Environmental Justice
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. 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.

Listening Sessions
In 2002, the first environmental justice listen-ing session for the region was held in Houston. The event was sponsored by Texas Southern University's Thurgood Marshall School of Law and the US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 6, to provide community and tribal leaders an opportunity to inform EPA administrators about problems facing their neighborhoods. The session featured two days of workshops on issues of environmental equity and open-mike forums where residents could address EPA staff and some elected officials. The session was a first step toward opening the dialogue between regulators responsible for enforcing environmental laws and the affected communities who are under represented in the process.

Local Justice
A lobby effort was initiated in 2003 by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to localize environmental justice. The group wants the 2005 legislature to pass a law mandating that all state permitting agencies consider social impact when conducting environmental assessments

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 recognizing 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.