National Environmental Town Hall Meeting via Zoom

National Environmental Town Hall Meeting

Environmental Justice Discussed with Marquita Bradshaw

Candidate for U.S. Senate from Tennessee

May 10, 2020

Introduction: Environmental Justice is not a common term for an average citizen. Most would not think it as a legal term but more of an environmental thought. Each individual has their own definition of a healthy environment and all are willing to sacrifice some aspect of the environment for their own life ways; jobs, home size, family and pleasures.

• Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.

Legal Term: Environmental Justice is a legal term and refers to environmental pollution and negatives impacting minorities; people of color and the impoverished. Communities and states with lower educated populace and lower paying jobs are being impacted by polluting businesses and business practices far more than communities of the more affluent and educated. It has been known for a long time that wastes sites and polluting industries will be located within areas of minority and impoverished communities.

Great Boston Molasses Flood: January 15, 1919 in Boston, Massachusetts within a largely Italian community a large storage tank filled with 2.3 million US gallons of molasses burst, and a wave of molasses rushed through the streets killing 21 and injuring 150 within an Italian community. The disaster occurred at the Purity Distilling Company facility. The molasses was fermented to produce alcohol for beverages and as a key component in munitions.

Farm Worker: The Environmental Justice movement started seriously in the 1960’s along with other environmental concerns as it was noticeable that Latino labor was being subjected to unnecessary chemical contaminates and unsafe labor practices.

Warren County North Carolina: A turning point occurred in 1982 within Warren County North Carolina. Warren County was the most heavily populated county by percentage of African American citizens in NC. That year Warren County was the site of the proposed Warren County PCB Landfill where the residence of the community protested the proposed site, however losing the case in the end. Residents of the county then pursued a long environmental justice struggle to remove dangerous pollutants from the site for the health of citizens and the site was determined to be safe by 2004.  

 Other Examples:

·      Ute Tribe and BLM NEPA analysis of EIS and EAs.

·      Navajo Nation and Uranium

·      Industries locating in states of a lesser economic situation or lower education as with U.S. Nitrogen in Green County, TN or Nuclear Fuels Services in Unicoi County, TN.

·      Memphis Defense Depot superfund site.

Executive Order 12898: This EO signed by William Clinton February 16, 1994, required that federal attention on the environmental and human health effects of federal actions towards minority and low-income populations with the goal of achieving environmental protection for all communities in a justifiable manner.

The E.O. directs federal agencies to identify and address the disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their actions on minority and low-income populations, to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law. The order also directs each agency to develop a strategy for implementing environmental justice. The order is also intended to promote nondiscrimination in federal programs that affect human health and the environment, as well as provide minority and low-income communities access to public information and public participation.

In addition, the E.O. it established an Interagency Working Group (IWG) on environmental justice chaired by the EPA Administrator and comprised of the heads of 11 departments or agencies and several White House offices.

Closing: Along with our interest in a healthy environment as with climate disruption, species loss, overfishing, loss of open space, and polluted water, land and air; we must also promote and demand social and economic justice which is the origin and cause of failed environmental justice. 

Stan Olmstead – Natural Resource Advocate

National Town Hall on Environmental Justice: Join us for a fun and inspiring Virtual National Town Hall on Environmental Justice featuring guest speakers from across the Nation. Together we give a resounding tribute to the Mothers of Environmental Justice who have fought and are STILL fighting alarming threats to our quality of life without the benefit of the law. (Zoom Meeting)