Environmental Justice in a Moment of New Opportunities and Challenges

Please join JEEL and EELA as they host Clifford J. Villa, who will present "Environmental Justice in a Moment of New Opportunities and Challenges."

Abstract: Concern for environmental justice recognizes that environmental burdens, such as air pollution and contaminated sites, have long been distributed inequitably according to factors such as race and income. While environmental justice began and remains grounded in local advocacy supported by grassroots organizations, attention to environmental justice has grown over time and has been embraced to varying degrees by major environmental groups and all levels of government. For the federal government, the Biden administration has established environmental justice as a top priority, through initiatives such as Justice40 and through structural changes such as the new EPA Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. Support for environmental justice may also be enhanced through significant new funding as provided through recent legislation including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. This presentation will provide a quick introduction to the history and theory of environmental justice before considering recent developments under the Biden administration and across the states.