Justice denied for environmental justice is justice delayed

It took a while, but environmental justice is now at the center of the environmental policies agenda. The environmental justice movement in New York City spent decades fighting for the siting of the North River treatment plant in West Harlem. After losing the siting battle activists pushed for improvements to the treatment plant and a reduction in its environmental impact. Riverbank State Park was created by them. It is a beautiful facility that sits atop the plant. Percy Sutton, David Dinkins, and most of Harlem’s political establishment opposed the plant’s location in Harlem. Peggy Shepard, the visionary head of West Harlem Environmental Action (precursor of WEACT), teamed up with NRDC and successfully sued New York City in an attempt to minimize the negative impacts of the plant on Harlem. A 1994 case study in the The Atlantic provides a detailed analysis of the history and location of the plant. Fordham Law ReviewVernice D. Miller, now Miller-Travis, an environmental justice pioneer, authored the book. Miller’s case study explains the terms of New York City’s settlement with Harlem.

“In April 1992, the DEP and the city committed $55million in capital funds to address the design and odor problems of North River. Instead of paying a fine to the State Department of Environmental Conservation the City DEP created a $1.1million West Harlem Environmental Benefits Fund, which will be managed by a steering group of community representatives. This fund will allow the community to conduct a comprehensive health risk assessment and provide a cumulative assessment. environmental impactAssessment, independent monitoring and management of plant operations, development and safe play spaces in urban gardens, development and promotion of local green industries, as well as internships in environmental science for youth and students.

The history of the plant’s location is available. Case studyAs if by magic, the site moved from Manhattan’s west end to the northern side of the island. However, times are changing and we now have an elected president who is committed to environmental justice. The wheels of the federal bureaucracy, which is massive, are slowly moving towards implementing his vision. It began with an ambitious environmental policy Executive OrderBiden issued the order on his seventh day in office. Biden’s order established an interagency environment justice council and a governmentwide approach to environmental justice. According to the president’s directive:

“Agencies must make environmental justice a part of their missions by developing policies, programs, and activities to address the disproportionately severe and adverse human health, environmental, and climate-related impacts on disadvantaged communities as well as the associated economic challenges. My Administration’s policy is to ensure environmental justice and increase economic opportunity for disadvantaged communities that have been historically marginalized by pollution and underinvestment, as well as those who are overburdened by poverty and overinvestment in water, transportation, housing, and healthcare.

The Justice Department announced last week that the EPA and the Justice Department would work together to file charges against polluters whose impacts are on low-income communities as part of the Executive Order. There is ample evidence to show that communities of color or low-income communities are more susceptible to pollution than communities with higher incomes. This is due to a lack of access to healthcare. Wealthy people are more likely to be able to avoid polluting and to manage health effects. This is especially true for children with asthma. An asthmatic child who lives in poverty might not have access to the inhaler or other medications that can prevent and minimize asthma attacks. The condition could also worsen as they age. If a child has better access to healthcare, asthma may be something they can overcome as they age. Darryl Fearss and David Nakamura, both Washington Post writers, observed that:

Experts believe that areas with higher concentrations or economically disadvantaged racial minorities are more susceptible to environmental pollution and degradation causing health problems. According to a report, 45 million Americans are breathing in dirtier air due to racial redlining. The March study revealed that Black and Latino Americans have more smog than White Americans. Fine particulate matterFrom cars, trucks, buses and coal plants in areas where disadvantaged people were concentrated due to housing discrimination.

The Justice Department and EPA have been working together to improve enforcement. However, the Biden Administration has used substantial funding from the trillion dollar infrastructure bill to fund environmental infrastructure like lead pipe replacement in low income communities. The opposition of some Republican governors poses significant challenges, despite the fact that the Biden team is fully committed. According to Fears and Nakamura:

“The administration has yet not to explain how it will deliver hundreds and millions of dollars to communities within states with Republican governors who oppose its mission.” Activists in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama have expressed doubt that they will ever receive such funding.

The federal environmental justice initiative overall is well-intentioned. The strategy of drawing on resources that are not specifically allocated for environmental injustice is probably necessary due to the administration’s small majority in Congress. The White House has appointed a new Environmental Justice Chief to the Council of Environmental Quality. It was necessary because the biden team’s first Environmental Justice Chief resigned due the non-stop pace of his work. According to a report by The Washington PostDarryl Fears

“Jalonne White-Newsomean academic who worked in government and with grassroots activists was chosen to become the Council on Environmental Quality’s senior director for environmental justice. Cecilia Martinez was unable to work 14-hour days for more than a full year. Mallory is the head of an agency with only six employees dedicated to environmental justice. According to members of the council, at least 50 people are needed. They also need more funding than what the administration’s climate leadership has produced, including Gina McCarthy as National Climate Adviser.

While it is essential to be on the policy agenda, it is not enough to produce the organizational outputs necessary for changing environmental outcomes. It is difficult to find the resources necessary to staff environmental programs of any type. New priorities like environmental justice must compete with established programs for resources. There is still much to do. Being a high priority for an president with a 40% approval rate is not reassuring. But Washington has made more progress over the past year than ever before.

Federal money and federal policy are vital to environmental justice. However, the real battles will remain at the local level. These fights will be fought by community activists trying to protect their communities and families. These conflicts are intense and high-stakes. This was something I witnessed firsthand when I was in Buffalo’s graduate school. Residents living near the Love Canal saw toxic water seep into their basements and backyards. Lois Gibbs was the leader of Love Canal’s neighborhood association. She fought for years to achieve environmental remediation. Flint, Michigan has lead pipes. Deadly poisons are all too common in America. This is especially true when our air and water are cleaner today than they were fifty years ago.

We have made the transition to an environment-friendly economy. But we must do this in the face a growing gap between America’s poor and rich. The Green New Deal offers a way to use this transition to reduce that gap and preserve the environment. New York City Mayor Adam has made environmental justice a priority and has appointed Rohit Aggarwala as Chief Climate Officer. Adams also combined several units into a Mayor’s Office of Climate and Environmental Justice. This office is headed by Kizzy Charles Guzman, who reports directly to Aggarwala. We see evidence that there is a genuine desire to address environmental issues in Washington and New York City. Environmental justice. While we don’t know for sure if these words are going to be translated into actions, I remain optimistic. It has been long since environmental justice was delayed. JusticeIt is not impossible to do better, even if it is denied.

This story was republished by Earth Institute, Columbia University http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu.