Rose Marie Augustine

Rose Marie Augustine is an American environmental justice activist from Tucson, Arizona. In 1985, she helped found the group Tucsonans for a Clean Environment (TCE) to raise awareness about groundwater pollution in the South Side of Tucson, which disproportionately affected low-income and Hispanic neighborhoods.

Pollution in Tucson

In 1981, the Pima County Health Department closed seven wells in the South Side of Tucson that were found to have been contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE). This contamination was later attributed to the use of TCE by Hughes Aircraft Co. for cleaning aircraft parts, and then dumping the chemical into Tucson's water beginning in the 1950s. However, Pima County and Tucson city officials denied the contamination posed a threat to the health of residents. In 1985, the Pima County Health director, Patricia Nolan, blamed residents' health on their lifestyle of bad diets, smoking, and drinking. Officials denied any illness was caused by the pollution, citing a report by the Arizona Department of Health that blamed illnesses on residents' lifestyles. She demanded citizens accompany officials to test water, and for samples to be tested independent of the city. This summit was an important moment for the growing environmental justice movement, separating it from traditional environmental activism.

Rose Marie Augustine also joined several environmental activist groups, including Citizens Clearinghouse for Hazardous Waste, the National Toxics Campaign, and the Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice.