Al Gore and Environmental Justice

Al Gore, the Moses of Global Warming, introduced an environmental justice bill (S. 2806) when he was in the Senate in 1992. He did not get any cosponsors for the bill and it went nowhere. Still, he introduced the bill. Of course, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has a different opinion of Mr. Gore. Then again, he did hire Donna Brazile as his campaign manager for his 2000 run for the presidency. We just didn't see much of Donna.

The bill included the following provisions:

(1) to require the collection of data on environmental health effects so that impacts on different individuals or groups can be understood; (2) to identify those areas which are subject to the highest loadings of toxic chemicals, through all media; (3) to assess the health effects that may be caused by emissions in those areas of highest impact; (4) to ensure that groups or individuals residing within those areas of highest impact have the opportunity and the resources to participate in the technical process which will determine the possible existence of adverse health impacts; (5) to require that actions be taken by authorized Federal agencies to curtail those activities found to be having significant adverse impacts on human health in those areas of highest impact; and (6) to ensure that significant adverse health impacts that may be associated with environmental pollution in the United States are not distributed inequitably.