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Examining The Air We Breathe: Epa Should Evaluate Cumulative Impacts When It Promulgates National Ambient Air Quality Standards, Deborah N. Behles
Examining The Air We Breathe: Epa Should Evaluate Cumulative Impacts When It Promulgates National Ambient Air Quality Standards, Deborah N. Behles
Publications
Inhaling air pollutants can lead to a variety of adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. This potential risk for health impacts is likely greater when the mixture of pollutants that exists in ambient air, rather than isolated pollutants, are inhaled. Despite the evidence of potential cumulative impacts, EPA has continued to focus its analysis of health impacts on isolated pollutants instead of the actual mixture we breathe. This article proposes that EPA should evaluate and consider cumulative health impacts when it sets national ambient air quality standards under the Clean Air Act. EPA is considering two pollutants together to determine …
Environmental Justice, Clifford Rechtschaffen, Eileen Guana, Catherine A. O'Neill
Environmental Justice, Clifford Rechtschaffen, Eileen Guana, Catherine A. O'Neill
Publications
This white paper describes briefly the remarkable journey of community-based environmental justice advocates over the last 15 years and their impact on environmental regulation. It will also describe some of the empirical evidence of disparities and the regulatory dynamics that make these inequities an intractable problem, despite the collective efforts of grassroots leaders, environmental justice organizations, public interest law firms, and governmental officials. The paper then focuses on one important set of issues that must be tackled in order to achieve environmental justice: those involving injustice in risk regulation.
Improving State Environmental Enforcement Performance Through Enhanced Government Accountability And Other Strategies, Clifford Rechtschaffen, David L. Markell
Improving State Environmental Enforcement Performance Through Enhanced Government Accountability And Other Strategies, Clifford Rechtschaffen, David L. Markell
Publications
This Article discusses a number of options for EPA to strengthen state performance and bring it more in line with EPA's expectations. First, EPA must play a stricter gate-keeping function in initially authorizing state programs, and more regularly reassess and report the adequacy of state enforcement authorities and state capacity. Second, EPA must stop delivering a mixed message to the states about the enforcement practices it expects the states to follow. Instead, it must establish clear expectations for performance. Third, in terms of the substance of those expectations, EPA should revise its criteria for evaluating whether state enforcement programs work. …
California Comparative Risk Project (1994). Toward The 21st Century: Planning For The Protection Of California's Environment, Alan Ramo
Publications
Participants in the California Comparative Risk Project were charged with identifying environmental threats of the greatest ecological, human health, and societal concern using the risk ranking model. However, agreeing that risk is not the only factor that should be considered, our project also examined how economics, pollution prevention, environmental justice, education, and public participation contribute to environmental decision-making. The unique inclusion of this aspect in our project was in response to a growing debate nationally and in California about the limitations of a risk-ranking model for setting environmental priorities. The findings and recommendations of the California Comparative Risk Project are …