As with Katrina, the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy left thousands of people without a home or access to essential needs. The people in the South Bronx and New Jersey affected most by the hurricane were predominately poor and black. As a result of the catastrophe, and the refusal to be left out, 200 environmental justice activists decided to take action by gathering together in New York to discuss how to integrate environmental justice needs into the larger redevelopment process.

An article highlighting the environmental justice movement's efforts is found here: http://colorlines.com/archives/2013/04/environmental_justice_soldiers_on_without_a_king_queen--or_major_dollars.html

When we think about environmental communities, generally the focus is on low-income, African American or Hispanic populations. Similarly, often times when we think of international environmental justice issues, the focus is on indigenous populations. But, there are indigenous populations within the borders of the United States. Native Americans and their communities are significantly burdened with environmental injustices, and despite the proclamation "all men are created equal," Native American communities are marginalized and disproportionately burdened.

As a voice to be heard, Native American communities continue to fight against the Keystone XL pipeline project. In March, the Obama Administration came out with their draft supplemental environmental impact statement, stating within it that the pipeline project would have no substantial impact on the rate of development in the tar sands. The Native communities have spoken out, claiming that the pipeline project would indeed be detrimental to the ecosystem, as well as the communities living there. In the article "Environmental Justice and the Keystone Pipeline," one member even went so far as to call the tar sands a "national sacrifice zone" for indigenous people.

To read the article, see: http://ecowatch.com/2013/environmental-justice-keystone-xl/

Urban green space, like urban gardening is another aspect of environmental justice that I find interesting, and one that is gaining more recognition. Urban green space involves the lack of open space and parks in and around cities. It is considered an environmental justice issue because the lack of such amenities creates a poor living environment, and contributes to increased exposure and adverse health effects from pollution. The increased risk tends to affect low-income and minority populations the most because their exposure to pollution sources is greater, and their ability to mediate the harms associated with such exposure is limited. There have been numerous studies conducted on the benefits of having access to green space, and even on the benefits of trees in urban areas. These studies show that parks and urban forests can help mitigate the impacts from soil and air pollution; can help reduce stress and asthma levels; and can help reduce obesity rates.

Despite the benefits of green space, cities, historically, have overlooked its impact in planning. As a result, many cities around the country are severely lacking in trees and park space. Los Angeles is/was one such city. I say is/was because the city has relatively few parks compared to the population. However, in the early 2000s, organizers got together to stop the city from redeveloping a rail yard into an industrial warehouse complex. They were successful in convincing the city that green space was crucially needed (the elementary school in the area didn't even have one single blade of grass!), and the Cornfield plan was put into motion. The Cornfield, also known as the Los Angeles State Historic Park, is a dedicated 32 acres of open space on a redeveloped brownfield site in the heart of Los Angeles. To this date, due to development changes, 13 acres of the park are open to residents, with the remaining acreage to be developed soon.

For more information on the benefits of urban green space, see: http://www.srs.fs.fed.us/pubs/ja/2012/ja_2012_jennings_001.pdf
For more information on the Cornfield, see: http://www.nrdc.org/ej/partnerships/green.asp , http://www.cityprojectca.org/ourwork/urbanparks.html , http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22272 , or http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/02/full_cornfield_park_project_finally_moving_forward.php

I was reading about water today, and how it plays into the larger picture of environmental justice. I found a paper entitled, "A Twenty-First Century U.S. Water Policy." The relevant chapter, written by Amy Vanderwarker, discusses water and environmental justice. Ms. Vanderwarker says that U.S. water policy has prioritized economic water uses, as opposed to water use for human consumption. She says water policy focuses on large-scale water developments such as dams, irrigation, flood control, but fails to consider the communities and environments such developments affect.

While federal agencies are supposed to consider the disparate impacts their actions have on low-income and minority communities, their oversight to truly consider the cumulative effects their decisions and projects have on environmental justice communities can be seen in various policy areas. For example, when the EPA considers a permit application under the Clean Air Act, only the specific facility's emissions and the regional air quality are taken into account. It does not weigh the fact that a community may already have four other air polluting facilities located within its borders. Similarly, when approving a water polluting permit, as long as the total maximum daily load for the water body isn't exceeded, the permit will be approved. Approving a water permit does not take into account the facility's air emissions, or the number of trucks that will be entering and exiting the facility on a daily basis, or the amount of waste the facility will process or ship off-site. Cumulative effects on the community and the environment are not considered; this is a major failing in U.S. policy, which prioritizes economic gain over the welfare of the people.

To read the paper, see: http://pacinst.org/us_water_policy/water_and_environmental_justice_ch3.pdf

Have you ever watched the movie A Civil Action? I watched it again last night, and it made me curious to find out more about Woburn, MA and the contaminated wells. If you have never seen the movie, or read the book, it is basically about a small town in Massachusetts that suffers from contaminated water. Many people in the town living closest to the wells have developed some form of leukemia. It turns out that several 55-gallon drums of toxic chemicals have been abandoned near the wells, from which the toxins are seeping into the groundwater, causing people to get sick.

This morning I did a little research, and found that Woburn, MA is located in the Mystic River Watershed. The watershed covers about 1% of the state's land, but is home to more than 500,000 people. The watershed has been the location of many of the state's industrial industries, such as: power plants, hazardous waste sites, incinerators, landfills, transfer stations, and various other polluting facilities. It is also home to three superfund sites, of which the site Wells G&H in Woburn is included. Eight of the fifteen Massachusetts communities considered the most overburdened with pollution lie in the Mystic River Watershed; most of these communities are considered environmental justice communities.

This map shows minority and low-income populations in the Mystic River Watershed area. It's hard to see the legend, but basically, if it's not grey, it's an environmental justice community. Thankfully, there are some environmental justice organizations who are helping to keep the residents informed and educated about the water quality issues and how to stay safe. Additionally, the EPA continues to work with the communities to clean up the superfund sites, including Wells G&H in Woburn.

To get a closer look at the map and find out more information about the Mystic River Watershed, please see: http://mysticriver.org/environmental-justice
To learn more about the EPA's clean-up efforts at Wells G&H, see: http://yosemite.epa.gov/r1/npl_pad.nsf/701b6886f189ceae85256bd20014e93d/25001afe0850c69a8525691f0063f701!OpenDocument

On April 3-5, 2013, Howard University School of Law hosted the 2013 National Environmental Justice Conference. This was an opportunity for policymakers, educators, and activists to come together to learn about and discuss environmental justice issues. The conference involved members from federal, state, and local organizations. It focused on discussions regarding agency policies and practices, and how they affect environmental justice. Some of the topics on this years agenda included: consulting with tribal governments on policies and practices; the forest service's outreach to environmental justice communities; environmental justice activism from community organizations; how social status/demographics affect health; the EPA's superfund program; climate change; the Civil Rights Act and the role it plays in environmental justice; and the responsibility of industry in environmental justice. There were also environmental justice training workshops to help participants recognize and understand environmental justice issues when they see them, and to help with grant writing.

One particular presentation of note came from Kathleen Mecca, president of the Niagara Gateway Columbus Park Association in Buffalo, New York. Ms. Mecca was asked to present a case study about the Peace Bridge located on Buffalo's west side regarding the effects of diesel air pollution coming from the bridge on residents of the community. I came across a video on this very issue that I thought was interesting because it highlights the struggle the community faces, not just from the abundant pollution, but also due to procedural justice issues.

Check it out here: http://movetheplaza.com/a-health-epidemic-the-facts/nejc/
For more information on the 2013 conference, see: http://thenejc.org/?page_id=698
For infomation on the 2014 conference, see: http://thenejc.org/?conference=national-environmental-justice-conference-and-training-program

The EPA's Environmental Justice Office

I came across an interview today between Yale Environment 360 and the head of the EPA's Environmental Justice Office, Matthew Tejada. Before joining the EPA, Mr. Tejada led a group called Air Alliance Houston. The group is a grass-roots organization in Texas that seeks to fight air pollution from refineries, chemical plants, and the shipping industry along the Gulf Coast. I found the interview interesting because it is often said that while the EPA has an Office of Environmental Justice, the office is small and maybe not that effective. The agency has a reputation that it, like the big green organizations, often forgets the human element in environmental issues. Instead, environmental efforts tend to focus on nature, protecting trees and wildlife, and regulating industry based on scientific criteria that fails to take into account the cumulative effects of pollution on already overburdened communities.

The EPA's addition of Mr. Tejada to its Office of Environmental Justice illustrates, I think, the agency's commitment to environmental justice issues. Mr. Tejada will bring a needed perspective to the table as one who has dealt with environmental justice at the ground level. He will be able to relate the hardships and actual effects polluting industries have on communities of low-income and minority populations. I think his appointment is a good thing...a very good thing.

You can find the interview here: http://e360.yale.edu/feature/interview_with_epa_environmental_justice_director_matthew_tejada/2627/