Vermont has a strong reputation for environmental regulations. Despite the fact that the EPA is in place, Vermont is one of the few states that still has an established environmental justice policy. Since 2016, we have been pressing for it to happen. This week, lawmakers are considering a bill that would create one.
Migrant Justice represents Vermont’s immigrant farmers. Abel Luna works at Migrant Justice. His grandfather and father were also farmworker organizers.
He visits farms throughout Vermont and hears from people worried about the long hours spent in hot, stuffy dairy barns handling chemicals like copper sulfurate.
Luna said that you are stuck in the barn and have to breathe all of that. People with respiratory issues, you’re aware, have had the same problems.
More from VPR – A poll shows that the majority of Vermonters see major climate change impacts within the next 30 years.
Toxic chemicals can be dangerous. Advocate for environmental justiceEnvironmental burden would be something you might call it. Vermont’s rich soils and cold swimming spots and hiking trails are, however, environmental benefits.
Like across the country, there are a few people who have access to a lot of benefits and others who are more vulnerable to environmental harms. This is a problem that climate changes are making worse.
Sen. Kesharam Hinsdale, Chittenden County, hopes for a Bill This will be amended by the Legislature.
Environmental justice is about who is at each table. Ram Hinsdale stated that environmental justice is about who is at the table.
She introduced the legislation. It was created by a collaboration of community organizers as well as academics. The REJOICE ProjectCommunity Expertise Informs Rural Environmental Justice Opportunities. They spent many months gathering input from Vermonters at the frontlines of climate change, pollution, and other issues in Vermont over the course 2021.
More from VPR: Vermont’s progress in reducing its climate-warming emissions
And what are they? Heard: In Burlington, members from the Somali Bantu Community said that they need more safe green spaces for their children to play in, and to walk to without fear of having their neighbors call the police.
Residents of mobile homes in Northeast Kingdom claimed they need clean water and faster broadband. They won’t be able to find out about public meetings that can fix their water problems.
Migrant farmworkers claimed they need translated instructions to help them use the chemicals safely. They also need clarity on what to do in case they lose heat or water.
We need a process that allows those voices to be heard. Feedback can be more than just feedback. It can also be transformative.
Abel Luna, educator and coordinator for Migrant Justice
In all these cases, people had to know: Who can they call at state? Abel Luna, Migrant Justice, believes that this is the key.
We need a legal process that allows these voices to be heard. And that feedback can not just be feedback but it can also be transformative.
Jennifer Byrne, adjunct professor at Vermont Law School, was a fellow in the clinic’s environmental justice clinic and helped organize the meetings. She believes it is important that the work of this group is led by frontline communities.
She said that if we want the world to be more equitable, if our goal is to create a just transition and move forward together, we must be able slow down enough to listen to people and respect them.
The Center for American Progress, a left-leaning organization, claims that 76% of Vermonters are Black, Indigenous, or people of color and live in census blocks with limited natural resources. This compares to just 27% for white residents.
About 7% of our state’s housing stock is made up by mobile home parks. They also accounted for 40% of the destruction caused by Tropical Storm Irene.
Toby Talbot
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Associated Press File
Recent Study According to the University of Vermont, people who don’t identify as white are seven-fold more likely than white residents that they report being without heat.
This BillVermont would declare that no community should be denied access to environmental benefits or harms. It also stipulates that all Vermonters should be able participate in environmental decisions.
“We must be patient no matter what we do, in order to build systems that will work for the people,” said Abel Luna from Migrant Justice.
What is the environmental justice bill?
This bill seeks to address these problems by paying people who aren’t normally able to attend public hearings to share ideas and solutions.
It also creates 2 advisory groups: 1 of staff from various state agencies to coordinate the state’s environmental justice work and 1 of Vermonters to review and provide feedback on state policy decisions.
It also funds a full time staff position at Agency of Natural Resources to ensure compliance with the Civil Rights Act.
Advocates would like to see members of advisory council receive $200 per day in a stipend, similar to what members get from the Vermont Community Broadband Board.
Regular audits of state environmental spending are required to keep track of where and who is investing. It also sets out a goal to ensure that environmental justice communities get their fair share.
It is a good example of how other legislation can also be created.
Mia Schultz, president Rutland Area NAACP
The bill directs Agency of Natural Resources (Agency of Natural Resources) to create a tool that maps environmental harm in Vermont by 2025. This is similar to how the state maps resources such as wetlands and prime agricultural soils.
The Scott administration has not yet stated if it supports this bill, but joined advocates in pushing legislators for more funding.
Advocates weigh in
Vermont environmental justice advocates claim that without this policy, Vermont’s climate change leaders are not being allowed to weigh in on climate policies.
Mia Schultz, president, Rutland NAACP Chapter, said that this bill has teeth, but it is only a beginning.
Schultz stated, “I think it’s a model for how other legislation can been crafted.” Because when we think about environmental impact and talk about environmental justice, it is racial justice.
People lose trust when they are routinely excluded from decision-making.
It’s about how to make participation and engagement sustainable for everyone. As a society, this is something we must do.
Sandrine Kibuey is director of housing advocacy at Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity
Sandrine Kibuey manages the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity’s housing advocacy programs. She was responsible for outreach to mobile home owners in support of this bill.
She believes everyone benefits when the most vulnerable members of society are able to influence policy decisions.
Kibuey states that Vermont’s new environmental justice policy is only the beginning of a long journey.
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It’s about how to make participation and engagement sustainable for everyone. She stated that it is an effort that society must make. And I do believe that we are beginning see the light.
Today is the scheduled date for the Legislature to vote on the environmental justice legislation. If the bill is approved, it would be next on the governor’s desk.
Do you have any questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message, or get in touch Abagael Giles, reporter @AbagaelGiles.
