Echoing the U.S. Supreme Court's stance on affirmative action, 23 states urge the EPA to abandon race considerations in pollution laws.
Mario Alejandro Ariza reports for Floodlight.
In short:
- The petition, led by Florida's attorney general, challenges the Biden administration's environmental justice efforts, which prioritize funds to impact minority communities.
- Earthjustice's litigation VP Andre Segura criticized the move as ignoring the historical placement of harmful facilities in minority areas.
- The EPA's enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has evolved to include disparate impact considerations, which are now under attack by the petition.
Key quote:
“The fact is, many of the states that have signed the petition have historically allowed these harmful facilities to be placed in predominantly Black and brown communities, without regard for the health and safety of residents.”
— Andre Segura, vice president of litigation at Earthjustice
Why this matters:
Pollution in the U.S. disproportionately affects low-income and minority communities, often because of past policies that enable the concentration of polluting facilities in or near such neighborhoods. The legacy of those policies lives on as these communities frequently suffer disproportionately from adverse health impacts associated with polluting industry.
In his reporting, Ariza notes that the current push by conservative states to abandon race considerations in pollution laws could lead to significant changes in EPA policy if Donald Trump wins the presidential election.
Learn more: Dr. Jalonne White-Newsome recently joined the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to discuss how the Biden administration is incorporating environmental justice across federal agencies.
