URGING ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN OUR COMMUNITIES

WHEREAS, environmental justice issues in our communities are the convergence of impacts surrounding ecological devastation and civil rights abuses; and

WHEREAS, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) believes that lowincome communities are disproportionately targeted with some of the most environmentally unfriendly business enterprises; and

WHEREAS, industry is an important asset to economically developing our communities; and

WHEREAS, the economic development promoted by industry often comes with an ecological cost that can cause countless health problems and millions of dollars in revenue; and

WHEREAS, States such as Maryland, which assembled a Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities in 2001; Georgia, which has a anti-concentration law for solid waste facilities; Pennsylvania, which has an Office of Environmental Advocate; and Texas, which has an Environmental Equity Program have taken steps to address environmental justice at an official level; and

WHEREAS, according to a recent Government Accountability Office study of measurable benchmarks for environmental justice issues, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rulemaking process has been void of proper guidance for rulemaking workgroups, and, therefore, lacks proper perspective on how to discover and assess possible environmental justice issues; and

WHEREAS, there have been several Congressional efforts (e.g. the Environmental Justice Act of 2007 – S.642 and H.R.1103) to codify Executive Order 12898, relating to environmental justice, to require the Administrator of the EPA to fully implement the recommendations on the Inspector General of the Agency and the Comptroller General of the United States.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that on behalf of its members, NBCSL calls on Congress to make environmental justice issues paramount in the EPA rulemaking process by codifying Executive Order 12898; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL believes developing training programs for EPA staff and rulemaking workgroup leaders is essential to identifying environmental justice issues and addressing them in newly proposed rules; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL members shall review the environmental justice policies of their States in an effort to improve them through the possible establishment of an Environmental Justice Advocate’s Office that can review the environmental justice issues involved in constructing all new industry complexes where industrial processes occur; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that copies of this Resolution be dispatched to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, Members of Congress, House and Senate Leadership, and other elected officials as appropriate.

Sponsor: The Rules Committee
Committee of Jurisdiction: Committee on Energy, Transportation, & Environment
Certified by Committee Chair: Representative Bill Crawford (IN)
Ratified in Plenary Session; Ratification Date: December 14, 2007
Ratification Certified by: Representative Calvin Smyre (GA), President