The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment means that no group of people, including a racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic group, should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, municipal, and commercial operations or the execution of federal, state, local, and tribal programs and policies.”

Inequity permeates our region. Low-income and minority communities in Southeast Houston are heavily burdened by industrial pollutants. Proximity to hazardous waste disposal facilities and contaminated sites lowers property value. Surveys indicate that more litter is present in low-income neighborhoods, and maps of the area reveal a higher number of illegal tire and trash dumps in the inner city.[i] Even urban sprawl is an environmental justice issue; as the middle class heads to the suburbs, the working class is left in tax-poor, badly maintained inner city neighborhoods.

Recent Progress

A national and local movement of grassroots activism is arising around environmental justice issues. Low-income and minority communities that once lacked the resources to effect change are beginning to make a difference; traditional environmental groups are starting to embrace inequity and disparate health impacts as issues.

The environmental justice movement has led government agencies to include equity issues in policy decisions. It may be many years, however, before these changes in policy effectively protect disenfranchised communities.

What You Can Do

Speak up

If you believe your neighborhood has more than its share of environmental problems, contact the EPA Region 6, Office of Environmental Justice at (214) 665-7401 to find out what you can do. The Environmental Justice Clinic at Texas Southern University also offers legal assistance and community organizing to disenfranchised communities. Call (713) 313-7287 for more information.