Okay, this is all on Model e. Where is that person who constantly touts their plan?
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Report: F-150 tied to rainforest pollution
Metal in EV truck accused of damaging the Amazon
The Detroit News
Materials on Ford Motor Co.'s F-150 Lightning electric pickup are damaging the Amazon rainforest in Brazil, according to a Bloomberg investigation.
The news agency reported Monday that aluminum used in the truck's frames is connected to rust-colored bauxite that comes from a mine “that has long faced allegations of pollution and land appropriation” and an ore refinery that's accused of making people sick.
A class-action lawsuit has been filed with 11,000 residents of neighborhoods near the Hydro Alunorte refinery that names owner Norsk Hydro ASA of Norway as the one responsible for polluting rivers and streams, according to Bloomberg. The suit says there's toxic mud with elevated levels of aluminum and other heavy metals and Alunorte's actions have caused health problems including cancer and birth defects.
Ford's electric F-150 made at the Rouge complex in Dearborn uses aluminum to make it lighter. Ford switched to aluminum from steel for the exterior of the combustion-engine F-150 in 2015.
Much of the aluminum on the truck, in addition to what Hydro provides, can also be traced to the Amazon, Bloomberg found.
Researchers studying the communities around the Alunorte refinery in Barcarena have found that rivers and streams are polluted with toxic metals, the news agency reported, with some levels 57 times greater than what's considered safe. Bloomberg also reviewed the results of some residents' medical tests, finding one woman with 175 times the limit for aluminum in her hair and 81 times higher in her blood.
In 2018, Oslo-based Hydro was fined
Much of the aluminum on the Ford F-150 Lightning can be traced to the Amazon, Bloomberg found. Ryan Koehler
20 million reais ($6.1 million at the time) by Brazilian authorities and had to temporarily halt production after a discharge of untreated water during a flood. It later agreed to pay an additional 160 million reais. The company denies any wrongdoing or culpability for the incident, Bloomberg reported.
The London-based law firm Pogust Goodhead filed the class-action suit against Hydro in the Netherlands. The firm wants to hold Hydro liable for 10 incidents resulting in pollution. Hydro has denied the allegations and has until March 8 to file a response.
“Ford is committed to a supply chain that exceeds minimum regulatory compliance requirements and respects human rights, including the right to clean air and clean water,” Ford spokesperson Artealia Gilliard said in a statement.
“That commitment applies to everything we make and that others make for us. We encourage people to call attention to issues, investigate all of them, and work with suppliers to align their business practices with our standards.”
The Mineração Rio do Norte bauxite mine, known as MRN, is located in a national forest along a tributary to the Amazon. MRN mines more than 12 million metric tons of bauxite a year from the rainforest. Ships bring almost half of MRN's output to Alunorte.
MRN, owned by a consortium of mining companies, wants to expand its footprint by about onethird. Regulators have twice rejected environmental studies “for insufficiently consulting neighboring communities,” according to Bloomberg. The studies were accepted in October, and a decision is expected this year.
The mine partially overlaps land meant for descendants of slaves who are entitled to legal protections, Bloomberg reported. The company says “the demarcation of protected lands was carried out by government agencies,” the report states.
Communities near the MRN mine have complained of feeling sick, telling Bloomberg the fish have mostly disappeared and water is no longer suitable for drinking or washing. Some communities receive government-issued water purification tablets and others get water piped in through white plastic tubes that come out of the ground.
Vladimir Senra Moreira, director of sustainability at the mining company, told Bloomberg that he respects the opinions of community members, but “the data we have from monitoring don't exactly make a causal connection between their claims of water contamination and mining activities.”
MRN has been fined more than $6.5 million for 29 infractions over the past two decades by the government's environmental agency but an agency spokesperson told Bloomberg MRN has paid less than 10% of that amount. MRN is appealing the fines.