Office of Environmental Justice created in the EPA!
The discussion of human rights can quickly become a dreary topic, but this post comes bearing good news. Last Saturday the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that they are creating an Office of Environmental Justice. This office is combining three smaller offices which are environmental justice, civil rights, and conflict prevention and resolution. The new office is a higher level office with a senate approved assistant administrator. This is a huge step for the United States in recognizing and potentially addressing issues of environmental justice. The EPA defines environmental justice as, “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” (Environmental Protection Agency). While this is not specifically included in many Intentional Human rights documents, this is definitely an issue of human rights involving the health and wellbeing of people.
The creation of this office in the EPA is a big step for the movement for multiple reasons. First of all Environmental Justice revolves more around policy and impacts on people than environmental science in general. Due to this, Environmental Justice has taken time to gain attention in the environmental science community. The creation of this office brings even more awareness to the issue not only to communities of science but hopefully United States Citizens in general (assuming that they are engaged and pay attention to politics).
Secondly, hopefully this office will help to get regulations passed and aid in making a difference in places that face environmental justice. One place that is finally seeing some progress after years of battling with industrial companies in the area of Louisiana along the Mississippi river called Cancer Alley. It received this name following studies proving that this area has some of the highest cancer rates in the country. Ideally this would provide support for areas like this to get stricter regulations on pollution.
On the other hand, the battle for environmental justice has been facing struggles recently with the shift of the supreme court towards being more conservative. Additionally during the Trump administration there was little to no progress on the topic of environmental justice. The United States arguably went backwards with the Trump administration with actions such as him reversing decisions about national monuments among others. In June of this year the case West Virginia vs. EPA ruled in favor of West Virginia six to three. In this case the courts concluded that the Clean Power Plan, which was created under the Obama administration, went beyond the EPA’s regulatory authority (cfr.org). There is a major partisan push and pull when it comes to addressing issues of environmental justice but the creation of the Office of Environmental Justice.
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