Law Commons^™

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 …

The Role Of Existing Environmental Laws In The Environmental Justice Movement, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

I will focus on what can and cannot be done under the existing statutory and regulatory structures and the common law to protect minority communities from environmental hazards. I will highlight some of the current holes in the legal system to suggest areas where statutory reform might be useful. Fights against these facilities break down between future unbuilt facilities, on the one hand, and existing facilities on the other hand.

A broad array of statutes regulates future facilities, such as landfills, incinerators, interstate highways, and polluting factories. Some of these laws are aimed at providing information and requiring the decision …