Order Boosts Environmental Justice; Policy Gives Public a Say on Decisions Concerning Air, Water and Noise Pollution
Posted on: Monday, 21 November 2005, 12:00 CST
By TANIA SOUSSAN Journal Staff Writer
Environmental justice issues are getting some high-profile attention in New Mexico.
Gov. Bill Richardson signed an executive order Friday, directing state agencies to involve the public in environmental decisions and creating a task force to address the issue.
"This is very clearly a historical moment," said Richard Moore, director of the Southwest Network of Environmental and Economic Justice. "It's taken us a long time to get here."
Environmental justice refers to ensuring that no group -- cultural, racial or economic -- bears an unfair environmental burden, such as air pollution, water contamination or noise.
Moore said grassroots organizations have been asking governors for years to recognize the environmental justice problems that affect minority and poor New Mexicans.
"We've seen an escalation throughout the years of not-so-healthy industries locating in primarily communities of color," he said.
Richardson's order requires public health and environmental information be available in Spanish and tribal languages as appropriate.
In addition, Cabinet-level departments and boards are to consider environmental justice when making decisions about permits, violations and clean-ups at existing and new facilities.
"This effort will mean better health protection, especially for New Mexico's children," Richardson said in a news release. "It will also lead to more meaningful involvement for all New Mexicans in environmental decisions and more direct communication with citizens."
Albuquerque's South Valley is an example of a minority, low- income community bearing greater environmental impacts than other parts of the city, said Environment Deputy Secretary Derrith Watchman-Moore.
The area has several Superfund sites, a landfill, the city waste- water treatment plant and other industrial facilities.
The push for an environmental justice policy came out of a series of listening sessions held around the state by the Environment Department, Watchman-Moore and Moore said.
"There is a cry, if you will, of people wanting to participate in government, wanting more access to decisions that we make," Watchman- Moore said. "It's all about quality of life and how do we improve that."
Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces spoke at the signing ceremony in Las Cruces.
"At times, we are concerned that especially low-income residents are voiceless when faced with enterprises that threaten their surroundings," he said, adding that public officials should focus on environmental issues "to eradicate actions and policies which perpetuate various forms of environmental injustice."
Six other states have formal environmental justice efforts.
Source: Albuquerque Journal
Related Articles
- Farmworker Groups Ask EPA Administrator to Protect Farmworker Communities, Reconsider Hazardous Pesticide Use Decision, and Uphold Environmental Justice
- Commonwealth Court Upholds Environmental Hearing Board Decision, DEP Notice Procedures on Chloramine Use
- Premier Issue of Environmental Justice Just Published
- The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice Hosts Symposium to Examine Katrina Recovery in Gulf Coast
- Diamond: A Struggle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana's Chemical Corridor
- Environmental Risk Management Decision-Making in a Societal Context
- PA DEP Seeks Members for Environmental Justice Advisory Board
- China to Make Environmental Information More Transparent to Public
- Converging Stories: Race, Ecology, and Environmental Justice in American Literature
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds