This week, our readings focused on environmental justice, how it was used in Warren County, and how it may pertain to the Duwamish River and Portland Harbor superfund sites. Environmental racism is a way to describe the institutionalized system in which people of color are more likely to be exposed to environmental and health risks (Bullard, 1993). Environmental justice movement calls for equal protection and fair treatment for all against environmental and health risks, focusing on people of color and low-income communities (Gilliland, 2014). We focused on a case study in Warren County, North Carolina, where the state was interested in dumping PCB laden soil in a secure landfill in Warren County (Geiser & Waneck, 1983). This contributed to the issue of environmental racism since the county was the poorest county in the state, and also 65% black (Geiser & Waneck, 1983). As stated by “Warren County Citizens Concerned about PCBs” leader Ken Ferruccio: “landfills are placed in environmentally unsafe, but politically powerless areas (Geiser & Waneck, 1983).” The community laid down in the middle of the street to stop trucks from dumping PCBs in their neighborhood--the first-ever environmental justice protest by people of color that gained national attention (Geiser & Waneck, 1994). This protest was also the first time where the term “environmental racism” was used (Geiser & Waneck, 1994). Here’s a video of the protest: The work of community members of Warren County led to recognition by President Bill Clinton, who issued an executive order requiring the consideration of environmental justice issues in the course of federal agency policy making (Gilliland, 2014). The approaches to environmental justice by agencies have varied, but the actions taken at the Duwamish River Site are seen as groundbreaking and used as a reference for other CERCLA sites (Gilliland, 2014). Even so, EPA’s environmental justice analysis strongly suggested additional mitigation measures to counter adverse disproportionate impacts felt by communities reliant on the river for subsidence (Gilliland, 2014).
-Kristen Citations: Bullard, R. D. (1993). Confronting Environmental Racism: Voices from the Grassroots. Cambrige, MA: South End Press. Geiser, K., & Waneck, G. (1983). PCBs and warren county. Science for the People, 15(4), 13-17. Geiser, K., & Waneck, G. (1994). PCBs in Warren County. Unequal Protection: Environmental Justice and Communities of Color. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books. Gilliland, A. (2014) A Review of EPA’s First Environmental Justice Analysis in Conjunction with a CERCLA Remediation Plan. Retrieved fromhttp://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/events/environment_energy_resources/2014/03/43rd-spring-conference/conference_materials_portal/12-gilliland_alexandra-paper.authcheckdam.pdf
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