2 of Our Interview Subjects

Rene Miller

Rene Miller is an African American woman who resides in Duplin County, NC directly across the street from a 100-acre hog farm. Miller, her family, and the community have all had adverse health effects from the amount of hog waste being sprayed several times a week. She has been featured in the Netflix documentary What the Health, speaking out about these issues and laying out the harsh reality of what they have to live through. Miller and 500 other residents of Warsaw, NC have filed civil suits against Smithfield's Pork Division, arguing that their practices are causing a nuisance for their community.

Questions for Rene:

  1. What is your daily life like living by a hog farm?
  2. Have you or anyone else in the community experienced any adverse health effects?
  3. What has been your past experience when trying to put a stop to these unsafe practices.
  4. What is your view on this being a civil rights issue?
  5. Do you think this is an environmental justice issue?
  6. Were you living in this area before the hog farms were built? If so, what was your experience before them?
  7. Would moving be an option for you?
  8. Is your local government doing anything to mitigate this situation?
  9. Have any steps been taken by these hog farms to lessen their damaging effects?
  10. How do you think theses issues could be prevented or diminished in the future? Is there anything you would like to say to everyone watching this?
Kemp Burdette

Kemp Burdette is the Cape Fear Riverkeeper and works to protect and improve water quality in the Lower Cape Fear River. He graduated from UNCW magna cum laude with honors, and has his Master's in Public Administration, as well as a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University. He works with the Waterkeeper Alliance and the Cape Fear River Watch to advocate for the air and water quality of the river. Burdette speaks at conferences and legislative meetings, runs water quality tests, and operates bi-monthly CAFO surveys to report any improper waste management and maintain the safety of the water.

Questions Kemp Was Previously Asked in Concentration (No plans of further interviewing):
  1. What is a CAFO?
  2. Why is the Cape Fear River important to Wilmington and NC at large?
  3. How do CAFO farmers dispose of this animal waste?
  4. What are the common nutrients found in the animal waste?
  5. How many CAFOs are in the Cape Fear River basin right now?
  6. What kind of regulations are in place for these farms?
  7. Why do you think policy makers aren't cracking down harder on this issue?
  8. Why isn't this issue being talked about among people in the public?
  9. Is our drinking water safe?
  10. How can the average person help alleviate this problem?

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