Reviving the Environmental Justice Agenda

During his 2008 campaign, President Obama pledged that his administration would put an emphasis on environmental justice, outlining a strategy to address the unequal burden of pollution in low-income, minority and indigenous communities. Though many criticize some of the shortcomings, such as inadequate pursuit of civil rights remedies, the administration has followed through to supply some of the most critical components of solutions to the environmental justice challenge: leadership, capacity, collaboration-in-fact, and funding. This article will examine the reinvigorated Inter-Agency Working Group on Environmental Justice, the roadmaps prepared to address EJ, and significant rules and guidance enacted by the EPA furthering the EJ mission. The paradoxical relationship between overburdened communities and the industries that both nourish and poison them demands more vigilant attention to local conditions atypically addressed at the federal level. The administration’s actions illustrate the importance of the federal role in alleviating unequal environmental burdens