 At the time, the establishment of this facility and its repurposing to a full Class I hazardous waste disposal site went unnoticed by the residents of Kettleman City within 4 miles away from the facility.Community opposition and awareness of the facility emerged in the early 1980s; motivated in part by articles published in local newspapers about multimillion-dollar fines levied against Chemical Waste Management, Inc. for violating environmental laws.Because of its low average socioeconomic standing and 95% Latino population, Kettleman City and the nearby waste disposal site attracted the attention of the environmental justice movement.