Wal-Mart's low prices come at extremely high costs: their anti-union policies are shameful, their discriminatory practices against women are appalling, most workers cannot afford to be on the company health care plan, Wal-Mart refuses to sell FDA-approved emergency contraceptives in their in-store pharmacies and workers' wages are some of the lowest in the retail industry. But the fight against Wal-Mart is not just a distant national struggle-we at the College have a fight to confront right next door in the town of Hadley.

The Hampshire Mall is planning to expand. The mall's proposal includes a 205,000-square foot Wal-Mart SuperCenter, which will include its own grocery store, gas station, dry cleaner's and bank. The superstore will be twice the size of the current Wal-Mart in Hadley, and would be located right behind Target. This situation may seem removed from Amherst College, but it isn't. Hampshire Mall's expansion could have a disastrous effect on all Five College students and the larger community.

Within three to five years, traffic around the new SuperCenter will double the number of car trips to the mall to 50,000 a day, with an even greater volume on Saturdays. MassHighway's Connecticut River Crossing Study (2003) already reported that I-91's Exit 19 at Route 9 is an area that will suffer from large-scale congestion and delays because of expected traffic increases. And if the traffic doubles, PVTA routes will be negatively affected. Bus trips to and from Northampton could take an additional 10 minutes with the increased traffic.

The 50,000 idling cars will emit hazardous amounts of exhaust while sitting in longer lines of traffic. Because the Pioneer Valley is a valley where the air can easily become trapped between the mountains, air pollution is even more worrisome. The Final Environmental Impact Report concluded that the traffic will increase "emissions of ozone precursor ingredients: carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxide."

However, the potential ramification of increased smog is only one of the many environmental concerns. The 27 acres of land that will be paved for the SuperCenter include seven acres of "prime farmland," a larger area of "wet" farmland (a sizeable area of wetlands which provide habitat to birds and aquatic life), as well as the Norwottuck Rail Trail. The wetlands, which would be paved as an extension of Westgate Drive, provide water to one of the largest swamp habitats in Massachusetts. More importantly, the wetlands are part of the town's aquifer protection district and provide a measure of flood control for both Amherst and Hadley. Wal-Mart does not have a good record of environmental conservation. In fact, many of its stores across the country, including local ones in Northampton, Pittsfield and the one currently operating in Hadley, have been fined by government agencies for environmental violations.

Hadley residents are seriously concerned about the proposed expansion. More than 50 people who attended a town hearing held in early September voiced their distress over Hampshire Mall's proposal. Many questioned the need for an even larger Wal-Mart in a town that is already overwhelmed by sprawl. Other concerns were traffic, pedestrian and bicycle safety, as well as the impact on existing businesses. It is well known that Wal-Mart drives out competition, particularly locally-owned stores. Often when SuperCenters come into a community, one or two nearby grocery stores close because they cannot compete.

The number of regular Wal-Mart discount stores has been declining in the past 10 years: 1,990 in 1995, 1,921 in 1998 and only 1,353 today. As new SuperCenters are built, Wal-Mart closes nearby smaller stores-leaving behind their empty buildings that remind communities of Wal-Mart's broken promises. Many in the Hadley area believe that Wal-Mart will close the nearby store in Northampton if a SuperCenter is opened in Hadley. Thus, any new jobs that are created by a SuperCenter will just counterbalance the loss of jobs from that store closing and potential supermarket closures. Furthermore, these newer jobs at Wal-Mart pay less and are often not as secure.

Hadley has become the epitome of sprawl in the Pioneer Valley. "Sprawl" is defined by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as "poorly planned, low-density, auto-oriented development that spreads out from the center of communities." In addition to the existing Wal-Mart and Target, other "big box" stores are coming soon: Home Depot and Lowe's. We should encourage and support local businesses in order to develop stronger communities. A Wal-Mart SuperCenter will only make the situation worse.

Numerous community groups are fighting the expansion, including Hadley Neighbors for Sensible Development (www.hadleyneighbors.org), No Way Wal-Mart (www.nowaywalmart.com) and StopSprawlMart.org. Everyone should attend the campaign launch of StopSprawlMart.org on the Amherst Town Common on Nov. 5. Amherst College students are working together with local activists to fight the Wal-Mart expansion. If you'd like to find out more about what the Wal-Mart Awareness Project is doing both on and off campus, e-mail afa@amherst.edu for more information!

Xie can be reached at sxie09@amherst.edu