or the environment," the letter to Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler states, in part. "As a matter of EPA policy, those sites that score a 28.50 or greater on the HRS are eligible for inclusion on the NPL. The North Birmingham 35th Avenue Superfund Site scored a 50 -meaning it is almost twice as dangerous as the minimum requirements."

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin's letter to EPA on Scribd