Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has asked two agencies in his state on Friday to conduct an investigation on the rising number of birth defects in Kettleman City, a census-designated place halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

It was in 2009 when the activist group Greenaction brought up the allegation that there was a cluster of birth defects in the town from September 2007 to November 2008. No immediate response came from the state government so the governor’s announcement came as a surprise for the activists.

All fingers are pointing to Waste Management Inc., and the birth defects discovery last year was the main rallying of the residents and activists against the expansion of the largest waste facility in the West. They even organized a picket in front of the Kings County Board of Supervisors showing images of babies with facial deformities, but to no avail.

On December 16, 2009, the local county board has finally requested for an investigation from the California Department of Public Health, but just six days after, the Board of Supervisors approved the expansion of the hazardous waste facility. Greenaction and another activist group People for Clean Air and Water are planning to file a lawsuit to nullify the expansion permit.

Residents of Kettleman City launched a protest on January 27 in front of the headquarters of the Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco to draw attention to their town’s issues.

Their calls might have been heard this time. Earlier this week, an EPA official has promised to take a look at a farm near Waste Management. Governor Schwarzenegger has also ordered EPA and the California Department of Health to investigate and present the findings on February 9.