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Old And New Environmental Racism, Tseming Yang

Utah Law Review

Over the past five decades, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) moved from purposeful disregard of environmental racism to a public embrace of environmental justice as an organizational priority. Unfortunately, its efforts to address environmental discrimination remain a work-in-progress. This Article posits that the Agency’s core difficulties have arisen out of its reluctance to accept the continuing salience of race and the substantive implications for its regulatory work. It has blinded the Agency to the evolving manifestations of environmental discrimination and associated harms. The effect has been to impede the aggressive enforcement of antidiscrimination laws, particularly the discriminatory effects regulations …

Environmental Racism And Hazardous Facility Siting Decisions: Noble Cause Or Political Tool?, Christopher Billias

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Proving Environmental Inequity In Siting Locally Unwanted Land Uses, Michael Greenberg

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

This paper advances a process for determining whether, e.g., waste-to-energy facilities are disproportionately located in minority and poor communities, and the author asks others to join in searching for a scientifically sound and fair process of resolving conflicting interests in locating LULUs. He also discusses some difficult issues and argues that they need to be addressed by a representative panel.

Remedying Environmental Racism, Rachel D. Godsil

Michigan Law Review

This Note addresses the equity issues that arise in the placement of commercial hazardous waste facilities. Currently, minorities are shouldering an unequal share of the burdens of hazardous waste16 while the benefits of production that results in hazardous waste are dispersed throughout society. Studies demonstrate that poor whites are overburdened as well. While inequitable distribution of wastesites along class lines is troubling and deserving of attention, this Note focuses specifically on the burdens facing racial minorities.

This Note contends that all races should share equitably the burdens and risks of hazardous waste facilities. Part I documents the disproportionate burden of …