Environmental Justice Coalition

LINKS & Information

Black Chamber of Commerce: Title VI & Environmental Justice

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

State EJ Laws

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights:

Funding Federal Civil Rights Enforcement 2000-2003

Previous EJ Bills:

Congressman Mark Udall (D-UT) The Environmental Justice Act of 2002 (107 Cong, 2nd Sess., 2002 (Text & Summary)
Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (D-CA)
Environmental Justice Act by Sen. Gore (102d Cong., 2d Sess., 1992) (Summary & Status)
Environmental Justice Act by Rep. Lewis (103d Cong., 1st Sess., 1993) (Text) (Summary & Status
Environmental Justice Act by Sen. Baucus (103d Cong., 1st Sess., 1993) (Text) (Summary & Status)
Environmental Equal Rights Act by Rep. Collins (103d Cong., 1st Sess., 1993) (Text) (Summary & Status)

Model for Passage of Environmental Justice Act of 2003 (108th Cong, 1st Sess)

Anti-Racist Environmental Coalition

CDC 2nd National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals

On Friday, January 31, 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its Second National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. This Second Report contains data on levels of 116 environmental chemicals found in blood or urine samples collected during the 1999 and 2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). The Second Report includes expanded data on the 27 chemicals (metals, cotinine, organophosphate pesticides, and phthalates) that were listed in the first Report and first-time data on 89 chemicals that have never been measured before in the U.S. population. Additional chemicals or categories of chemicals in the Second Report are selected additional organophosphate pesticides, organochlorine pesticides; carbamate insecticides; herbicides and pest repellents; polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons; phytoestrogens; and dioxins, furans, and co-planar and non-coplanar PCBs.

The measurements presented in this latest Report were conducted at CDC's
Environmental Health Laboratory (Division of Laboratory Sciences, National Center for Environmental Health, CDC).

Trust for America's Health

ECHO This Web site allows you to search for facilities in your community for the purpose of determining whether:

EPA or State/local governments have conducted compliance inspections violations were detected or enforcement actions were taken and penalties were assessed in response to environmental law violations.

After performing your search, you will receive summary data about each
facility meeting your search criteria. From this list of facilities, click
to access EPA's Detailed Facility Report to find out more. The data were last updated in October 2002.

Daniel Faber's "Unequal Exposure Report" communities of color in Massachusetts suffer more from polluting facilities than white communities. Massachusetts communities with a population of color under 5% had an average of three hazardous waste sites. But communities made up of over 25% people of color had an average of 27 hazardous waste sites.

Massachusetts Environmental Justice Designation Program (Act) (S.2243)

California Environmental Justice Law (SB 115 - Senator Solis)

Environmental Justice Programs: 50 State Survey

Update in Progress (2003): Environmental Justice: A Review of State Responses, by Gross, Shafsky & Brown, Public Law Research Institute at Hastings College of Law [Update team contact: Paul Tokarz, law
student, UC Hastings in San Francisco] working under the auspices of the
school's Public Law Research Institute client--CA Governor's Office of
Planning & Research ("OPR"). Join above to contact Paul {PJT}.

Final Environmental Justice Policy
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has finalized its policy for incorporating "environmental justice" concerns into environmental quality permitting programs. The final policy, published in the March 19, 2003 Environmental Notice Bulletin, takes effect 30 days after that publication date.
A copy is available on our web site at: www.bcnys.org/pdf/2003/ejpolicy.pdf <http://www.bcnys.org/pdf/2003/ejpolicy.pdf>

Key provisions include the following:

* it applies to major projects (as defined in DEC's "uniform procedures" rules, 6 NYCRR Part 621) and major modifications that are covered under the permitting programs for: wastewater discharges (SPDES); air emission permits (Title V and state facility permits); solid waste and hazardous waste management; and industrial hazardous waste facility siting. Permit renewals are exempt, unless considered to be major projects under Part 621.
* it requires permit applicants to develop and implement enhanced public participation plans if a proposed action is likely to have adverse environmental impacts in a "potential environmental justice area" (defined as any census block group that exceeds listed thresholds for minority or low income populations.) This plan includes the distribution of project information in the affected community, the holding of multiple public information sessions, the establishment of information depositories and other requirements.
* for any such projects that are "unlisted" under the DEC's environmental quality review act (SEQRA) rules, the policy requires the applicant to complete a full "environmental assessment form" in order to help identify and assess potential adverse impacts in environmental justice areas.
* it requires that the DEC hold a public hearing, and offer at least a 60 day public comment period, for any affected project.

The final policy excludes the requirement - proposed in the June 2002 draft policy - that environmental impact statements include an assessment of "disproportionate impacts" within environmental justice areas, as well as the consideration of measures to mitigate any such impacts. The Department has said that the policy will be amended to include disparate impact assessment and mitigation requirements as soon as specific criteria and procedures are developed. Further, DEC will be proposing SEQR regulatory changes to make this analysis a required part of environmental impact statements for project where DEC is not the lead agency.