Abstract
The toxic waste dispute that is the subject of this article points out one of the troubling ironies of the modem environmental movement. Many groups and individual activists who promoted a national response to the discovery of thousands of toxic waste sites over a decade ago are now leading the struggle to prevent government‐sponsored cleanups. This case study examines the evolution and dynamics of one community's pollution controversy, and then attempts to explain the way in which marginalized environmentalists were able to redefine the toxics debate. Finally, it shows how heal resistence to waste cleanups may shape the next round of environmental policymaking.

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