EPA Seeks Applications for Environmental Community Grants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making $2 million available in 2010 to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. CARE is a community-based program that works with county and local governments, tribes, non-profit organizations and universities to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous sources.

Applications for the CARE grants are due March 9, 2010. EPA will conduct three Webcasts to answer questions from prospective applicants about the application process on Feb. 2, 23, and 26 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

EPA will award CARE cooperative agreements in two levels. Level I awards range from $75,000 to $100,000 and will help establish community-based partnerships to develop local environmental priorities. Level II awards, ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 each, will support communities that have established broad-based partnerships, have identified the priority toxic risks in the community, and are prepared to measure results, implement risk-reduction activities and become self-sustaining.

In 2009, EPA’s CARE program distributed $2 million to nine communities. Examples of projects that received grants include addressing waste and storm water issues in Kennett, Mo.; reducing air and water pollution in Holyoke, Mass.; addressing water pollution from coal slurry in Wheeling, W.Va.; reducing radon and other indoor air pollutants in Pueblo, Colo.; and tackling the problem of hazardous waste materials and open dumping in Toksook Bay, Alaska.

More information

Environmental Justice Volume 2, Number Four, Dec 2009

Environmental Justice Vol. 2, No. 4, December 2009 is now available online‏

The table of contents for this issue is listed below. More information.

Guest Editorial:

Climate Justice
Peggy M. Shepard and Cecil Corbin-Mark

Original Articles

The Environmental Injustice of “Clean Coal”: Expanding the National Conversation on Carbon Capture and Storage Technology to Include an Analysis of Potential Environmental Justice Impacts, Stephanie Tyree and Maron Greenleaf

Minding the Climate Gap: Environmental Health and Equity Implications of Climate Change Mitigation Policies in California, Seth B. Shonkoff, Rachel Morello-Frosch, Manuel Pastor, and James Sadd

Best in Show? Climate and Environmental Justice Policy in California, Julie Sze, Gerardo Gambirazzio, Alex Karner, Dana Rowan, Jonathan London, and Deb Niemeier

The International Dimension of Climate Justice and the Need for International Adaptation Funding, J. Timmons Roberts

Facilitating Climate Justice through Community-Based Adaptation in the Health Sector, Kristie L. Ebi

Climate Change, Heat Waves, and Environmental Justice: Advancing Knowledge and Action Jalonne White-Newsome, Marie S. O'Neill, Carina Gronlund, Tenaya M. Sunbury, Shannon J. Brines, Edith Parker, Daniel G. Brown, Richard B. Rood, and Zorimar Rivera

U.S. Childhood Obesity and Climate Change: Moving Toward Shared Environmental Health Solutions, Perry E. Sheffield and Maida P. Galvez

Book Review: Race, Place, and Environmental Justice after Hurricane Katrina: Struggles to Reclaim, Rebuild, and Revitalize New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, Brentin Mock

EPA 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding five multi-stakeholder partnerships, representing a total of 60 organizations, for their efforts to address environmental justice concerns. The multi-stakeholder partnerships included at least one community organization and two or more representatives from: academic institutions; business and industry; non-governmental and environmental organizations; state and local governments; and tribal government and indigenous organizations.

The EPA Environmental Justice Achievement Awards recognize the distinguished accomplishments of partnerships that work collaboratively in communities disproportionately exposed to environmental and human health risks. Winning applications were reviewed and selected based on six criteria by an independent, non-EPA review panel:

1) Partnerships and Collaboration
2) Innovation
3) Community, Equity, and Public Involvement
4) Integration
5) Leveraged Resources/Capacity Building/Sustainability
6) Demonstrated Results/Effectiveness

The 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement Award winners:

Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning for outstanding leadership in community-based efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning in the City of Rochester, New York.

Fish Contamination Education Collaborative for outstanding efforts to reduce the consumption of contaminated fish by the local Vietnamese, Chinese, and angler populations near the Palos Verdes Shelf Superfund site, Los Angeles, California.

Mitigation Agreement Commission and the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities for outstanding efforts to work with the City of North Charleston and the South Carolina Ports Authority to foster environmental protection and economic revitalization in distressed neighborhoods.

ReGenesis Project for outstanding leadership and efforts to address environmental protection and community revitalization issues in the Arkwright community of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Clean Trucks Program for outstanding efforts to significantly reduce air pollution from big truck rigs around Long Beach and Los Angeles, California port facilities.

Details on the winning projects of the 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement

John Rosenthall On WSFA News 12 in Tuskegee, Alabama

National Small Town Alliance

Assists With Tuskegee Development Project

WSFA News 12 Reporter Melissa McKinney

Interviews John Rosenthall

VIDEO

Rosenthall: "As the community prospers so does the university."

McKinney: "He's working to restore cities with historically black colleges and universities."

Rosenthall: "The parents really don't want to carry their kids to a school where there's a problem in the community."

McKinney: "Tuskegee is first in line for a facelift."

Rosenthall: "We could have gone to a lot of other places, but they're not as well known as Tuskegee."

McKinney: "Community leaders and students are tossing around ideas like building renovations, downtown design, and clean-up. If those ideas become Tuskegee's master plan - then the real work begins. "

Rosenthall: "We don't have any money to work with and my theory is that once we put together a great plan, once we put together the people to make this work, it will be our job to find the money."

(WSFA 12 News, Tuskegee, Alabama)

EPA Awards $800,000 for EJ Projects in Five States

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a total of $800,000 to five state government agencies to support state efforts to work with communities to address environmental and public health issues, such as childhood lead poisoning and exposure to air pollution. The funding will help address concerns in communities disproportionately exposed to environmental risks.

The following organizations received $160,000 each for the projects described below:

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation for developing a system to ensure the participation of Alaska Native tribal organizations in the state permitting process.

California Department of Toxic Substances Control for creating and implementing public education programs, developing compliance assistance programs for small businesses, and focusing on generating green jobs in communities identified as having environmental justice concerns.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency for conducting community outreach on residential lead paint contamination and proper handling and abatement throughout the City of East St. Louis.

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for providing remediation and education to reduce community exposure to air pollution and solid waste.

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control for offering technical assistance to communities in a pilot program to conduct environmental assessments and address environmental issues using the collaborative problem-solving model.

EPA provides funding for state-lead environmental justice projects under the agency’s State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement program with the goal of developing approaches that can be replicated in other communities with similar concerns.

More Information about state funding through the State Environmental Justice Cooperative Agreement program

More Information about funding for local governments and non-profit organizations through the Environmental Justice Small Grants program

New Book on Environmental Justice By Dorceta Taylor

A new book from a University of Michigan professor explores how the centuries-old connections between racism and the environment in American cities.

"The Environment and the People in American Cities, 1600s-1900s: Disorder, Inequality, and Social Change" was written by Dorceta Taylor, left, a professor at the School of Natural Resources and Environment and director of an institute studying the issue of environmental justice its modern context. Duke University Press plans to release the book this month.

"The Environment and the People in American Cities" provides a sweeping and detailed examination of the evolution of American cities from Colonial New York and Boston to recent urban planning and labor reform efforts, outlining the rise of problems like overcrowding, pollution, poverty and epidemics and connecting them to systemic environmental racism and other forms of environmental inequities.

In its coverage of race, class and gender inequalities, the book includes a dimension missing from other academic books on environmental history. Professor Taylor adds to current research on the subject by exploring the emergence of elite reformers, the framing of environmental problems and the responses to perceived breakdowns in social order. By focusing specifically on cities, she offers important clues to understanding the evolution of American environmental activism.

Beyond the contribution to historical literature on the subject, Professor Taylor connects her findings to current issues in environmental policy. The book grew out of an undergraduate class on environmental politics Professor Taylor taught more than a decade ago. After finding no books or articles examining race, class or gender and the environment in a historical context, she decided to write her own. The project eventually grew into two books.

While all-male expeditions and solitary males who retreat to the woods for months or years at a time are idealized in many environmental history accounts, the urban activists receive no such acclaim or glory," she said, noting that female, working class and ethnic minorities were active in environmental activism and affairs. "In the city, the classes, races and genders interacted with each other to create a kind of environmentalism that was very fluid and dynamic.

Throughout her analysis, she connects social and environmental conflicts of the past to those of the present. She describes the displacement of people of color for the production of natural open space for the white and wealthy; the close proximity between garbage and communities of color in early America; the "cozy" relationship between middle-class environmentalists and the business community; and resistance to environmental inequalities from residents of marginal communities.

Note From Barbara Carchidi Of Brockton, Massachusetts

We the Citizens of Brockton Massachusetts live in an Environmental Justice Community that already has more than its fair share of pollution ----We have a wastewater treatment plant that is out of compliance and is emitting thousands oftons of pollution into our air with homes and schools and senior citizen housing within a 1/3 of a mile from this facility ---right next to this waste water treatment plant they are proposing to build a 350 megawatt fossil fuel power plant that will emit over a million tons of additional toxic pollution per year.

We already have a very high asthma and cancer rate in our City ---The power from this plant is not for Brockton---Southeastern Massachusetts is an exporter of power---All we will get is the pollution. ---The energy from this plant isn't needed now or for the foreseeable future -----We in Brockton Massachusetts need the Environmental Protection Agency to step up to the plate and help protect us from this Environmental Injustice.

Thank You for your time and attention

Barbara Carchidi

Taunton Daily Gazette

The Brockton Post

EPA Showcases Environmental Justice Communities

EPA has committed $1 million to an effort over the next two years to fund 10 selected Showcase Communities to use collaborative, community-based approaches to improve public health and the environment. EPA will provide $100,000 per project to help address concerns in communities disproportionately exposed to environmental risks. These demonstration projects will test and share information on different approaches to increase EPA’s ability to achieve environmental results in communities.

The following locations will serve as Environmental Justice Showcase Communities:

Bridgeport, Connecticut: EPA will build on work that has already taken place to develop community capacity and engagement, identify a broad network of partnerships, and connect with the goals of the city government.

Staten Island, New York: EPA will work with the North Shore of Staten Island, a former industrial community that now contains many abandoned, contaminated, and regulated properties along the waterfront. This neighborhood has seen an increase in the number of kids with elevated lead levels in their blood. EPA, in consultation with key communitymembers and state and local health agencies will develop acommunity-based health strategy for the area.

Washington, DC: EPA is building on its environmental justice work witha variety of partners, such as: the District Department of Environment; the District Department of Health; and, local recipients of Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving and Environmental Justice Small Grant awards.

Jacksonville, Florida: EPA will focus on improving environmental and public health outcomes in an area that consists of a predominantly low income and minority population. This area has a number of Superfund sites, brownfields, vacant and abandoned lots or other properties wherecontamination is suspected, and impacted waterways.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: EPA will work to further the redevelopment of the 30th Street Industrial Corridor. The corridor, a former rail line in thenorth-central part of the city, is home to low income communities ofcolor. This project seeks to improve the human, environmental and economic health of these neighborhoods by redeveloping brownfields alongthe corridor, implementing environmentally preferable storm watermanagement practices, and developing urban agriculture.

Port Arthur, Texas: EPA proposes a comprehensive, cross-media pilot project in Port Arthur, Texas, a racially and ethnically diversepopulation along the Gulf Coast of southeast Texas. This community was severely impacted as a result of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike.Through the EJ Showcase Project, EPA will work with partners tostrategically target additional work and supplement ongoing efforts.

Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas: EPA has identified 11neighborhoods in the metropolitan area that have many risk factorsincluding poor housing conditions and increased exposure toenvironmental hazards. EPA will conduct an assessment to identify specific sources of pollution and will work with neighborhood leaders toprioritize community concerns. Strategies to address these concerns willbe developed through these partnerships.

Salt Lake City, Utah: EPA has chosen six neighborhoods in central andwest Salt Lake City as the focus of a Children’s Environmental Healthand Environmental Justice initiative. The areas include Glendale, Jordan Meadows, Poplar Grove, Rose Park, State Fairpark and Westpointe. EPAselected the areas based on the presence of several environmental riskfactors and the community’s support and past participation in addressingenvironmental issues. The multi-agency initiative will seek to identifyand reduce children’s exposure to contaminants from multiple pathways.

Los Angeles, California: The densely populated communities closest to the I-710 freeway in Los Angeles County are severely impacted by pollution from goods movement and industrial activity. In a multi-year effort, a unique collaboration of federal, state and local governments and community organizations willwork together to improve the environmental and public health conditionsfor residents along this corridor. Partners will identify pollution sources of concern to the community, review agency data sources anddevelop action plans. One goal is to improve compliance withenvironmental laws by targeting inspections and enforcement at thestate, federal, and local levels to address community concerns.

Yakima, Washington: EPA will address multiple environmental home health stressors in the Latino and tribal communities in the Yakima Valley. Acoordinated effort between state, local, and non-profit partners will beused to address the range of exposures found in the community, with aprimary focus on reducing exposure through contaminated private well drinking water. This will be accomplished by assessing homes withcontaminated wells, providing “treatment at the tap” mitigation, andreducing pollution sources through available regulatory tools and bestmanagement practices.

Since 1994, EPA has provided more than $32 million in general funding to more than 1,100 community-based organizations.

More information on environmental justice and the Environmental Justice Showcase Communities

EPA, NIEHS and NIOSH Showcase Environmental and Occupational Justice Research Efforts

Special Online Supplement To American Journal of Public Health: A Resource for the Public and Policy Makers

A new resource is available to those working for environmental and occupational justice. Appearing as a free online supplement to the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), the compilation of articles demonstrates the advancement and evolving sophistication of environmental and occupational justice work, and the use of community-based participatory research approaches over the past decade. The special online issue highlights various contributions of environmental and occupational justice projects across the country, including several supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The supplement was supported by the three federal partners and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

The supplement includes more than 30 research-based articles, editorials and commentaries from community, government and academic leaders in the field. The topics range from reducing pesticide exposures in farming communities to how community-based approaches in urban and rural areas have successfully improved public health outcomes for low socioeconomic status groups, children and immigrants.

The three federal agencies have been collaborating via the Environmental Justice: Partnerships for Communication program to combine resources and information to advance environmental justice, community-based participatory research and workplace safety. EPA will be hosting a symposium on the science of disproportionate environmental health impacts, planned for March 2010 in Washington, D.C. NIEHS, NIOSH, several other federal agencies and the American Public Health Association will be serving as co-sponsors.

For more information on the Environmental and Occupational Justice online supplement to the American Journal of Public Health

The Strengthening Environmental Justice Research and Decision making: A Symposium on the Science of Disproportionate Environmental health Impacts

Brownfields Conference in New Orleans November 17

November 17, 2009 Forum for Local Governments Being Held During Brownfields Conference in New Orleans, LA

EVENT: FORUM - "FEDERAL AND LOCAL PARTNERSHIPS - RESOURCES FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS"

LOCATION: MORIAL CONVENTION CENTER - ROOM - 225

DATE AND TIME: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009/ 1:00 - 2:30 PM

RSVP by THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12 TO: M. ARNITA HANNON, EPA'S OFFICE OF INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS

The session will feature a panel of presenters, including EPA's Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response Mathy Stanislaus, David Lloyd, Director of the Brownfields Program, Neelam Patel, EPA's Climate and Energy Local Program Office, Surabhi Shah, Director of EPA's Urban Waters Initiative, Adhir Kackar, EPA's Smart Growth Program, and Stephanie Owens, EPA's Director of Public Outreach. Melinda Downing, US Department of Energy's Environmental Justice Program Manager, will also join the panel. You will also hear from the White House Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs about the Administration's efforts to support partnerships and collaborations with local governments.

EPA EJ Small Grants Program Request For Applications

On October 28, 2009 the Request For Applications (RFA) was released announcing the availability of funds and solicitation of applications from eligible entities interested in participating the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. The Environmental Justice Small Grants Program (EJSG), supports and empowers communities working on solutions to local environmental and public health issues.

This year the program is emphasizing the need to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change in communities with environmental justice concerns. There is a well-established scientific consensus that climate change will cause disproportionate impacts upon vulnerable populations. As stated in the Technical Support Document for the Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act (April 2009), “Within settlements experiencing climate change, certain parts of the population may be especially vulnerable; these include the poor, the elderly, those already in poor health, the disabled, those living alone, those with limited rights and power (such as recent immigrants with limited English skills), and/or indigenous populations dependent on one or a few resources. Thus, the potential impacts of climate change raise environmental justice issues.” The goals of this focus on climate change are to recognize the critical role of grassroots efforts in helping shape strategies to avoid, lessen, or delay the risks and impacts associated with climate change; to decrease the number of under represented communities; and, to ensure equitable green economic development in ways that build healthy sustainable communities.

The EJSG continues to assists recipients in building collaborative partnerships to help them understand and address environmental and public health issues in their communities. Successful collaborative partnerships involve not only well-designed strategic plans to build, maintain and sustain the partnerships, but also to work towards addressing the local environmental and public health issues.

Guidance Document

For questions contact Sheila Lewis

The Association for Environmental Justice in Israel

Letter Regarding Community, Energy & Technology in the Middle East (COMET-ME)

26 October, 2009

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Allowed us to tell you about a unique project that literally does the impossible in the Middle-East perspective: Change the Reality of People. Ours colleagues Elad and Noam, from COMET-ME for the last three years skillfully combined environmental innovation and activism for peace with social and economy welfare development of the most deprived population in the Middle East region - the Palestinians who live at South Hebron area mountain. This project for sure, in the long term, will positively affect the future of one of the most conflicted region historically. On their web site you can find further details and information, including on the technology in use.

Why am I telling you this now?

Comet-ME recently was announced as being one of only 12 finalists world-wide in the BBC World Challenge for 2009. This global competition focuses on grassroots projects and small businesses worldwide that are taking effective, innovative action in environmental and socioeconomic issues. In 13 November, the winning project will receive an award of $20,000. Comet-ME would use this prize to expand its project and to provide sustainable energy to
another community.

How can you help?

The winning project will be determined by online voting between 28 September 2009 and 13 November 2009. Amar and Anuawar, the two boys 5 and 8 years old in the above pictures yesterday were taken, proudly presented us, while visiting their family tent, the light they have for doing School homework, the small refrigerator and mixer that change their mother life, their nutrition and health. The chances to provide assistance in time of emergency, and purely chances for better life. We will be grateful for your time to circulate this message to your lists, post it on web pages and encourage your acquaintances to support COMET-ME in this voting.

Yours Sincerely,
Carmit Lubanov
The Association for Environmental Justice in Israel
don1298@netvision.net.il , Tel: ++972-3-5497064, ++972-52-3554737

Call for Abstracts 2010 Conference on Environmental Justice

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards (OAQPS), the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Education and Training Program (WETP), and Dillard University's Deep South Center for Environmental Justice (DSCEJ) are hosting the 2010 Conference on Environmental Justice, Air and Green Jobs: Evolution and Innovation being held January 25-27, 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Thye are issuing this call for abstracts for poster presentations on Environmental Justice by community residents. Abstracts will be accepted October 14, 2009 through November 13, 2009.
Please note that abstracts must be original material and ideas of the authors; abstracts may include work that has been published in journals or for use by the authors and stakeholders. They are particularly encouraging community and Tribal groups to share their experiences and best practices. In addition, abstracts should relate to the conference theme, Environmental Justice, Air & Green Jobs: Evolution and Innovation. In particular, abstracts should address the 4 conference tracks of: Goods Movement, Ambient Air/Climate Change, Hazardous Waste Cleanup Job Training, and Sustainability/Green Jobs. Further instructions on the criteria for submitting the abstracts can be found on the Call for Abstracts website.

Abstracts must be submitted electronically through the abstract submission website.

For more information about the conference, please visit the conference website.

Questions?

For abstract questions, contact Dr. Myra Lewis at Dillard University's Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at 504-816-4036 or Dr. Myra Lewis

For assistance with the abstract submittal form, contact the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training at 202-331-7733 or National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training

CDC National Public Listening Session Set For Oct 28

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is sponsoring a National Conversation: Public Listening Session October 28, 2009 Atlanta, Georgia. Interested members of the public are invited to an open, facilitated discussion to exchange ideas and explore issues related to the National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures. Join CDC for a listening session Wednesday, October 28, 2009 from 2:00 to 4:00 PM in the Athens Room at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel.

Through the National Conversation, many individuals and organizations are helping to develop an action agenda that will outline steps the nation can take to achieve the vision that chemicals be used and managed in ways that are safe and healthy for all people. They look forward to exploring questions like:

How can we best protect all communities from harmful chemical exposure?
How can we gain more knowledge about the health effects of chemicals?
How do we ensure the public is involved in government decision-making?
How do we ensure that the National Conversation is successful?

National Center for Environmental Health/ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (NCEH/ATSDR) staff, RESOLVE (a non-profit organization) staff, and others involved in the National Conversation project will be in attendance to engage in discussion and collect participant input.

This free, public listening session will follow the National Environmental Public Health Conference. While pre-registration is closed for the conference, on-site registration will be available and conference keynote and plenary sessions will be available for free by webcast.

The National Conversation Team

EPA'S A. STANLEY MEIBURG TO KEYNOTE EJ SUMMIT

A. Stanley Meiburg, right, Acting Regional Administrator for EPA will be the Keynote Luncheon speaker for the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network on Saturday, October 17, 2009 at 11:30am 1:00pm during the 11th NC Environmental Justice Summit.

Mr. Meiburg brings many years of experience with EPA to this position. He also has a North Carolina connection as he received his B.A. Degree from Wake Forest University.

Others participating from EPA's Region IV Office:

Cynthia Peurifoy: Regional Environmental Justice Program Manager Office of Special Programs

Historic Franklinton Center
Brick, 281 Bricks Lane, Whitakers, NC 27891

Contact: Gary R. Grant Director North Carolina Environmental Justice Network PO BOX 61 Tillery, North Carolina 27887 (252) 826-3017 - (252) 826-3244 Email: NCEJN1@aol.com Web: http://www.ncejn.org/

Dillard University, EPA & NIEHS Sponsor EJ Conference

2010 Conference on Environmental Justice, Air, and Green Jobs: Evolution and Innovation

Who: Communities, tribes, advocates, city/county/state governments, colleges/universities, faith-based organizations, businesses and other stakeholders interested in learning about opportunities to move toward environmental justice in their communities.

Where: New Orleans, LA

Date: January 25-27, 2010

More info: For more information

Contact:

Lena (Vickey) Epps-Price
Workshop Coordinator
Phone:919-541-5573
Email:epps-price.lena@epa.gov

Poster session: The Planning Committee invites abstracts for poster presentations during this conference. A call for abstracts will be posted on the website soon.

TOPICS

This Conference provides an opportunity for participants to learn about the following:

Goods Movement - New initiatives to reduce the impacts of transporting goods or produce.

Sustainability/Green Jobs -sustainability in the context of jobs aimed at preserving ecosystems and reducing consumption.

Ambient Air/Climate Change - impacts ofambient air pollutants and greenhouse gases on disproportionatelyaffected communities.

Hazardous Waste Cleanup/ Job Training - impacts and challenges of hazardous materials, waste exposure and cleanup activities.

Sponsored by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) and co-sponsored by Dillard University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Worker Education and Training Program

While making your plans to attend the Environmental Justice Conference, you may want to consider staying in New Orleans for the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) meeting, which will also be held at the same location.

The NEJAC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 27 through Friday, January 29, 2010.

James Clyburn Environmental Justice Braintrust 2009

The theme of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) 39th Annual Legislative Conference is "Reinvest...Rebuild...Renew," and is being held at the Washington Convention Center from September 23-26.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn, right, hosted an Environmental Justice Braintrust that discussed various energy alternatives, including nuclear, wind, solar, hydrogen, clean coal, biofuels, and more, in the development of a comprehensive national energy policy that could reduce our dependency on foreign fuel, meet the challenges of climate change, and create new green economies. Congressman Clyburn insists that any comprehensive energy policy must focus on the relationship between these issues and human health.

This year's Braintrust focused on the creation of jobs and business opportunities for minority and small businesses. Representative James E. Clyburn moderated the forum and panelists included: Cynthia V. Anderson, Director EM Recovery Act Program, Office of Environmental Management, U.S. DOE; Jeffrey M. Allison, Manager, Savannah River Operations; Sam W. Artis, CPCM, Director, Small Business Liaison Office, URS Corporation; Bud DeFlaviis, Director, Government Affairs, U.S. Fuel Cell Council; Dennis Fitzgibbons, V.P., Federal Affairs, First Solar; Dave Harden, Director, Energy City, SC; Edward S. Harrbard, Jr., Esq., Director, Government Affairs, Renewable Fuels Association; Charles L. Munns, President & CEO, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, LLC.

Mathy Stanislaus to Environmental Justice Stakeholders‏

Letter from Mathy Stanislaus to Environmental Justice Stakeholders‏

Greetings!

I am Mathy Stanislaus, and President Obama recently appointed me to serve as the Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER). I’m writing today to introduce myself and ask for your help, advice, and cooperation in the months ahead. As you know, OSWER has primary responsibility for leading or supporting federal action related to a host of issues crucially important to public health, environmental quality, and future economic growth in the United States. These issues include cleaning up contaminated land, responding to human health and environmental emergencies, and supporting the more efficient use of, recovery, reuse, and/or proper disposal of virtually all materials used in our economy. This is a daunting task, and I am keenly aware of the challenges that it poses to EPA, OSWER, and myself.

In light of the broad scope of my responsibilities, I am inviting you to lend your support as OSWER begins this new era under President Obama. I believe that government works best when it listens carefully to the opinions and criticisms of interested stakeholders, ensures ongoing public participation in government decisions, and learns from successful models. Your organization includes people with a broad range of insights and experience in many of the issues facing us, and I encourage you to use those assets in cooperation with OSWER as we work toward our shared goals. As a first step, I’m inviting you to send me any comments or suggestions you may have for restructuring OSWER programs to provide greater transparency in our decision making and more accessibility to information, especially for vulnerable communities.

How should EPA’s process for developing and issuing policy, rules, or guidance be opened so that we can gain from your experience and insights? How can we develop better strategies for handling waste or cleaning up contaminated sites? How should we enhance or redesign the public processes used at individual cleanup sites so that local communities are more fully informed and consulted?

Furthermore, I intend to use the Internet to expand my interactions with the public. I can be reached by e-mail at aastanislaus@epa.gov. Feel free to use that address to send me your thoughts on OSWER issues. We will also be hosting video town hall meetings so that interested groups across the country can speak directly with me and OSWER experts. In the coming months we will be launching the OSWER discussion forum, an online conversation where EPA officials and the public will be able to post and respond to comments on specific topics. Please participate, because your views will inform my management of OSWER at every step.

I personally intend to meet with as many of you as possible both here at EPA headquarters in Washington, DC, and as I visit EPA’s regional offices around the country.

Thank you in advance for any assistance you may give me in the future. I look forward to meeting you, listening to your views, and – when the occasion requires – working cooperatively with your organization to improve the lives of all Americans.

Sincerely,
Mathy Stanislaus

Comments of Lisa P. Jackson at NEJAC

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson spoke to the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Crystal City, VA. The Council met July 21-23, 2009, to discuss EPA (NEJAC) priorities related to environmental justice, school air toxics monitoring, recommendations for goods movement impacts on air quality, and other topics.

"The inauguration of the first African American president, and my subsequent confirmation as the first African American Administrator of this Agency, has forever changed the face of environmentalism in this country. I hope it sends a clear signal that environmentalism does not
come in any one shape, size, or look. And if anyone lives out this truth on a daily basis – it’s you.

Environmentalism is not only about protecting wilderness or saving polar ice caps. As important as those things are, environmentalism is also about protecting people in the places where they live, and work, and raise families. It’s about making our urban and suburban neighborhoods safe and clean, about protecting children in their schools, and workers at their jobs."

Full Statement

NEJAC

Video

John Rosenthall Interviews Lisa. P. Jackson

John Rosenthall interviewed EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson on environmental justice issues on July 6, 2009 at EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Environmental Justice Vol. 2, No. 2, June 2009: Now Online‏

Environmental JusticeVolume: 2, Number: 2 June 2009 is now available online from Liebert Online

Click on the links below to view the abstract for each article, or click on the link above to read the table of contents online.

If you need any further help, please email the publishers.

Letter from the Editor

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 47. Citation PDF (203 KB) PDF Plus (204 KB)
Original Articles

An Environmental Justice Analysis: Superfund Sites and Surrounding Communities in Illinois

Angela R. Maranville, Tih-Fen Ting, and Yang Zhang

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 49-58. Abstract PDF (17464 KB) PDF Plus (320 KB)

The Relevance of History to Environmental Justice

Michael Egan

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 59-61. Abstract PDF (52 KB) PDF Plus (52 KB)

Equal Rights, Unequal Share: Implementing Judicial Allocation to Indian and Non-Indian Fisheries in Northern Wisconsin

George R. Spangler and Tsegaye H. Nega

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 63-68. Abstract PDF (3728 KB) PDF Plus (152 KB)

Restorative Environmental Justice: Assessing Brownfield Initiatives, Revitalization, and Community Economic Development in St. Petersburg, Florida

Joseph W. Dorsey

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 69-78. Abstract PDF (4787 KB) PDF Plus (282 KB)

Climate Change Policies in Singapore: Whose “Environments” Are We Talking About?

Lim Weida

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 79-83.Abstract PDF (82 KB) PDF Plus (82 KB)

Environmental Injustice in Siting Nuclear Plants

Mary Alldred and Kristin Shrader-Frechette

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 85-96. Abstract PDF (2756 KB) PDF Plus (2757 KB)

Book Review

Inescapable Ecologies: A History of Environment, Disease, and Knowledge

Edward D. Melillo

Environmental Justice June 2009, Vol. 2, No. 2: 97-98. Citation PDF (41 KB) PDF Plus (42 KB)

Grand Opening Session: Moot Court Room, Howard Law

Tim Fields

Former Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste and Emergency Response, U.S. EPA

Senior Vice President, MDB, Inc.

Presiders at Double Tree Hotel Luncheon

Panelists: EJ, Climate Change and Clean Coal

Ben Chavis and Avis Robinson

Closing Luncheon

SRS Staff, Jeff Allison, Lessie Price, John Rosenthall, Geraldine Herring, Ben Wilson, Melinda Downing, Gerald Boyd

Kurt L. Schmoke Howard Law Dean Opens Conference

Attendee Letter: State of EJ in America Conference 2009

Dear Melinda [Downing],

It was a pleasure to meet you at the conference and toparticipate in the Mayors Briefing on the ARRA of 2009. I am writing to congratulate you and everyone on your Planning Committee for a successful conference which truly reflects the fact that Environmental Justice is in its second generation of mature dialogue, involvement of abroad spectrum of stakeholders, and tangible progress. As an EPA manager who has been actively involved in integrating EJ issues in EPAprograms under my supervision (and who was tutored and inspired by Tim Fields' leadership when he was at EPA).

I am very impressed by the diversity of issues which have been embraced by the EJ community nd the variety of stakeholders who are now at the table. Clearly, persistence and leadership are creating results. I truly enjoyed the conference and learned a great deal from each of the sessions I attended; I assure you that it is knowledge that will be used. You and your colleagues deserve the kudos and mementos of appreciation you received at the closing plenary session but I know that is not what keeps you motivated!

Finally, as someone who has attended perhaps a couple hundredconferences over the course of my professional life, I do want to note that you created a very friendly atmosphere which, in turn, was very conducive to networking. Please keep me on your mailing list for developments which may be of interest for those of us at EPA.

All best wishes and congratulations,

Maria Vickers

Luke Cole Killed in Car Crash in Uganda

Environmental justice activist Luke Cole, left, was killed in a car accident this week in Uganda. Mr. Cole had taken a sabbatical from the Center for Race, Poverty and the Environment , which he headed, to travel the world.

Cole was well-known for his work on numerous leading environmental justice cases, including as counsel for the Native Village of Kivalina in its case seeking damages from large greenhouse gas emitters from the melting away of their Alaskan village. He was also a prolific writer, and co-authored an influential book with Professor Sheila Foster, "From the Ground Up: Environmental Racism and the Rise ofthe Environmental Justice Movement." He taught courses in Environmental Justice at UC Berkeley, UC Hastings and Stanford Law. Berkeley’s Ecology Law Quarterly honored Luke in 1997 with its Environmental Leadership Award. He is survived by his wife, Nancy, andhis son Zane.

EPA Adminstrator Speaks At EJ in America Conference 2009

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, above, delivered a powerful statement via video to the attendees at The State of Environmental Justice in America Conference 2009.

The administrator received enthusiastic applause after her recorded statement. Administrator Jackson could not attend the conference because she was travelling in the Netherlands and France touring local water and energy projects and addressing global environmental issues.

Her full statement is at the video below.

Third and Final Day of EJ Conference Is Very Successful

The luncheon at the end of the conference was capped off by a video presentation from EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. She received loud applause. Thank you Administrator Jackson.

The final day of the conference was well attended and it is being reported that the panels were very informative and interactive. The last day agenda is below.

What Can the Stimulus Package Do for You? Federal Effortsto Expand Economic Opportunities and Promote Green Economies. Moderator: David Widawsky, Director, National Center on Economic and Innovation, United States Environmental Protection Agency Presenters: Velma Charles-Shannon, Environmental Justice Program Manager, Office of Outreach, United States Department ofAgricultureCarlton Eley, Program Manager, Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation, United States Environmental Protection Agency Jean Diggs, Program Manager, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, United States Department of Energy Jennifer Troke, Program Manager, Employment and Training Administration, United States Department of Lab or David S. Dillard, Economic Recovery Executive, United States Forest Service.

Engaging Students Climate Change - A Hands on ApproachConducting Waste Audits from the Garden to the Kitchen Cradle to Cradle. Moderator: Beverly Whitehead, Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Health, Safety and Security, United States Department of Energy Presenters: Danielle Purifoy, Environmental Projects Coordinator, City of New Orleans Kari Fulton, National Campus Campaign Coordinator, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative Jerald L. White, Filmmaker and Community Advocate, Bottletree Productions Merilee Harrigan, Vice President for Education, Alliance to Save Energy.

The Impacts of Climate Change – How Does It Affect Us. Moderator: David Padgett, Associate Professor, TennesseeState UniversityPresenters:Rosina Phillipe, Representative, Atakapa -Ishak Native AmericanTribe, and Member of American Wetlands Conversation Corps(AWCC)Sacoby Wilson, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina Shankar Prasad, Executive Fellow, Coalition for Clean Air.

New Orleans: Before and After Hurricane Katrina. Moderator: Pamela Bingham, Diversity Chair & SustainabilityCommittee, American Society of Civil EngineersPresenters: Royce Duplessis, Student, Howard University School of Law Brandi White, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Minnesota Cheryl Johnson, Executive Director, People for CommunityRecovery, Altgeld Gardens.

Lead Poisoning and The precautionary Principle. Moderator: Anthony J. Brownlow, Management Analyst, Department of Justice Presenters:Christina Wadlington, Program Manager, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mia Whang Spiker, Student, Howard University School of Law Nelta Edwards, Professor, University of Alaska.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS Best Practices for Using the National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA) to Address EJ Challenges Moderators: Horst Greczmiel, Associate Director for NEPA Oversight, Council on Environmental Quality & Susan Bromm, Director, Office of Federal Activities, United States Environmental Protection Agency Presenters: Harold E. Peaks, Office of Project Development and Environmental Review, Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation Reggie Harris, Environmental Justice Coordinator, Region 3, United States Environmental Protection Agency Jim McElfish, Senior Attorney, Environmental Law Institute.

Have Your Water and Drink It Too: Facing the Challenges of Maintaining Water Infrastructure in Disadvantaged Communities Moderator: Charles Lee, Director, Office of Environmental Justice, United States Environmental Protection Agency Presenters: Mike Shapiro, Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Water, United States Environmental Protection Agency Stephanie Adrian, International Water Programs Manager,Office of International Affairs, United States Environmental Protection Agency Sandi Boughton, Manager, Utility Programs, Water/Waste andRural Development, United States Department of Agriculture Cynthia D. West, Deputy Director, Pacific Northwest Research Station, U.S. Forest Service.

Ensuring Green Jobs Address Equality and Justice for our Community Moderator: Karen Wilson, Vice President, Institutional Development, Tougaloo CollegePresenters:Danielle Purifoy, Environmental Projects Coordinator, City of New Orleans Sally Prouty, President, Core Network Susan Tucker, Director, The After Prison Initiative, CriminalJustice Fund/US Programs, Open Society Institute David Widawsky, Acting Director, National Cent er forEnvironmental Innovation, United States EnvironmentalProtection Agency.

Renewable Energy and Economic Alternatives for the Navajo Nation Moderator: Rhonda Brown, Faith-Based and NeighborhoodPartnerships Coordinator, United States Department of Agriculture Presenters:Bob Gough, Attorney, Intertribal COUP Darcie Houck, Attorney, Fredericka Peebles & Morgan, LLPSteve Tromly, Archaeologist, Bonneville Power Administration.

Proliferation of Bioweapons Laboratories – A Threat to Environmental and Social Justice Moderator: Leslie D. Nelson, Consultant, S.M. Stoller Corporation Presenters: Klare Allen, Lead Organizer, Roxbury (MA) Safety Net,Vicky Steinitz, Coordinator, Greater Boston Stop the BU Bio -Terror Lab Coalition Beth Willis, Co-Founder, Fredrick Citizens for Bio-Lab Safety

Designing Safety Models for Communities Moderator: Kathleen Binder, Director, Office of DisputeResolution, United States Department of EnergyPresenters:Michael Wenstrom, Coordinator, Environmental Justice Team,United States Environmental Protection Agency David Padgett, Associate Professor, Tennessee State University12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Closing Luncheon Crystal Ballroom Speakers: Jeff Allison, Manager, Savannah River Site, United States Department of Energy Gerald Boyd, Manager, Oak Ridge Site, United States Department of Energy

Day Two of Conference Moves To the Double Tree

The second day of the conference mirrored the first day in terms of attendance and interest. People from all over the country were wide-eyed and ready to question panelists. A description of the activities is below.

OPENING SESSION: Environmental Justice in the Obama Administration, Presider: Melinda Downing, Environmental Justice ProgramManager, United States Department of Energy. Keynote Speaker: The Honorable Anne Bartuska, Acting UnderSecretary, Natural Resources and Environment, United States Department of Agriculture.

CONFERENCE PLENARY SESSION: Federal Agencies Discussion, Presider: Darcie L. Houck, Attorney at Law, Fredericks Peebles & Morgan LLP. Discussion Leader: John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General,United States Department of Justice. Panelists: David Hayes, Deputy Secretary, United States Department ofInterior Cheryl Cook, Deputy Under Secretary, Rural Development, United States Department of Agriculture. John Atcheson, Energy Technology Program Specialist , United StatesDepartment of Energy

CONCURRENT SESSIONS: We Are From the Government and We Are Here to Help. Federal Efforts to Integrate Environmental Justice. Moderator: Nicolas Targ, Program Manager, Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice, Office of Environmental Justice, United States Environmental Protection Agency Presenters: Carolyn Harper, Environmental Justice Initiatives, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry National Center for Environmental Health ,Centers for Disease Control Melinda Downing, Environmental Justice Program Manager, United States Department of Energy Carlton Lewis, Program Compliance Manager, Civil Rights/Program Compliance, Rural Development, United States Department of Agriculture Gladys Gary Vaughn, Director, Office of Outreach, United States Department of Agriculture Kent Benjamin, Associate Director, Office of Environmental Justice, Program Development and Integration, United States Environmental Protection Agency Susan Mockenhaupt, Program Manager, Urban & Community Forestry, U.S. Forest Service. Safiya Samman, Director, Conservation Education, U.S. Forest Service.

Bringing Federal Dollars Back to your Community: How toAccess Federal “EJ” Grants and other Grant-Writing Tips. Moderator: Geraldine Herring, Special Outreach ProgramManager, Office of Outreach and Diversity, United States Department of Agriculture Presenters: Sheila Lewis, Grants Manager, Office of Environmental J ustice,United States Environmental Protection Agency. Liam R. O'Fallon, Program Administrator, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Health and Human Services.

Getting a Seat at the Climate Change Table: Using Public Comment Periods to Your Benefit Wilson (This session features a hands on exercise) Moderator: Fred Jenkins, Environmental Justice Coordinator,Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances, United States Environmental Protection Agency Presenters: Juanita Constible, Coastal Louisiana Technical Analyst, National Wildlife Federation. Sacoby Wilson, Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina Bryce E. Feighner, Supervisor, Chemical Process Unit, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

Technology, Indigenous Communities and Human Rights Moderator: Johny Chaklader, Co-founder and President, Shapna and Co-founder of TEI and Student, Howard University School of LawPresenters: Chadwick Valliant, Student, Howard University School of Law Leila Khazra, Student, Howard University School of Law Kristen Bowden, Student, Howard University School of Law

Worker Training Panel: Green Jobs, Environmental Safety and Health Training to Support Green Jobs Initiative Nationwide Van Buren Moderator: Joseph “Chip” Hughes, Director, Worker Education and Training Program, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Presenters: Roshani Dantas, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice Green Jobs Training ProgramJerome Ringo, President, Apollo Alliance Myra Lewis, Assistant Director, Dillard University, Deep South Center for Environmental Justice Patrick Brown, Trainer, OAI, Inc.

CONFERENCE PLENARY SESSION Poverty, Environmental Justice and Sustainable Agriculture -The Shapna Project Presider: Geraldine Herring, Special Outreach Program Manager, Office of Outreach and Diversity, United States Department of Agriculture Presenters: Tiffany Taylor, Co-founder and CFO, Shapna, and Co-founder,The Empowerment Initiative (TEI) Nick Elton, Co-founder and Chief Compliance Officer, Shapna and Co-founder, TEIElman Woodson, Chief Marketing Officer, Shapna and cofounder of TEIJohny Chaklader, Co-founder and President of Shapna and co -founder of TEISyed Hasib, Chairman and Co-founder of Tetulia Tea CompanyLimited (TTCL) Monjur Hossain, Vice Chairman, TTCLMosharraf Hossain, Managing Director.

Special Session Meet the Agencies

CONFERENCE PLENARY SESSION Health Disparities – The Unique Relationship Between the Quality ofour Environment and Health Disparities Moderator: David Rivers, Assistant Professor and Director of thePublic Information and Community Outreach, Medical University ofSouth CarolinaPanelists: The Honorable Donna Christ ianson, Member of Congress,US Virgin IslandsDebra Furr-Holden, Assistant Professor, Director, DIVE Studies Laboratory, Johns Hopkins UniversityMichael Bird, Public Health Consultant , Past President of the American Public Health Association

CONCURRENT Not on My Highway/Port: Federal and Corporate Partnerships Working to Reduce the Environmental Impact of Local Goods Movement Moderator: Mustafa Ali, Communications Lead, Office ofEnvironmental Justice, United States Environmental Protection AgencyPresenters:Victor McMahan, Office of Air and Radi ation, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, United States Environmental Protection AgencyApril Marchese, Director, Office of Natural and Human Environment, Federal Highway Administration, Department ofTransportationPatrick Davis, Vehicle Technologies, Office of Energy Efficiencyand Renewable Energy, United States Department of Energy Craig Boroughf, Director, Transpor tation, USG Corporation Jack W. Gehring, Director, Emission Regulations andConformance, Caterpillar Inc.

Public Education: Climate Change, Environmental Justiceand Public Health Issues Moderator: Sonya Baskerville, Manager, National Relations at Bonneville Power Administration, United States Department of EnergyPresenters: Nia Robinson, Director, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative, Earth Justice Elizabeth C. Yeamprierre, Executive Director, UPROSE and Chair, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance Sharon Gauthe, Executive Director, Bayou Interfaith SharedCommunity Organizing (BISCO)

Climate Change and the Economy Moderator: Bruce Rooths, Senior Management Analyst, SAIC Presenters:Dawn Harris Jeffries, Financial Advisor, Merrill Lynch Milton Bluehouse Jr., Environmental Justice a nd Tribal Liaison,State of New MexicoDoug Wyatt, Senior Consulting Scientist and Program Director, New Energy and Environmental Sciences, URS Corporation

Grass Roots Communities with Concrete Plans of Solving. Global Warming and Climate Justice Work and Sustainable Building for Entry Level and Low Income Citizens Moderator: Alfred Dixon, Former Mayor, Greenevers, North Carolina Presenters: Michael Loya, Technologies Specialist and Principal, La MesillaVerde.comLori Goodman, Treasurer, Dine’ Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment (Dine’ C.A.R.E.)

Environmental Justice at Work in Communities: Practical Case Studies Moderator: Ben Wilson, Managing Principal, Beveridge & Diamond, PC Presenters: Rich Walsh, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel forEnvironmental Safety and Regulatory Affairs, Valero EnergyCorporationHilton Kelley, Founder and CEO, Community In -Power & Development Association, Inc. Albertha Hasten, President, Louisiana Environmental Justice Community Organization Coalition John Segal, Attorney, Shenetech

Approaches to Brownfields Redevelopment Jackson Presenters: Nicolas Targ, Partner, Holland and Knight, LLPMichael Goldstein, Attorney, Akerman Senterfitt

2009 Conference Opening is a Spectacular Success

The opening of the State of Environmental Justice in America 2009 Conference was a complete success. Not only was the Moot Court at the Howard University School of Law packed, but Washington, D.C. power couple Avis and Eugene Robinson made quite a splash. Avis wowed the crowd from the dais and Eugene gets his Pulitzer tomorrow. Dr. Benjamin Chavis also participated in the opening forum. Clearly, this conference is off to an awesome start. Buckle your seat belts because John Rosenthall and the massive planning committee have organized an amazing environmental justice get together.

Presider: John Rosenthall, President, EJ Conference, Inc.Moderators: Timothy Fields, Jr., Former Assistant Administrator for Solid Waste andEmergency Response, United States Environmental Protection Agency and SeniorVice President, MDB, Inc.Lessie Price, Manager, Public Affairs Division, URS, Washington Division. Opening Presentation: How the Obama Administration Will Handle Environmental Justice, Energy and Climate Change. Presenter: Craig E. Hooks, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office ofAdministration and Resource Management, United States Environmental. Panel Discussion: Environmental Justice, Climate Change and Clean Coal-Panelists:Gina Wood, Director of Policy and Planning, Joint Center for Politics andEconomic StudiesShankar Prasad, Executive Fellow, Coalition for Clean Air, Beverly Hogan, President, Tougaloo College Doug Wyatt, Program Director, New Energy & Environmental Sciences, Lead, Integrated Carbon Solutions, URS Washington Division John Atcheson, Energy Technology Program Specialist, U.S. Department of Energy, Leslie Baskerville, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education Avis Robinson, Former Deputy Director, Office of Atmospheric Programs (EPA) and President, Washington Metropolitan Scholars Closing Remarks: Okianer Christian Dark, Associate Dean, Howard University School of Law.

Dr. Mildred McLain was given an award and she addressed the crowd. If you know Dr. McLain, you have to know that it was not just a 'regular' acceptance speech. She serenaded the crowd and dedicated the award to one of her mentors. She also recognized DOE's Melinda Downing as a mentor (Melinda reciprocated).

There was a great reception at 7:00 p.m. in the Dining Hall and the Mistress of Ceremonies was Geraldine Herring, USDA. In addition to the great food, there was a Special Presentation by Michael Bullock Sr., Washington Bio-EnergyGroup and Selma al-Dairi, Mosaic Group, LLC.

Ben Chavis To Address EJ in America Conference

Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr, right, will discuss environmental justice, campus greening, sustainability and other matters at a conference today at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, DC. Chavis is known for coining the phrase “Environmental Racism” and has been an environmental justice advocate for decades. He will present on a panel discussion at the Third Annual State of Environmental Justice in America Conference on May 27.

The conference will continue on Thursday and Friday at the Crystal City Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Va. The conference bring together participants from federal agencies, academia, business and industry, non-profit organizations, local community activists and citizens to dialogue on achieving equality of environmental protection. This year’s conference will focus on youth involvement, sustainable community planning, environmental health indisadvantaged communities, and environmental justice considerations in emergency preparedness and homeland protection.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on EJ in China

"Workers rights, human rights, people's rights are part of environmental justice. Environmental justice is a principle that must be upheld as we go forward."




The Wall Street Journal, 5/26/09

EPA To Discuss EJ at Washington Conference

The Environmental Protection Agency will address environmental justice issues at a conference tomorrow at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Craig Hooks, EPA acting administrator for the Office of Administration and Resources Management, will deliver the keynote speech at the Third Annual State of Environmental Justice in America Conference on May 27.

The conference will continue on Thursday and Friday at the Crystal City Doubletree Hotel in Crystal City, Va. The conference aims to bring together participants from federal agencies, academia, business and industry, non-profit organizations, local community activists and citizens to dialogue on achieving equality of environmental protection. This year’s conference will focus on youth involvement, sustainable community planning, environmental health in disadvantaged communities, and environmental justice considerations in emergency preparedness and homeland protection.

EPA’s own environmental justice program helps disproportionately-impacted communities create healthy, sustainable neighborhoods through local projects aligned with the top five priorities of EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson — protecting America’s water, improving air quality, managing chemical risks, cleaning up hazardous waste sites, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Over the past 15 years, EPA has awarded more than $32 million in environmental justice funding to help more than 1,100 communities address local pollution problems, creating healthier and more sustainable environments. More information