ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE:
AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
1980 - 1998

Prepared by
Ruth Neal and April Allen
Report Series EJRC/CAU-1-96
January 1996
(Updated June 1998)

Environmental Justice Resource Center
Clark Atlanta University
223 James P. Brawley Drive, SW
Atlanta, Georgia 30314
Phone: (404) 880-6911
Facsimile: (404) 880-6909
e-mail: ejrc@cau.edu

 

I. Introduction

II. Environmental Justice and Environmental Equity

III. Unequal Protection and Environmental Racism

IV. Land Use and Facility Siting

V. Legal and Law Review Articles

VI. Books, Monographs, Reports, and Special Issues

 

I. Introduction

Environmental justice embraces the principle that all people and communities are entitled to equal protection of environmental and public health laws and regulations. The environmental justice movement emerged in response to industry and government practices, policies, and conditions that many people judged to be unjust, unfair, and illegal. Some of these practices, policies, and conditions include (1) unequal enforcement of environmental, civil rights, and public laws, (2) differential exposure of some populations to harmful chemicals, pesticides, and other toxins in the home, school, neighborhood, and work place, (3) faulty assumptions in calculating and assessing risks, (4) discriminatory zoning and land-use practices, and (5) exclusionary policies and practices that limit some individuals and groups from participating in decision-making.

This bibliography presents environmental justice literature which has blossomed over the past fifteen years (1980-1995). Much of the literature was written after the 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit galvanized grassroots support around environmental and economic justice. The Summit advanced environmental justice beyond the anti-toxins focus to include such issues as facility siting, land use, transport of radioactive and nuclear wastes, worker safety, pesticide and lead poisoning, equal protection, and community empowerment. The work of Summit leaders also provided the impetus for government action (i.e., conferences, reports, advisory council, and an Executive Order) on environmental inequities.

The bibliography is designed as an education resource and will be periodically updated. It is not meant to be exhaustive. An interdisciplinary approach was taken in highlighting some of the major studies, articles, reports, monographs, and books written on environmental justice. The subject has captured the attention of a wide range of authors ranging from community activists, social scientists, environmentalists, lawyers, planners, health care professionals, and journalists.

The resource material is divided into five major subareas: (1) Environmental Justice and Environmental Equity, (2) Unequal Protection and Environmental Justice, (3) Land Use and Facility Siting (4) Legal and Law Review Articles, and (5) Books, Monographs, Reports, and Special Issues.

top of page

II. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY

Arrandale, Tom. "Regulation and Racism." Governing. (March 1998): 63.
This article is about EPA?s decision to over-turn the state-issued permit to build a plastics plant in poor and minority community in Louisiana.

Beasley, Conger. "Of pollution and poverty: Reaping America's unseemly harvest." Buzzworm v2, n3 (May/June 1990): 40-47.
This article examines the environmental, economic, and health injustices against the nation's migrant farmworkers of whom 90 percent to 95 percent are people of color.

__________. "Of pollution and poverty: Keeping watch in Cancer Alley." Buzzworm v2, n4 (July/August 1990): 39-45.
The author examines the poisoning of the lower Mississippi River by the petrochemical industry and the destruction of people and communities. Many of the African American communities were founded by former slaves.

__________. "Of pollution and poverty: Deadly threat on native lands." Buzzworm v2, n5 (September/October 1990): 39-45.
Because of their quasi-sovereign status, Native American reservations have become the "new" targets of environmental threats, ranging from household garbage to hazardous and nuclear wastes. Most reservations do not have the environmental and economic infrastructure to handle such waste in an environmentally sound manner.

Bergman, B.J. "Club?s EPEC Sweep." Sierra (May 1998): 73-74.
This article is about Sierra Club?s Environmental Public Education Campaign (EPEC) using volunteer activists to publicize the notion to Protect America?s Environment: For Our Families, For Our Future.?

Brandt, Barbara. "Can We Build A New American Dream." Dollars & Sense (May 1998): 28-29.
In this article, Ellen Furnari from the Center of New American Dream is interviewed and he stressed the importance of reducing our excessive consumption and waste to make American a better place live in and appreciate.


Brajer, V. & Hall J. Recent evidence on the distribution of air pollution effects. Contemporary Policy Issues v2, n5 (April 1992): 63-70.
Using Toxic Release Inventory and Geographic Information System mapping, this study associates levels of exposure to ozone and fine particulate matter in the South Coast Air Basin of California with resident income, race, age and education using a Regional Human Exposure Model. Results are consonant with earlier research in most respects, except that population density is negatively related to exposure. People of color and children receive the greatest exposure levels.

Bruce, Calvin E. "Environmentalism and student activism." Black Collegian v23, n4 (March/April 1993): 52-57.
This issue examines the racial dynamics of environmental problems and gives advice to African-American collegians on solving this problem. It also includes a directory of key organizations.

Bullard, Robert D. "Race, justice, and the environment." Who Cares (Spring 1995): 34-41.
This article traces the growth and development of the environmental justice movement and the role played by grassroots groups in redefining environmentalism. Environment is seen as "where we live, work, and play, as well as the physical and natural world."

__________. "Unequal protection: Incorporating environmental justice in decision making." Pp. 237-266 in Adam M. Finkel and Dominic Golding, ed., Worst Things First? The Debate over Risk-Based National Environmental Priorities. Washington, DC: Resources for the Future, 1994.
This chapter was first presented as a paper at a conference addressing alternative paradigms for assessing risks. The environmental justice paradigm was presented as one tool to assess adverse and disproportionate human health threats borne by low-income persons and people of color.

__________. "Environmental dispute resolution in communities of color." Pp. 287-314 in James R. Fleming and Henry A. Gemery, eds., Science, Technology, and the Environment: Multi disciplinary Perspectives. Akron, OH: University of Akron Press, 1994.
This chapter chronicles the struggles of a dozen or so communities of color that are faced with environmental threats. It also analyzes the strategies used by grassroots groups and their leaders to address the environmental disputes.

__________. "Environmental justice for all." Enviro Action Environmental News Digest for the National Wildlife Federation (November 1991): 6-12.
Environmental justice has been introduced into the agendas of some national environmental groups. This article was first presented as a Scholar-in-Residence lecture at the National Wildlife Federation.

__________. "Grassroots flowering: The environmental justice movement comes of age. " The Amicus Journal v16, n1 (Spring 1994): 32-37.
This article presents a historical analysis of the environmental justice movement, where it came from and where it is headed. The author covers struggles in the 1960s through 1994 and credits grassroots activism with forcing and keeping the issues on the national agenda.

__________. "The quest for environmental equity: Mobilizing the African American community for social change." Society and Natural Resources v3 (1990): 301-311.
The struggles of rural, suburban, and urban African American communities are examined in this article. Local leaders adapt the lesson learned from the civil rights movement to mobilize their community around environmental justice.

__________. "Urban infrastructure: Social, environmental and health risks to African Americans." Pp. 183-196 Billy J. Tidwell (ed.), The State of Black America 1992. New York: National Urban League, 1992.
Each year the National Urban League publishes its State of Black America series. This issue was the first time the national civil rights organization examined the link between urban infrastructure, environment, and health issues in the African American community.

Bullard, Robert & Wright, Beverly H. "Environmental justice for all: Community perspectives on health and research needs." Toxicology and Industrial Health v9, n5 (September/October, 1993): 821-842.
This paper was first presented at a government-sponsored health research workshop. It examines health and research concerns of communities of color and under represented stakeholders and presents an environmental justice framework for addressing environmental and health research inequities.

Burke, Lauretta M. "Race & environmental equity: A geographic analysis in Los Angeles." Geo Info Systems (October 1993): 44, 46-47, 50.
This article is an excerpt from a larger report that evaluates the significance of race and class on environmental pollution in Los Angeles using Toxic Release Inventory data.

Cable, Sherry & Benson, Michael. "Acting locally: environmental injustice and the emergence of grass-roots environmental organizations." Social Problems v40, n4 (November 1993): 464-478.
The authors examine the emergence of grassroots environmental organizations. They conclude that these organizations represent a new trend in the environmental movement, and are part of a broader historical process involving the evolution of the legal culture and the social control of corporate conduct in the United States.

Camia, Catalina. "Poor, minorities want voices in environmental choices." Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report v51, n34 (August 21, 1993): 2257-2260.
The author interviews civil rights leaders who are now pressing Congress for help. Activists have mounted their own assault on environmental injustice, unequal protection, and environmental racism.

Capek, Stella M. "The 'environmental justice' frame: a conceptual discussion and an application. (Special Issue on Environmental Justice) Social Problems v40, n1 (February 1993): 5-25.
This paper identifies some of the most salient dimensions of the 'environmental justice' framework as it has emerged for local community struggles over toxic contamination in the United States; and provides an empirical case study of the contaminated Carver Terrace neighborhood of Texarkana, Texas. Carver Terrace, an African American community consisting mostly of homeowners, organized a federal buy-out and relocation after being declared a Superfund site in 1984.

Carroll, Ginny. "When pollution hits home." National Wildlife v29 (August/September 1991): 30-39.
The environmental problems in Louisiana's "Cancer Alley" abound. Residents of the mostly African American community of Wallace was rezoned by the local parish council to make way for the Formosa Plastics rayon plant.

Chemical Week v154, n4 (February 2, 1994): 27-28.
Progressive managers are forging theories about paths toward full environmental stewardship. Progress on the development and implementation of recent concepts, such as full-cost accounting, toxic risk reduction, environmental justice and advanced product stewardship were highlighted at Chemical Week's conference "From Compliance to Stewardship: Environmental Strategies for the Chemical Industry," which was held January 19-21 1994, in Washington, D.C.

Chiro, Giovanna Di, "Defining environmental justice: Women's voices and grassroots politics." Socialist Review v22, n4 (October-December 1992): 93-131.
The grassroots environmental movement is led largely by women who have challenged gender and racial inequality. These activists are on the forefront of change.

Collin, Robert W. "Environmental equity and the need for government intervention." Environment, v35, n9 (November 1993): 41-43.
The author discusses the 1990 Greenpeace report that documents that communities of color have a greater number of incinerators in their neighborhoods and suggests that federal regulation could successfully address the problem if the focus was on environmental damage rather than the intent of racial discrimination.

Cordera-Guzman, Hector R. Lessons from operation bootstrap. NACLA Report on the Americas v27, n3 (November/December 1993): 7-11.
Beginning in the 1950s, Puerto Rico s development was tied to market-oriented reforms and to the U.S. economy. The mixed results for the people and environment give some clues to what Mexico can look forward to in a North American Free Trade Agreement-dominated future.

Cotton, Paul. "Pollution and poverty overlap becomes issue, administration promises action." Journal of the American Medical Association v271, n13 (April 6, 1994): 967-970.
The Clinton Administration is focusing its anti-poverty efforts on environmental justice and pollution control. The EPA has been heavily criticized for its lack of action on environmental justice matters.

Cutter, Susan. "The burdens of toxic risks : Are they fair?" Business & Economic Review v41, n1 (October-December 1994): 3-7.
Questions have been raised on the differential impact of environmental risks on people and places. This issue is discussed in South Carolina, where much of the state's economic base includes high risk industry.

Davis, Morris E. "The impact of workplace health and safety on black workers: Assessment and prognosis," Labor Law Journal v4 (Spring, 1981): 29-40.
This article critically examines the problem of differential exposure of blacks to work place hazards. The author also analyzes the role of job segmentation and racial discrimination on the quality of black workers.

Doyle, Kevin. "Environmental justice: A growing movement." Black Collegian v24, n4 (March-April, 1994): 36-40.
This article traces the environmental justice movement from the 1980s to the 1990s. The author sees the movement evolving as a way to counter unfair public policies. Pressures from the movement resulted in the establishment of EPA's Environmental Justice Office, which has sponsored a variety of research and educational projects that keep the general public informed about numerous environmental issues.

Easton, Billy. "WHEACT for justice." (West Harlem Environmental Action, New York New York) Environmental Action Magazine v24, n4 (Winter, 1993): 33-35.
This article profiles two African American women, Peggy Shepard and Vernice Miller, who founded West Harlem Environmental Action (WHE ACT) to fight the North River Sewage Treatment Plant. The group targets such examples of affluent development dumping on poor minority neighborhoods, which they term environmental racism.

Edwards, Mencer Donahue. "Sustainability and people of color." EPA Journal v18, n4 (September-October 1992): 50.
Sustainable development may be a means to achieve social justice for peoples of color in the United States. Sustainability must be linked with social, economic, and environmental justice at home an abroad.

Environmental justice in Tennessee. Occupational Hazards v56, n 2 (February 1994): 19.
An EPA report that found a correlation between toxic releases in a six-county area near Chattanooga, TN, an area where many residents are poor, uneducated people of color is discussed. Data revealed that residents of people of color communities are at increased risk of suffering dust diseases, poisonings, skin diseases and environmental cancers.

"Environmental justice needs science backing group says." Chemical Marketing Reporter v246, n13 (September 26, 1994): 28.
John Kyte of the National Association of Manufacturers, environmental policies set-up by the government must be based on science to gain support of the industry.

"Environmental justice proponents have Washington's ear." Environment Today v5, n3 (March 1994): 6-7.
An Executive Order signed in February 1994 directs federal agencies to develop programs to address the environmental problems faced by the nation's underprivileged.

Feingold, Eugene. "Working on environmental justice." Nation's Health v24, n3 (March 1994): 2.
President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898 in February 1994 to address environmental hazards in low-income and minority communities. Federal agencies are mandated to develop strategies to address these problems.

Fugazzotto, Peter. "Angling for environmental justice." Earth Island Journal v9, n3 (Summer 1994): 19. Kalon Wofford and Anthony Willis, San Francisco Bay area anglers, are attempting to stop Exxon and Unical from polluting the bay with selenium. Wofford and Willis, leaders of San Francisco Advocates for Environmental Rights are discussed.

Gianessi, L. & Peskin, H.M. "The distribution of federal water pollution control policy in the U.S." Land Economics v56, n1 (February, 1980): 85-102.
This study examines the regulatory cost of water pollution control policy. The author documents socioeconomic and racial disparities in water quality.

Gottlieb, Robert. "A question of class: The workplace experience." Socialist Review v22, n4 (October-December 1992): 131-166.
Environmental justice extends into the workplace. Modern industrial facilities which produce less pollution ultimately result in more secure jobs and cleaner air for the whole community.

Hair, Jay D. "Providing for justice as well as jobs," (advice to President Clinton) National Wildlife v31, n2 (February-March 1993): 30.
The CEO of the nation's largest environmental organization, NWF, gives advice to the new Clinton administration. It s not enough that there should be environmental justice, but also that environmental racism should be eliminated.

Hahn-Baker, David; Shepard, Peggy & Gauna, Jeanne. "Rocky roads to consensus." Amicus Journal v16, n1 (Spring 1994): 41-43.
The rift between traditional environmental groups and environmental justice advocates remains to be resolved despite the continued efforts to unite the ideas of the two camps. This division was evident in the controversy that surrounded the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993.

Hutchings, Vicky. "Green gauge." New Statesmen & Society v7, n323 (October 7, 1994): 32.
Co-editor of the 'Ecologist' magazine is profiled. Nicholas Hilyard's view on environmental justice is discussed.

Ingram, Helen; Milich, Lenard & Varnady, Robert G. "Managing transboundary resources: Lessons from Ambos Nogales." Environment v36, n4 (May 1994): 6-9, 28-38.
This case study of water management in Ambos Nogales, reveals the pitfalls and possibilities for improvement in managing natural resources shared by the United States and Mexico.

Keeva, Steven & Wharton, Joseph. "A breath of justice." ABA Journal v80 (February 1994): 88-92.
In the expanding field of environmental justice, legal protection for communities burdened by environmental dumping is now emerging as a new civil right.

Knickerbocker, Brad. "Fighting for a Cleaner Environment: Two Decades After Love Canal Put Toxic Waste on the Map, Industry Tries to Keep Clean." Christian Science Monitor (April 30, 1998): 4.
This article points to organizations posting information on their webpages about the dangers of chemicals in communities across the United States. For example, the Environmenal Defense Fund and the State of Pennsylvania.

Lavelle, Marianne. "Residents want justice. The EPA offers 'equity.'" National Law Journal v15, n3 (Monday, September 21, 1992): s12.
The author examines activists response to the creation of EPA's Office of Environmental Equity. Environmental justice leaders give EPA head William K. Riley passing marks for his efforts, but charge the Bush administration and the agency in general with a lack of interest in environmental justice.

__________. Help sought from green justice panel. National Law Journal v 17, n9 (October 31, 1994) A16.
A plaintiff s group in Texarkana, TX has become the first community to ask a new federal environmental justice advisory council to intervene on its behalf. The group charges the government did not compensate them for the fair market value of their homes.

Lee, Charles. "Developing working definitions of urban environmental justice. "Earth Island Journal v8, n4 (Fall 1993): 41.
This article focuses on the urban environmental crisis where people of color are condemned to live in polluted areas. Many of the residents and their communities are considered disposable. Urban rebuilding and environmental justice are compatible goals.

Lewis, Victor. "A Message to white environmentalists." Earth Island Journal v7, n4 (Fall, 1992): 41.
Environmental, economic and health injustice hit female workers, young mothers, very old workers and workers of color the hardest. White environmentalists need to join in the call for wealth redistribution and an end to exploitation of disenfranchised and powerless groups.

Lucas, Allison. "Report charges no improvement in environmental justice." Chemical Week v155, n8 (August 31/September 7, 1995): 9.
In a study commissioned by the Center for Policy Alternatives it was revealed that toxic waste facilities are more likely to be located in minority communities now than in 1987 when the Commission for Racial Justice Toxic Wastes and Race study was first published.

Maxwell, Jessica. "Audubon notes-Hazel Wolf: Audubon archangel." Audubon v96, n6 (November 1994): 126-128.
Activist Hazel Wolf discusses her involvement in the Audubon Society and why she has made environmental justice her priority.

Pardo, Mary. "Creating community: Mexican American women in Eastside Los Angeles." AZTLAN - a Journal of Chicano Studies v20, n1-2 (Spring/Fall, 1991): 39.
This article chronicles grassroots organizing in an East Los Angeles community. Many lessons can be learned from Mothers of East Los Angeles, a Latino group organized around environmental justice.

Puckett, Jim. "Disposing of the waste-trade: Closing the recycling loophole." Ecologist v24, n2 (March/April 1994).
This article reviews the importance of the Basil Convention and attempts to control the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes. It also examines strategies to close the recycling loopholes and thus achieve effective global ban on the international waste trade.

Radford, Bruce W. "Regulatory justice." Fortnightly v132, n13 (July 1, 1994): 39-40.
Discusses recent regulatory occurrences on the issue of environmental justice, whistle blower protection and antitrust activism.

Ramirez, Odessa. "The loss of native lands and economic blackmail." Social Justice v19, n2 (Summer 1992): 78-86.
This article examines the loss of indigenous peoples' lands in exchange for so-called "economic relief." Examples of environmental "blackmail" are examined in Canada and the United States.

Reath, Viki. "EPA to use civil rights act in siting decision." Environmental Week v6, n36 (October 7, 1993): 1.
The author examines EPA's new strategy of applying Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to enforcement. Interviews are included with NAACP Legal Defense Fund lawyer Bill Lee of Los Angeles and several other environmental justice leaders.

__________. "EPA, Commission investigating civil rights allegations." Environmental Week v6, n40 (October 14, 1993): 1.
Discusses EPA's and the U.S. Civil Rights Commission's investigation of civil rights allegations in siting four hazardous waste facilities in Mississippi and Louisiana.

__________. "EPA to probe Texas environmental justice complaint." Environmental Week v7, n14 (April 7, 1994): 1.
This article describes the complaint against the Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission challenging its permitting of a commercial hazardous waste incinerator along the Houston Ship Channel.

Robinson, James C. "Exposure to occupational hazards among Hispanics, blacks, and non-Hispanic whites in California." American Journal of Public health v79 (1989): 629-630.
The author documents that people of color are more likely to be exposed to occupational hazards and suffer work-related illnesses than are whites.

__________. "Racial inequality and the probability of occupation-related injury or illness." Millbank Quarterly v62 (1984): 567-588.
This article provides major empirical documentation that African Americans and Latinos suffer greater exposure to health hazards on the job than white workers in similar occupations.

Robinson, Lori. "Fighting Dirty." Emerge (July/August 1995): 42-47.
This article discuses environmental racism and how polluting industries have knowingly contaminated African-American communities.

Rosen, Ruth. "Who gets polluted?" Dissent v41, n2 (Spring 1994): 223-230.
The causes of environmental justice and industrial pollution are examined and the grassroots activism of minority groups is discussed. This movement, which is primarily led by low-income individuals, is concerned with the environmental hazards and economic inequalities that are rampant in their communities. Also discusses industrial accident in Richmond, CA that sent more the 20,000 residents to the hospital.

Saika, Peggy. "APEN brings Asian Pacific perspective to environmental justice." The Washington Office of Environmental Justice Newsletter (Summer 1995): 5.
Discusses the Asian Pacific Environmental Network, which focuses on the specific concerns of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Examples of these concerns are economic development, social equity, and community empowerment.

Schaffer, Gwen. "Asian Americans organize for justice." Environmental Action v25, n4 (Winter 1994): 30.
Asian Americans are beginning to network around environmental issues, including occupational health, toxics, and land use problems that adversely affect their communities.

Schneider, Paul. "Respect for the Earth: The environmentalism of Chief Oren Lyons stems from his Iroquois heritage." Audobon v96, n2 (March/April 1994): 110-115.
Environmentalism could learn a great deal from Native Americans and other indigenous peoples. One such leader is Chief Oren Lyons, who lives in the Onondaga Nation Territory outside of Syracuse, N.Y.

Schueler, Donald. Southern Exposure. Sierra v77 (November/December 1992): 42-49.
The South still holds the unique distinction as having the most polluted air, water, and ground of any region in the country as a result of lax enforcement of environmental laws and the look-the-other-way government policy.

Selcraig, Bruce. Border Patrol. Sierra v79, n3 (May/June 1994): 58-68.
Environmental activist Domingo Gonzalez crusades against maquiladoras of Mexico. He has witnessed the squalid colonias of Matramoros, Mexico, across the border from Brownsville, Texas. Domingo is the co-founder of the Coalition for Justice in the Maquiladoras, which attempts to educate the public and the media about the health effects on the local population.

Small, Gail. "War stories: Environmental justice in Indian country." The Amicus Journal v16, n1 (Spring 1994): 38-41.
As member of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Tribe, Small examines the complex environmental justice issues facing sovereign Indian Nations.

Spears, Ellen. "Freedom buses roll along cancer alley." Southern Changes. Southern Regional Council, Atlanta v15, n1 (Spring 1993): 1-11.
More than 2,000 activists attended an environmental justice/labor conference in New Orleans during December 1992. The tour of 'Cancer Alley' illuminated the many problems faced by residents along the Mississippi River.

Starkey, Deb. "Environmental justice: Win, lose or draw?" State Legislatures v20, n3 (March 1994): 27-31.
People of color and their communities are endangered by their close proximity to a disproportionate number of health-threatening facilities, such as hazardous waste dumps and incinerators. The Clinton administration has begun some environmental justice initiatives, but more still has to be done.

Truax, Hawley. "Beyond white environmentalism: Minorities and the environment." Environmental Action v21 (1990): 19-30.
This article profiles several people of color leaders in the environmental movement and calls for more outreach to the poor, working class, and people of color communities.

Weinstock, Matthew P. "Tired of being dumped on." Occupational Hazards v56, n4 (April 1994): 48-52. EPA concluded that minority and low income communities experience a higher than average exposure to air pollution, hazardous waste facilities and other plants. EPA is developing a strategy to improve enforcement in these overburdened communities.

Wernette, D.R. & Nieves, L.A. "Breathing polluted air." EPA Journal v18 (March/April 1992): 16-17. Two National Argonne Laboratory researchers examine air pollution in the United States and conclude that African Americans and Latinos live in the most polluted counties in the nation.

Wheeler, David L. "When the poor face environmental risks." Chronicle of Higher Education v40, n25 (February 23, 1994): A10-A11.
This article explores the Health Research and Needs to Ensure Environmental Justice symposium. The government-sponsored symposium was held in February 1994 in Arlington, VA., and attracted more than 1,000 research scientists, academicians, environmental justice activists, civil rights leaders, and impacted community residents.

Whitehead, Wendy. "EPA's OSWER is first to embrace environmental justice policy." Environment Today v5, n7 (July 1994): 11.
The EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response or OWSER has developed a series of recommendations to address environmental justice in its waste programs.

"White House, church groups join 'environmental justice' crusade." Environment Today v5, n1 (January 1994): 3,16.
Vice President Al Gore told representatives of the Black Church Environmental Justice Summit that the White House plans to issue an executive order that will require greater public participation on the selection of hazardous waste sites as well as higher health standards for participation.

Wright, Beverly H. & Bullard, Robert D. "Hazards in the workplace and black health." National Journal of Sociology v4 (1990): 45-52.
African American workers often occupy the lowest paying and dirtiest jobs. Workplace hazards, racial discrimination and "job blackmail" present a special case for African American workers who are twice as likely to be unemployed than their counterparts.

Zimmermann, Rae. "Social equity and environmental risk." Risk Analysis v13, n6 (1993): 649-666.
This article examines inactive hazardous waste disposal sites on the National Priorities List (NPL) and their location relative to communities of color and distribution of cleanup plans or Record of Decision (ROD). The author finds that the percentage of African Americans and Latinos aggregated at the Census Place level in communities with NPL sites was greater than is typical nationwide.

Zindo, Carolyne. "Three-Year Prison Term Over East Palo Alto Toxic Waste Case; City Wants Bayfront Area Cleaned Up." San Francisco Chronicle (April 8, 1998): A18.
This article examines an East Palo Alto autoyard that is a site with plenty of toxic waste. The Bayfront community wants the autoyard cleaned up because it is known for being a dumping ground for junked automoibles from the San Francisco area.

top of page

III. UNEQUAL PROTECTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL RACISM

"Back New Waste Strategy." The Denver Post (April 3, 1998): B10.
This article has an editorial that supports a superfund provision that exempts organizations that are willing to clean up toxic waste sites.

Brook, Daniel. "Environmental Genocide: Native Americans and Toxic Waste." American Journal of Economics and Sociology (AES). (January 1998): 105-113.

Bruno, Kenny. "Philly Waste Go Home." Multinational Monitor (January 1998): 7-8.
This article mentions that the 4,000 tons of toxic incinerator ash dumped by Philadelphia in Gonaives Bay, Haiti will be redelivered to Philadelphia.

Bullard, Robert D. "The threat of environmental racism." Natural Resources & Environment v7 (Winter 1993): 23-26, 55-56.
This article examines the problems faced by people of color when they challenge discriminatory environmental practices using civil rights laws.

__________. "Waste and racism: A stacked deck?" Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy v8 (Spring 1993): 29-45.
Institutionalized racism has influenced waste facility siting patterns, resulting in communities of color bearing a disproportionate burden for treatment, storage, and disposal facilities.

__________. "Environmental racism." Environmental Protection v2, n4 (June 1991): 25-26.
Details some interesting case studies and examples where communities of color receive less environmental protection than their white counterparts.

__________. "Ecological inequities and the new South: Black communities under siege." Journal of Ethnic Studies v17 (Winter, 1990): 101-115.
Because of differential treatment and the legacy of "Jim Crow," many African American communities in the South are endangered communities.

__________. "Overcoming racism in environmental decisionmaking." Environment. v36, n4 (May 1994): 10-20, 39-44.
The author explores links between environmental measures and social justice and catalogs numerous examples of policies that force people of color and the politically disenfranchised to bear environmental burdens.

Cohen, Linc. "Waste dumps toxic traps for minorities." The Chicago Reporter, v21, n4 (April 1992): 6-9, 11.
This article discusses environmental racism within the context of Chicago (especially the Southside neighborhoods) and environmental justice activists battles against waste dumps in their communities.

Coyle, Marcia. "Company will not build plant." National Law Journal v15, n7 (Mon, Oct 19, 1992): 3, 47.
A two-year legal battle has ended with the Formosa Plastic's Corp's decision not to build a $700-million rayon and pulp processing plant in a low-income, African American area of Louisiana known as 'Cancer Alley.' Environmentalists, civil rights groups and health organizations claimed the project constituted environmental racism. The National Law Journal included Wallace, LA's fight with Formosa in the paper's Sept. 21, 1992, supplement "Unequal Protection: The Racial Divide in Environmental Law."

"EPA Rules Let Heavy Industries Sell Toxic Wastes to Fertilizer Companies." The Wall Street Journal (March 27, 1998): B7.
This article mentions how EPA rules allow industries to send toxicash from smokestacks to fertilizer plants without testing it or documenting where it is going to be shipped.

Ervin, Mike. "The toxic doughnut: Toxic wastes in minority neighborhoods." Progressive. v56, n1 (January 1992): 15.
The community of Altgeld Gardens, a public housing project located on Chicago's Southside, is encircled by environmental and health threats. Hazel Johnson, an activist from Altgeld Gardens and founder of People for Community Recovery, has tagged her neighborhood a "toxic doughnut."

Gelobter, Michael. "Toward a model of environmental discrimination." Pp. 64-81 in B. Bryant and P. Mohai, eds., Race and the Incidence of Environmental Hazards. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1992.
This study reveals that air pollution in urban areas is correlated with both income and race of communities. Inequities associated with air quality have placed the urban poor and people of color at greater risk than the larger society.

Howe, Peter J. "A Personal Link in Pittsfield; Pollution Woes Face City GE Chief Once Called Home." Boston Globe (May 14, 1998): B1.
The United States government has filed 80 or more superfund suits against General Electric. General Electric is dragging its feet about these suits by downplaying the severity of the pollution at these toxic waste sites.

Joradn, Charles. "From toxic racism to environmental justice." E: The Environmental Magazine v3, n3 (June 1992): 28-35.
Explores the evolution and growth of the environmental justice movement and the struggle against environmental racism. Perspectives are presented from interviews with several founders of the movement.

__________. "Environmental racism." Crisis v 98, n4 (April 1991): 14-17, 31-32.
This was one of the first articles published in the NAACP's Crisis, a magazine founded by W.E.B. DuBois, on environmental racism. Interviews are conducted with key leaders in the environmental justice movement.

Jetter, Alexis. "The poisoning of a dream." (environmental activist Patsy Ruth Oliver) Vogue v183, n11 (November 1993): 213.
Patsy Ruth Oliver fought against environmental racism, toxic pollution of communities inhabited by people of color. Her own community (Carver Terrace) of Texarkana, TX, suffered serious health problems from underground toxic waste. The EPA had deemed the area safe, but Congress later overturned this ruling.

Johnston, David Cay. "Company Would be Given Rewards for Retirement and Education Plans." The New York Times (February 3, 1998): A18.
The Clinton Administration supports the 1997 Taxpayer Relief Act that allow many corporations to treat the costs toxic-waste sites clean up to be an expense that can be deducted instead of the costs being capital investments that must be amortized over several years.

Jones, Stephen C. "EPA targets environmental racism." (part 1) National Law Journal v15, n49 (August 9, 1993): 28.
The U.S. EPA's Office of Environmental Equity has begun focusing on efforts to educate the public on environmental racism. In the courts, the most common basis for environmental racism cases has so far been the equal protection clause. Legislation to help bring about environmental justice has been introduced to Congress.

__________. "Inequities of industrial siting addressed." (environmental racism) (part 2) National Law Journal v15, n50 (Mon, August 16, 1993): 20.
Claims of environmental racism can be brought under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The Act prohibits federal funds from being used to discriminate based on race and color. When using Title VI, plaintiffs need only prove disparate impact rather than the discriminatory intent which would be required under an equal protection claim.

Kriz, Margaret. "Fish and Foul." National Journal (February 28, 1998): 450-453.
This article is about the general public demanding special attention and the elimination of toxic runoff from farms, streets and mines.

Lavelle, Marianne. "Transition meets with minorities: Environmental activists." National Law Journal, v15, n15 (December 14, 1992): 3.
People of color leaders of environmental justice groups met with members of Clinton-Gore transition team to urge them to address issues of environmental racism. Richard Moore of the SouthWest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice was instrumental in bringing these meetings about and believes environmental spokespeople should have input into the selection of EPA officials.

_________. "Environmental racism targeted: Congressional hearing." National Law Journal v15, n26 (March 1, 1993): 3.
The House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights will hold hearings on environmental racism on Mar 3-4, 1993. Chairman Don Edwards stated that part of his inspiration for the hearings was the National Law Journal report on the subject in the Sept. 21, 1992 issue. Lack of equity for minority communities under the Superfund program and environmental enforcement of the Indian reservation lands will be among the areas investigated by the subcommittee.

_________ & Coyle, Marcia. Unequal protection: The racial divide on environmental law. National Law Journal (September 21, 1993).
This special supplement examines the different treatment of communities under EPA s Superfund program. The authors conclude that white communities receive quicker action and more comprehensive cleanup strategies than communities of color even when income is held constant.

MacLachlan, Claudia. "Tension underlies rapport with grassroots groups." National Law Journal, v15, n3 (September 21, 1992): 10.
In 1990, two grassroots groups, the Gulf Coast Tenants' Leadership Development Program and the SouthWest Organizing Project, charged the large, mainstream environmental groups also known as the "Big Ten" with lack of attention to toxic dangers in low-income communities and communities of color.

MacLean, Alair. "Bigotry and poison." (Gulf Coast Tenants' Organization, Louisiana) Progressive v57, n1 (Jan 1993): 14.
Gulf Coast Tenants Organizations are fighting environmental racism in the location of polluting industries along the 85-mile stretch of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans commonly known as "Cancer Alley."

Martinez, Elizabeth. "Defending the earth in '92: A people's challenge to the EPA." (Environmental Protection Agency) Social Justice v19, n2 (Summer 1992): 95.
Environmental racism has been relentlessly pursued by concerned organizations after the publication of the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice's 1987 Toxic Wastes and Race study. The SouthWest Organizing Project based in Albuquerque, NM has been active in combating environmental and economic injustice.

Meyer, Eugene L. "Environmental racism: Why is it always dumped in our backyard? Minority groups take a stand." Audubon v94, n1 (Jan/Feb. 1992): 30-32.
Civil rights activist Rev. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. coined the term 'environmental racism' in 1982. He echoed this battle cry during the struggle against the siting of a hazardous waste landfill in the mostly African American Warren County, North Carolina. Warren County was not unique, but represented a pattern across the United States.

Minter, Stephen G. Environmental Injustice? Occupational Hazards v55, n8 (August 1993): 7.
Article reviews provisions of the Environmental Justice Act of 1993. Author notes that a Cleveland State University study found no correlation between race and toxicity in Cuyahoga County. Yet, he notes that environmental management should not be treated as a purely technical function, since real or perceived threats to people s environments carry tremendous emotional impact. Failure by environmental professionals to take environmental racism seriously could be harmful to a company s well-being.

Multinational Monitor, "The politics of race and pollution: An interview with Robert Bullard." (University of California sociology professor) v13, n6 (June 1992): 21-25.
Sociologist Robert Bullard talks about his work in communities of color and their concern about environmental justice. He stated that persons of color are often excluded from the decision making process which affect their communities' health and environment. As a result, locally undesirable land uses and other potential health threats are diverted toward economically and politically disenfranchised communities. However, communities of color are learning to organize themselves, and some have succeeded in their efforts to counter environmental racism.

"Occidental Chemical Settles Cleanup Suits Over Love Canal Site." The Wall Street Journal (April 29, 1998): B2.
The Occidental Chemical Corporation dropped the multi-million dollar claims against the city of Niagara Falls on the evacuation of residents who lived near the Love Canal toxic-waste site.

Panel discussion. "A place at the table: A Sierra roundtable on race, justice, and the environment." Sierra v78, n3 (May-June, 1993): 50-60.
Environmental justice advocates examine and evaluate the major environmental groups and their work on issues concerning communities of color. The panelists conclude that the groups have contributed to elitism and racism within the larger environmental movement.

Rees, Matthew. "Black and green: Race and environmentalism." New Republic v206, n9 (March 2, 1992): 15-16.
People of color environmental activists voice their concern on the problem of eco-racism, which is typified by the location of waste facilities and other environmentally dubious projects in their neighborhoods. They also charge mainstream environmental organizations with ignoring their concerns.

Reilly, Sean E. "Down the Drain." The Environmental Magazine (March 1998): 26-27.
This article examines pre-treatment program that EPA developed in the 70s and 80s where public sewage treatment plants can set up their own treatment operations to remove toxic waste before dumping it into their sewers.

Reitman, Janet. "The Battle for Convent." Scholastic Update (April 13, 1998): 4-6.
This article is about residents in Convent, LA who are determined to keep the Japanese Company Shintech from building a proposed plastic plant in their backyard.

Rodriquez, Cindy."State Vows Probe into Nyanza Site, But Cleanup Stalled Til 1999." Boston Globe (March 8, 1998): W1.
This is examines the Nyanza Inc. which is a dye and chemical manufacturer. There are questions about the high number of kidney and bladder cancer diagnoses near the site.

Rosenfeld, Dave. "Superfund Tax Should Be Restored." St. Louis Post-Dispatch (March 16, 1998): B7. There are 85,000 or more hazardous waste sites across the United States which impact the quality of life of American citizens. Americans are exposed to lead, mercury, benzene, and arsenic which all are toxic chemcials.

Satchell, Michael. "A whiff of discrimination? Racism and environmental policy." U.S. News & World Report v112, n17 (May 4, 1992): 34-36.
This article asks whether environmental racism is real or imagined. It attempts to reduce environmental inequities to class and poverty, while ignoring voluminous studies that clearly demonstrate that racism still operates in contemporary American life.

Siler, Julia Flynn. "Environmental racism? It could be a messy fight." Business Week (May 20, 1991): 116.
This article examines the battle waged by People for Clean Air and Water in Kettleman City, California (a mostly Latino farmworker community) against Chemical Waste Management. The company proposed to site a hazardous waste incinerator in the community.

Simon, Stephanie. "Tourism With a Messae; 'Reality Tours' Acquaint Vacationers with Sweatshops, Slums and Toxic Waste; Guilt is for Sale, as Well as Inspiration and Perhaps, Redemption." Los Angeles Times (February 15, 1998): A1.
This article describes how Global Exchange in San Francisco conduct tours on showing tourists various toxic wastes sites and hazardous wastes conditions in Cuba, Haiti, Guatemala, Vietnam and the United States.

Steinhart, Peter. "What can we do about environmental racism?: Coping with the tendency to build freeways, prisons and waste facilities in poor and minority communities." Audubon. v93, n3 (May 1991): 18-22.
This article explores the disparate burden and regressive impact of the construction of freeways, prisons, and waste facilities on the poor and people of color.

Taliman, Valerie. "Stuck holding the nation's nuclear waste." Race, Poverty & the Environment (Fall 1992): 6-10.
This articles discusses the DOE proposal to build monitored storage retrievable (MRS) facilities and the response from the dozen or so Native American tribes. The vast majority of the responses from a DOE request for proposal came from tribes.

__________. "Saving native lands: One woman's crusade against environmental racism," Ms. Magazine v4, n4 (January-February 1994): 28-29.
JoAnn Tall, an Oglala Lakota Indian, has devoted her life to the protection and sustenance of Native lives and lands. Her commitment to the environment is based on her people's deep respect for the natural world.

Thigpen, David. "The playground that became a battle ground. (Kingsley Park Playground of Buffalo, New York's arsenic contaminated soil)" National Wildlife v31, n2 (February-March 1993): 14-18.
African American residents in Buffalo, New York are engaged in a battle to get government officials to remove arsenic from the Kingsley Park Playground. Arsenic was detected in the park as early as 1983. However, government action has been slow.

Ward, Bud. "Environmental racism becomes key Clinton EPA focus." Safety & Health v149, n3 (March 1994): 183-187.
Many environmental justice experts challenge racial discrimination and disparate siting of potentially environmentally harmful waste facilities such as incinerators. EPA administrator Carol Browner has begun to infuse environmental justice issues into the agency's decision-making process.

top of page

IV. LAND USE AND FACILITY SITING

Brion, Denis J. "An essay on LULU, NIMBY, and the problem of distributive justice." Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review v15, n3-4 (Spring 1988): 437-503.
Examines the problems associated with the distribution of locally unwanted land uses, the not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) phenomenon, and unequal power in society.

Bullard, Robert D. "Solid waste sites and the Houston black community," Sociological Inquiry v53, n2/3 (Spring 1983): 273-288.
This was one of the first studies to document the relationship between municipal solid waste siting and race. The study was conducted in support of the first lawsuit, Bean v. Southwestern Management, filed using the 1965 Civil Rights Act. The study reveals that five out of five city-owned landfills and six out of eight city-owned incinerators were located in mostly African American Houston neighborhoods. Three of the four privately-owned landfills were located in mostly African American neighborhoods.

__________. "Environmental racism and land uses." Land Use Forum: A Journal of Law, Policy & Practice v2 (Spring 1993): 6-11.
This article explores discriminatory land use practices as an extension of racial bias in environmental decision making.

_________. "In our backyards: Minority communities get most of the dumps." EPA Journal v18 (March/April 1992): 11-12.
Waste facilities are not randomly distributed across the landscape. Communities of color bare a disproportionate burden as a result of nearby waste facilities.

Costner, Pat & Thronton, Joe. Playing with Fire: Hazardous Waste Incineration. Washington, DC: Greenpeace, 1990.
This Greenpeace report documents that renters, low-income, and people of color communities bear a disproportionate burden for the location of hazardous waste incinerators and proposals for new waste incinerators.

Freudenburg, William R. & Pastor, Susan K. "NIMBY's and LULU's: stalking the syndrome." Journal of Social Issues v48, n4 (Winter 1992): 39-61.

Greenberg, Michael R. "Proving environmental inequity in siting locally unwanted land uses." Risk Issues In Health & Safety. v4 (Summer 1993): 235-252.
his paper explores land use decision making and the problems of "proving" environmental inequality associated with LULUs.

Hamilton, James T. Politics and social costs; Estimating the impact of collective action on hazardous waste facilities." Rand Journal of Economics v24, n1 (Spring 1993): 101-125.
Using national data at the county level, the author documents that hazardous waste facility siting is related to both income and racial composition of the surrounding community.

Inhaber, Herbert. "Of LULU's, NIMBY's, and NIMTOO's." Public Interest n107 (Spring 1992): 52. The public response to locally unwanted land uses gave rise to not-in-my-backyard. Public officials have reacted with "not-in-my-term-of-office."

Jaffe, Susan. "Bhopal in the backyard? When the folks next door are industrial polluters, it's time for a chat." Sierra (September/October 1993): 52-53.
Industrial pollution and the threat to nearby communities are real and need to be addressed before a disaster occurs.

Kay, Jane. "Minorities bear brunt of pollution." San Francisco Examiner April 7-10, 1991.
This four-part series documents that people of color in California are paying a high price with their health. The series profiles California's "dirtiest" zip codes in terms of air quality which happen to be located in African American or Latino neighborhoods.

Ketkar, Kusum, "Hazardous waste sites and property values in the state of New Jersey," Applied Economics v24 (1992): 647-653.
This study examines hazardous waste sites in New Jersey to establish the link between hazardous waste sites and property values, and to determine the effect of partnership between the polluting firms/industries and property owners/developers on the equity and efficiency issues pertinent to the speedy clean-up of hazardous waste sites. The author evaluated the gains in property values from clean-up of hazardous waste sites in 64 municipalities from 7 urban counties in the state. The author concluded that the present "polluter pays" principle, where the clean-up costs are borne by the responsible parties, should be replaced by a cost-sharing model, which would lead to quicker cleanup, increased property values, and additional tax revenues to the state.

Lampe, David. "The politics of environmental equity." National Civic Review v81, n1 (Winter/Spring 1992): 27.
Some communities because of their race, class, and political powerlessness are forced to accept risky jobs and polluting industries that others can escape.

"Not in my backyard: IR&R joins in quest for environmental justice: ABA house passes resolution." Human Rights v20, n4 (Fall 1993): 26-29.
In a historic move, the Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section of the ABA together with the House of Delegates passes a resolution to end environmental racism. They also call for Congress to pass the Environmental Justice Act of 1993.

O'Looney, John. "Framing a social market for community responsibility: Governing in an age of NIMBYs and LULUs." National Civic Review v82, n1 (Winter 1993): 44.
Policy makers are attempting to develop a mechanism for the equitable distribution of locally unwanted land uses. Suggestions of "organized markets" and "market framework" approaches to land use decisions are made.

Russell, Sherri & Mitchell, Goro. "Atlanta's environment and the black community." Pp. 98-137 in Bob Holmes, ed., The Status of Black Atlanta 1994. Atlanta: The Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy, Clark Atlanta University, 1994.
This chapter details the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on Atlanta's African American population. The analysis focuses on sewer treatment facilities and strategies to address overflow, landfills, incinerators, childhood lead poisoning, and a host of other environmental problems.

Unger, Donald G.; Wandersman, A. & Hallman W. "Living near a hazardous waste facility: Coping with individual and family distress." American Journal of Orthopsychiatry v55 (1992): 62.
This study explores the population living near the Pinewood, South Carolina hazardous waste site. Low income African Americans bear the greatest burden associated with the disposal facility.

Walsh, Edward, Warland, Rex & Smith, Clayton D. Backyards, NIMBY's and incinerator sitings: Implications for social movement theory." Social Problems v40, n1 (February 1993): 25-39.
This article examines two siting disputes involving modern incinerators and asks why one was eventually built and the other defeated.

top of page

V. LEGAL AND LAW REVIEW ARTICLES

Austin, Regina & Schill, Michael. "Black, brown, poor & poisoned: Minority grassroots environmentalism and the quest for eco-justice:" Kansas Journal of Law and Public Policy v1, n1 (1991): 69-82.
People of color and the poor are endangered by industrial pollution and environmental degradation. They are organizing themselves around environmental justice and many view their equal protection struggles as an extension of the civil rights movement.

Babcock, Hope. Environmental justice clinics: Visible models of justice. Stanford Environmental Law Journal v. 14, n1 (1995): 4-57.
This article examines and evaluates the contributions of environmental justice clinics to pedagogy, law reform and legal services. The author notes the important role that law school clinics can play in the environmental justice movement. Observations and conclusions are based on author s experience supervising students at Georgetown Law Center s environmental justice clinic.

Been, Vicki. "Market dynamics and the siting of LULUs: Questions to raise in the classroom about existing research." West Virginia Law Review v96, n4 (Summer 1994): 1069-1078.
This New York University law professor focuses on existing scholarship on environmental justice and the distribution of locally undesirable land uses (LULUs). Her major contention is that race-neutral "market" dynamics may account for the disparate siting of waste facilities in people of color communities.

_________. "What's fairness got to do with it?" Environmental justice and the siting of locally undesirable land uses." Cornell University Law Review v78, (1993): 1001-1085.
The author discusses who benefits and who loses with the siting of locally unwanted land uses (LULUs), the politics involved with their siting, and legal strategies for combating the siting of LULUs.

Binder, Denis. Index of environmental justice cases. The Urban Lawyer v27, n1 (1995): 163-167.
The author provides an index of environmental justice cases.

Blank, Linda D. Seeking solutions to environmental inequity: The Environmental Justice Act. Environmental Law v 24, n3 (1994): 1109-1136.
The author refers to the movement that is striving toward a solution to the problem of environmental inequity as the environmental civil rights movement. She provides an analysis of the Environmental Justice Act of 1992 and concludes that the right to a clean, safe environment is a fundamental right, and legislation which reflects the urgency of the situation faced by minority communities is needed to protect that right.

Brown, Alice L. "Environmental justice: New civil rights frontier." Trial v29, n7 (July 1993): 48.
Traditional environmental laws do not cover racial discrimination but can still be used to challenge the location of polluting industries and lack of enforcement of cleanup provisions. Suits alleging this type of discrimination can be brought under several laws. These include CERCLA, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the Medicaid Act.

Bullard, Robert D. "Race and environmental justice in the United States," The Yale Journal of International Law v18, n1 (Winter 1993): 319-335.

__________. "Environmental racism and 'invisible' communities." West Virginia Law Review v96, n4 (Summer 1994): 1037-1050.
Institutional racism continues to make many African American and other people of color communities "invisible." This is true in housing, education, employment, and the delivery of municipal services, including environmental protection.

__________. "The legacy of American apartheid and environmental racism." St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary v9, n2 (Spring 1994): 445-474.
This article examines the concept of "community" and the role of institutional barriers in creating separate, unequal, and segregated physical environments.

Chase, Anthony. "Assessing and addressing problems posed by environmental racism." Rutgers University Law Review v45, n2 (Winter 1993): 369-385.
Environmental racism is easy to practice, but difficult to prove. The author draws some parallels with other forms of racial discrimination and the remedies used to combat them.

Cole, Luke W. "Empowerment as the key to environmental protection: The need for environmental poverty law." Ecology Law Quarterly v19, n4 (1992): 619-683.
This article discusses the need for poverty law and environmental justice law to merge when dealing with environmental racism issues. However, the law is only one tool. Community empowerment is the key in disenfranchised communities.

_________. "Environmental justice in the classroom: Real life lessons for law students." West Virginia Law Review v96, n4 (Summer 1994): 1051-1067.
Author believes that law schools need to do a better job of preparing students for environmental justice training. Article focuses on four main areas where concrete steps can be made in terms of environmental justice becoming apart of a law students academic requirement. These areas are teaching, scholarship and research, clinical work, and work during sabbaticals.

__________. "Remedies for environmental racism: A view from the field." (response to Rachel D. Godsil), Michigan Law Review v90, n7 (June 1992): 1991-1997.
The author critiques Rachel D. Godsil's paper on environmental racism. Cole believes that the law has done a lousy job protecting people of color and disenfranchised populations. For him, grassroots activism is the approach most likely to bare fruit.

Coleman, Leslie Ann. "It's the thought that counts: The intent requirement in environmental racism claims." St. Mary's Law Journal v25, n1 (1993): 447-492.
The author gives a brief history of racial segregation and environmental racism. Court cases are discussed where the intent standard has been the insurmountable hurdle. She also discusses Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Collin, Robert W. "Environmental equity: A law and planning approach to environmental racism." Virginia Environmental Law Journal v13, n4 (Summer 1992): 495-546.
Poor communities of color have been dealing with the adverse externalities of industrial capitalism for decades. The article delineates some of the institutional changes that could be implemented to combat this trend.

Colopy, James H. "The road less traveled: Pursuing environmental justice through Title VI of the Civil Rights Act 1964." Stanford Environmental Law Journal v13, n1 (January 1994): 125-189.
This article provides a detailed and comprehensive discussion of legal strategies for combating environmental racism using Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Colquette, K.C. & Robertson, Elizabeth Henry A. "Environmental racism: The causes, consequences and commendations." Tulane Environmental Law Journal v5, n1 (December 1991): 153-207.
Environmental racism is alive and well in Louisiana. African Americans who live in the petro-chemical corridor suffer the most from discriminatory industry practices and parish policies. The article cites the example of parish officials rezoning the all-black town of Wallace from residential to industrial to make way for a rayon factory.

Comment: Environmental justice: The need for equal enforcement and sound science. Journal of contemporary health law and policy v11, n1 (1994): 253-280.
Comment examines the origins of the environmental justice movement, the controversy over the lack of scientific data to support claims of adverse health effects caused by environmental injustice. Author also discusses steps that can be taken to bring environmental justice advocates and the business community together to work cooperatively in addressing environmental justice issues.

Crawford, Colin. Strategies for environmental justice: Rethinking CERCLA medical monitoring lawsuits. Boston University Law Review v9, n2 (1994): 267-326.
The author argues that lawyers and legal academics have disadvantaged potential environmental justice plaintiffs through concentration on expanding the scope of constitutional jurisprudence rather than using existing federal environmental justice statutes. The author focuses on the medical monitoring lawsuit available under sec. 107(a)(4)(B) of CERCLA.

Denno, Deborah, W. "Considering lead poisoning as a criminal defense." Fordham Urban Law Journal v20, n3 (1993): 377-400.
This article bases a criminal defense strategy on a recent biosociological study which states that lead poisoning in young black males is one of the strongest predictors for crime and violence. This possibly establishes an environmental link to the plight of America's young black males.

Dubin, Jon C. "From junkyards to gentrification: Explicating a right to protective zoning in low-income communities of color." Minnesota Law Review v77, n4 (April 1993): 739-801.
This article discusses the history of discriminatory zoning in the United States and the effects that it had on land use patterns. It also examines other aspects of zoning laws, from environmental to gentrification, and calls for the use of protective zoning in disenfranchised communities.

Freeman, James & Godsil, Rachel D. The question of risk: Incorporating community perceptions into environmental risk assessments. Fordham Urban Law Journal v21, n3 (1994): 547-576.
This article discusses the issue of perception of risk and citizen involvement in environmentally sensitive siting decisions. The authors discuss the gap between citizens and government agencies understanding of what constitutes acceptable risk, how risk is measured, and who makes these decisions. The authors argue that public officials should give greater weight to public perceptions of risk.

Godsil, Rachel D. "Remedying environmental racism." Michigan Law Review v90, n2 (November 1991): 394-497.
One of the first law review articles to address environmental racism. The author concludes that people of color have not been well-served by government and industry.

Hasler, Claire L. The proposed Environmental Justice Act: I have a (green dream). Puget Sound Law Review v 17, n2 (1994): 417-471.
This article addresses the concept of environmental racism, the tools that have been used to fight it, and the proposed Environmental Justice Act of 1993. The author concludes that the Act would not be effective as written and suggests revisions in the provisions and goals of the Act.

Keeva, Steven. "A breath of justice: Along with equal employment opportunity and voting, living free from pollution is emerging as a new civil right." ABA Journal v80, (February 1994): 88-92.
The environmental justice movement is a bridge between the environmental and civil rights movements. The actions of grassroots groups have placed environmental justice issues on local, state, and national agenda.

Lavelle, Marianne & Coyle, Marcia. "Unequal protection: The racial divide in environmental law." Special Supplement, National Law Journal v15, n3 (September 21, 1992).
This special issue reports on the unequal protection provided to communities of color under the federal Superfund program. The authors conclude that white communities see faster cleanup action and more stringent cleanup than communities of color. Penalties are stiffer on companies with violations in white communities as compared to communities of color.

Lazarus, Richard, J. "Environmental justice and the teaching of environmental law," West Virginia Law Review v96, n4 (Summer 1994): 1025-1036.
The author concludes that facility siting is only a symptom of environmental injustice; environmental quality rests upon compliance which depends on enforcement.

__________. "Pursuing 'environmental justice': The distributional effects of environmental protection." Northwestern Law Review v87, n3 (March 1993): 787-857.
This article explores the effect of unequal protection on vulnerable populations and the role of environmental justice in correcting these inequalities.

Lyskowski, Kevin. "Environmental justice: A research guide." Our Earth Matters. NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (Spring 1994).
This guide is filled with topics and sources on environmental justice including cases, legislation, and bibliographic materials. It also has a fairly comprehensive list of print and "on-line" (computer) resources with keywords for searches.

Macchianola, Frank J. "The courts in the political process: Judicial activism or timid local government?" St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary v9, n2 (Spring 1994): 703-724.
Discusses how timid executive and legislative government is based on fear of fulfilling their responsibilities because of unpopular political positions. In response to New York City's environmental racism problem the article discusses: the sewage treatment, ocean dumping of solid waste, housing discrimination, and the homeless debate.

Mank, Bradford C. Environmental justice and discriminatory siting: Risk-based representation and equitable compensation. Ohio State Law Journal v56, n2 (1995): 329-425.
The author argues that the siting of a polluting or disposal facility brings both costs and benefits to any community, and minority communities may lose opportunities for economic gain if legislative measures designed to reduce environmental inequities also reduce the incentive for businesses to relocate in poor and minority areas. The article proposes a new risk-based approach to representing and compensating persons affected by siting decisions to empower the local residents most affected.

Mata, Rodolfo. Hazardous waste facilities and environmental equity: A proposed siting model. Virginia Environmental Law Journal v13, n3 (1994): 375-467.
This article posits that state siting processes are ill-suited to produce environmentally equitable results. Accordingly, the article proposes a state siting scheme that addresses environmental equity, with the goal of distributing hazardous waste facilities in a more equitable manner.

Mitchell, Carolyn M. "Environmental racism: Race as a primary factor in the selection of hazardous waste sites." National Black Law Journal v12, n3 (Winter 1993): 176-188.
The location of waste facilities violates the 1866 Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment because of the racial and ethnic makeup of the communities. Several state environmental and personal injury laws also mitigate against such racially discriminatory location of hazardous sites and operations.

Reich, Peter L. "Greening the ghetto: A theory of environmental race discrimination." The University of Kansas Law Review v41, n2 (Winter 1992): 271-314.
This article discusses the inadequacies of federal doctrines in protecting communities of color and suggests that state doctrines could possibly be used to combat environmental racism.

Saleem, Omar. Overcoming environmental discrimination: The need for a disparate impact test and improved notice requirements in facility siting decisions. Columbia Journal of Environmental Law v19, n2 (1994): 211-249.
This article explores the phenomenon of environmental discrimination within the spectrum of current laws and policies and posits that such laws and policies are narrowly construed to the detriment of their intended beneficiaries. The author examines the shortcomings of the Equal Protection Clause s discriminatory intent requirement, as well as the shortcomings of federal and state notice requirements for siting hazardous waste facilities.

Topper, Martin D. "Environmental protection in Indian country: Equity or self-determination." St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary v9, n2 (Spring 1994): 693-702.
Discusses the current position of Native Americans. The author's stand-point is that as American citizens, Native Americans have the benefits and rights as all other citizens of the U.S. These benefits and rights are not forfeited simply because the tribal governments have jurisdiction over their lands and people.

Tsao, Naikang. "Ameliorating environmental racism: A citizens' guide to combating the discriminatory siting of toxic waste dumps." New York University Law Review v67, n2 (May 1992): 366-418.
The author discusses legal remedies communities may pursue to prevent the development of new toxic waste sites in their communities. Racial discrimination is analogous to any municipal service and remedies exist in common law, state law or constitutional law. Federal cases based upon equal protection of the 14th Amendment would probably not succeed in the present federal courts, so state laws are the better approach.

Weinberg, Peter. Environmental protection in the next decades: Moving from cleanup to prevention. Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review v.27, n3 (1994): 1145-1156.
Author argues for more environmental regulation coupled with incentives to encourage environmentally benign activity and waste reduction, because of the inadequacy of market forces to end environmental abuses. Author also analyzes the need for international controls, expansion of alternatives to litigation in resolving environmental issues and the necessity of transcending the not in my backyard (NIMBY) view to address environmental equity.

top of page

VI. BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS, REPORTS, AND SPECIAL ISSUES

Alston, Dana. We Speak for Ourselves: Social Justice, Race & Environment. The Panos Institute, December 1990. 40 pp.
This booklet documents the marriage of the movement for social justice with environmentalism. Contributors range from journalists, writers, illustrators, researchers, and artists. Issues covered include environment and people of color, land, sovereignty and the environment, organizing, and the media and the environment.

Angel, Bradley. The Toxic Threat to Indian Lands: A Greenpeace Report. 1992. 17 pp.
This Greenpeace report details the targeting of Native lands for landfills, incinerators, and other waste facilities.

Barry, Tom & Sims, Beth. The Challenge of Cross Border Environmentalism: The U.S. - Mexico Case No. 1 in the U.S. - Mexico Series. The Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, Resource Center Press and border ecology Project. 1994. 121 pp.
A review of the political agenda and recommendations are presented for NAFTA's side agreements are presented. The authors argue that small-scale models forming at the grassroots level, combined with progressive binational politics could provide a basis for sustainable development in the border region.

Belliveua, Michael; Kent, M. & Rosenblum B. Richmond at Risk: Community Demographics and Toxic Hazards from Industrial Polluters. San Francisco: Citizens for a Better Environment, 1989.
This study examines the communities living closest to Richmond, CA petrochemical corridor. The city's African American and Latino citizens live closest to the polluting industries.

Brueggemann, Martin R. Environmental Racism in Our Own Backyard: Solid Waste Disposal in Holly Springs, North Carolina. Chapel, Hill, NC: Master's Thesis for the University of North Carolina School of Journalism, 1993. 96 pp.
This thesis examined the siting of solid waste disposal facilities in a North Carolina community. African American residents in Wake County bear a greater burden for disposal of the area's waste.

Bryant, Bunyan & Mohai, Paul. Race and the Incidence of Environmental Hazards: A Time for Discourse. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1992a. 251 pp.
This book inclues the papers that were delivered at a 1990 University of Michigan Conference by the same name. The core presenters, people of color scholars, civil rights leaders, and environmental justice activists, became the ad hoc group known as the "Michigan Coalition."

Burke, Lauretta M. Environmental Equity in Los Angeles. National Center for Geographic Information & Analysis, Technical Report 93-6 (July 1993). 82 pp.
In a case study of L.A., the relationship between industrial facilities emitting toxic chemicals and demographic variables are examined at the census tract-level of aggregation. Because race and income are highly correlated, the purpose of this analysis is to determine the significance of race in relationship to environmental pollution when the effects of other important variables, such as income, have been removed.

Bullard, Robert D. ed. Unequal Protection: Environmental Justice and Communities of Color. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1994. 392 pp.
This edited volume documents environmental injustice and unequal protection. Case studies are from "impacted" citizens, grassroots activists, civil rights leaders, journalists, lawyers, and academicians who have worked in communities of color.

__________. Dumping in Dixie: Race, Class and Environmental Quality. 2nd ed. Boulder: Westview Press, 1994. 195 pp.
African American communities in the South have become the dumping ground for polluting industries, waste facilities, and garbage dumps. The author examines five African American communities that challenged unjust, unfair, and illegal industry and government practices.

__________. People of Color Environmental Groups Directory 1994-95. Flint, MI: Charles Stewart Math Foundation, 1994. 194 pp.
This is an update of the 1992 directory. The updated version profiles over 300 people of color groups in the U.S. and another one hundred or so in Canada and Mexico. It also lists environmental, civil rights, legal, and health groups that work on environmental justice.

__________. Confronting Environmental Racism: Voices from the Grassroots. Boston: South End Press, 1993. 259 pp.
This book grew out of grassroots activists and environmental justice leaders who participated in the 1991 First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit. The contributors conclude that environmental racism endangers public health, lowers property values, and creates nonsustainable communities.

__________. Invisible Houston: The Black Experience in Boom and Bust. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 1987. 160 pp.
This book examines the social, economic, political, and environmental conditions of the largest African American community in the South. Numbering over a half million, this Houston African American community remained "invisible" and became the dumping groups for the city's household garbage.

Canadian Environmental Network. The Green List: A Guide to Canadian Environmental Organizations and Agencies. Ottawa, Ont.: The Canadian Network, 1994. 425 pp.
This directory includes listings on Canadian environmental groups, development groups, industry associations, government contacts, and Southern networks.

Center for Investigative Reporting and Bill Moyer. Global Dumping Ground: The International Trade in Hazardous Waste. Washington, DC: Seven Locks Press, 1990. 152 pp.
This book examines problems associated with transboundary shipment of hazardous wastes from the United States to the Third World. A companion video narrated by Bill Mire can be ordered with this book.

Duncan, David James. "The War for Norman's River" Sierra (May 1998): 44-55.
This report is about a group of river lovers who are fighting to keep the Blackfoot River in Montana clean from a proposed cyanide heap-gold mine that is upstream.

Environmental Health Coalition. Toxic-Free Neighborhoods Community Planning Guide. San Diego: Environmental Health Coalition, 1993. 97 pp.
This guide offers solutions to toxic problems faced by neighborhoods across the United States. The report discusses environmental racism, creating a toxic-free neighborhood ordinance, pollution prevention, legal tools, and organizing strategies.

Fitton, Laura J. A Study of the Correlation between the Siting of Hazardous Waste Facilities and Racial and Socioeconomic Characteristics. Ithaca, NY: Master's thesis, Cornell University (December 1992).
This master's thesis uses zip codes to document the national trends of hazardous waste disposal facilities. The author finds that both race and socioeconomic status are related to facility location.

Fordham Urban Law Journal. Urban Environmental Justice. Special Issue v20, n3 (1993). 320 pp.
This issue includes some excellent papers from the symposium. Both academic and grassroots presenters provide wide-ranged discussions of environmental justice and legal challenges.

Geddicks, Al. The New Resource Wars: Native and Environmental Struggles Against Multinational Corporations. Boston: South End Press, 1993. 250 pp.
University of Wisconsin (La Crosse) sociologist Al Geddicks provides an historical analysis of the assaults upon native peoples and the environment from James Bay, Quebec, to the Equadoran rain forest.

Goldman, Benjamin & Fitton, Laura J. Toxic Waste and Race Revisited. Washington, DC: Center for Policy Alternatives, NAACP, United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, 1994. 10 pp.
This follow-up study to the 1987 Toxic Wastes and Race reveals that people of color are more likely to live near waste sites than they were in 1987.

Goldman, Benjamin. The Truth about Where You Live: An Atlas for Action on Toxins and Morality. New York: Random House, 1992. 416 pp.
This book contains some informative maps, graphs, and statistical tables that point to clear links between quality of life and geographic location; where you live can affect your health.

Gottlieb, Robert, Forcing the Spring: The Transformation of the American Movement. Washington, DC: Island Press, 1993. 432 pp.
The author examines the history of the environmental movement and its redefinition that has emerged from environmental justice battles of low-income communities of color.

Greenberg, Michael & Anderson, Richard, F. Hazardous Waste Sites: The Credibility Gap. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Center for Urban Policy Research, 1984. 276 pp.
This book examines hazardous waste sites in New Jersey. The authors found that a disproportionately large share of low-income persons and people of color lived near the waste disposal sites.

Hernandez, Richard & Sanchez, Edith. Cross-Border Links: A Directory of Organizations in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Albuquerque: Inter-Hemispheric Education Resource Center, 1992. 263 pp.
This resource directory includes American, Mexican, and Canadian groups that are working on such areas as fair trade, labor, and the environment. It also has listings of advocacy organizations, academic institutions, government agencies, business groups, and electronic networking.

Hofrichter, Richard, ed., Toxic Struggles: The Theory and Practice of Environmental Justice. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1993. 260 pp.
This book examines how grassroots struggles by people of color, women migrant farm workers, and industrial workers are joining forces with environmental activists to challenge corporate polluters. It examines the multi-issue and multicultural coalitions that have revitalized the political landscape around environmental justice. Essays reflect the diversity of the environmental justice alliance by addressing environmental racism, ecofeminism, occupational health and safety, and the exploitation of Third world peoples.

Howe, Peter J. "Environment Group Tracks Toxic Waste with Web Page." Boston Globe (April 17, 1998): E12.
The report is about the use of a webpage to locate industrial toxic waste emitters that are near people?s residents.

Institute for Southern Studies. Southern Exposure, Special Issue, "People of Color Forge a Movement for Environmental Justice,. v21, n4 (Winter 1993). 64 pp.
This special issue is dedicated to environmental justice. Articles include such issues as lead poisoning in West Dallas, Du Pont fungicide killing crops in Florida, private resorts eroding the coast in South Carolina, and pollution along the U.S. - Mexico border and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Johnson, Barry L., Williams, Robert C. & Harris, Cynthia M. Proceedings of the 1990 National Minority Health Conference: Focus on Environmental Contamination. Princeton, NJ: Scientific Publishing Co., Inc., 1992. 244 pp.
The First National Minority Health Conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia in 1990. Papers explore the nature, extent, and impact of environmental hazards on persons of color and other vulnerable populations.

Land Use Forum. "Environmental Equity: Confronting racial injustice in land use patterns." Special Issue, Land Use Forum. Constituting Education of the Bar of California, v2, n1 (Winter, 1993). 91 pp. The articles examine the relationship between unpopular land use and communities of color, and look at emerging efforts to correct the disparity: There is also a list of resources and organizations active in environmental justice issues.

Lavelle, Marian & Coyle, Marcia. "Unequal protection: the racial divide on environmental law." National Law Journal, September 21, 1993.
This special supplement examines the differential treatment of communities of color under EPA's giant Superfund program. The authors conclude that white communities receive quicker action and more comprehensive clean-up strategies than communities of color when income is held constant.

Lewis, Stanford Keating, & Russell, Dick. Inconclusive by Design: waste, fraud and abuse in Federal Environmental Health Research. Boston: National Tonics Campaign, 1992. 55 pp.
This report takes the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry to task for inconclusive findings and wasteful health assessments of residents who live around Superfund sites.

Louisiana Advisory Committee to the United States Commission of Civil Rights, The Battle for Environmental Justice in Louisiana... Government, Industry, and the People. Kansas City: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Regional Office (September 1993). 144 pp.
This report offers, for the first time, information for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights linking environmental practices and policies with racial discrimination. The study shows that black communities in the corridor between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, known as Cancer Alley" are disproportionately impacted by state and local government systems for permitting and expansion of hazardous waste and chemical facilities.

Mann, Eric. L.A.'s Lethal Air: New Strategies for Policy, Organizing & Action. A Labor/Community Strategy Book. Los Angeles, 1991. 80 pp.
This report discusses air pollution in Los Angeles and its effect upon poor communities of color. It also documents the corporate sources of the problem and discusses the Labor/Community Watchdog strategy for fighting against environmental racism.

McAllum, M. Recreational and Subsistence Catch and Consumption of Selected Seafood from Three Urban Industrial Bays of Puget Sound: Port Gardner, Elliot Bay, and Sinclair Inlet. Olympia, WA: Washington State Department of Health, 1985.
The study found that toxic fish consumption is a greater problem for Native Americans and other people of color than whites who live near Puget Sound.

Natural Resources & Environment "Facility Siting," Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law. American Bar Association v7, n3 (Winter 1993). 64 pp.
This issue contains a diverse collection of articles to assist anyone interested in facility siting. "The Use of Zoning and Other Local Controls for Siting Solid and Hazardous Waste Facilities," "Site Selection for Hazardous Waste Facilities," "Long Arm of Uncle Sam: Federal Environmental Issues in Siting Decisions," and other articles.

Puffer, H. Consumption Rates of Potentially Hazardous Marine Fish Caught in the Metropolitan Los Angeles Area. Washington, DC: U.S. EPA (Grant #R807-120010), 1981. 44 pp.
This report clearly correlates toxic fish consumption in the Los Angeles metro area with race. People of color fishers are more likely to eat fish taken from polluted waters than their white counterparts.

Race, Poverty & the Environment, "Environmental justice and the law." Special Legal Issue v5, n2/3 (Fall/Winter 1995). 64 pp.
This special issue examines legal issues and strategies groups are using to achieve environmental justice. The issue includes articles on legal challenges to toxics, facility siting, land use, high voltage lines, hog farming, organizing, SLAPP suits, and other areas of interest.

__________. "Peace Now." Special Military Conversion Issue, v4, n4 (Spring-Summer 1994). 48 pp. This special issue addresses a variety of environmental issues including indigenous perspectives, military conversion and labor, use of national labs, community needs and Restoration Advisory Boards or RABs.

_________. "Latinos and the environment." Special Issue v4, n3 (Fall 1994). 48 pp.
This issue of RPE is devoted to Latinos and contains some excellent articles that address issues ranging from Puerto Ricans in New York to Chicanos in East Los Angeles. The volume contains a good mix of articles from environmental justice activists and academics.

Sevrens, Gail. Environmental, Health, and Housing Needs and Nonprofit Groups in the U.S. - Mexico Border Area. Arlington, VA: World Environment Center. (June 1992). 187 pp.
This directory contains mostly health and housing nonprofit groups located along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Sexton, Ken & Anderson, Yolanda Banks. "Equity in Environmental Health: Research Issues and Needs." Special Issue, Toxicology and Industrial Health v9, n5 (September-October, 1993). 967 pp.
This special issue grew out of papers presented at a workshop on environmental health issues. The workshop was sponsored by the U.S. WPA, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Ten articles are presented on topics ranging from research and decision making, health status by race and class, data collection, susceptibility, community perspectives and health research needs, health risks from air and water pollution and hazardous wastes.

Social Problems, Special Issue on Environmental Justice. v40, n1 (February 1993).
This issue contains some interesting research and case studies from the field.

Southwest Organizing Project. Intel Inside New Mexico: A Case Study of Environmental and Economic Injustice. Albuquerque: SWOP, 1995. 158 pp.
This is an important case study of the micro-electronics industry in New Mexico. It clearly shows that environmental justice and economic justice are one and the same. SWOP's position is that economic development models must address sustainablity and justice concerns of local communities.

St. John's Journal of Legal Commentary, "Environmental Justice: The Merging of Civil Rights and Environmental Activism." Symposium, v9, n2 (Spring 1994). 873 pp.
This issue includes papers from the symposium. Articles are from some of the leading academics and activists in the field. Papers cover a range of topics including residential apartheid, environmental racism, market dynamics, unequal enforcement and protection, causes of action and the need for new legislation, sovereignty and Native American issues, Superfund reform, and legal remedies.

Surface Transportation Policy Project, Transportation: Environmental Justice and Social Equity Conference Proceedings. Washington, DC: STPP (July, 1995). 91 pp.
This report is from a November, 1994 conference held in Chicago. The meeting brought together some 150 groups, community leaders, and government officials to address environmental justice and social equity concerns detailed in the Environmental Justice Executive Order 12898.

Szasz, Andrew. EcoPopulism: Toxic Waste and the Movement for Environmental Justice. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1994. 216 pp.
The author discusses how, in less than a decade, a rich infrastructure of increasingly more permanent social organizations has emerged around environmental justice issues, including municipal waste, military toxics, and pesticides. He follows the development of the movement in the world of "official" policymaking in Washington as well as through the formation of local, grassroots groups in America's polluted neighborhoods. The author suggests that the movement may prove to be the vehicle for reinvigorating progressive politics.

Texas Environmental Equity and Justice Task Force Report. Recommendations to the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. Austin, Texas. (August 1993). 4 pp.
The purpose of this task force was to ensure that the public benefits from the newly created state agency. This was one of the first statewide task forces to examine the impact of environmental policies, regulations, and laws on low-income communities and communities of color.

Texas Network for Environmental and Economic Justice. Toxics in Texas & Their Impact on Communities of Color. Austin, Texas: Texas Center for Policy Studies. (March 1993). 41 pp.
This preliminary report is intended to serve as an organizing and educational tool for community leaders and policy makers who are addressing environmental justice and economic development issues across the state of Texas. According to the data, gathered from demographics of hazardous facilities and industries, communities of color in Texas are disproportionately impacted.

United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice, Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States: A National Report on the Racial and Socioeconomic Characteristics of Communities with Hazardous Waste Sites. New York: Commission for Racial Justice, 1987. 234 pp.
This was the first national study to document the correlation between waste facility siting and race. Using multiple regression analysis, the study found race to be the most potent predictor (stronger than class, property values, land values) of the location of waste sites in the United States.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Journal. "Environmental Protection: Has It Been Fair?" Special Issue, v18, n1 (March/April 1992). 64 pp.
This special issue contains a wide range of short articles that explore the issues of environmental and economic justice, differential exposure, facility siting disparities, and initiatives begun at EPA to address some of these concerns.

__________. OSWER Environmental Justice Action Agenda. Washington, DC: Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, EPA540/R-95/057 (May 1995). 65 pp.
This document is part of a report series that details the environmental justice actions of EPA's OSWER program. OSWER by far has been the most active EPA program area when its comes to environmental justice initiatives.

__________. Waste Programs Environmental Justice Accomplishments Report. Washington, DC: OSWER EPA540/R-95/057 (May 1995). 221 pp.
This report details the specific environmental justice initiatives undertaken by EPA's OSWER. Among the categories listed in this 221-page report include actions on Title VI of the Civil rights Act, health and cumulative risk, GIS, outreach, economic development, grants and contracts, interagency cooperation, Native American and tribal issues, and training.

__________. Environmental Justice 1994 Annual Report: Focusing on Environmental Protection for All People. Washington, DC: U.S. EPA. (April 1995). 60 pp.
This annual report details the accomplishments of EPA's Office of Environmental Justice via Executive Order 12898 and provides profiles of environmental justice initiatives in each EPA region.

__________. OSWER Environmental Justice Task Force Draft Final Report. Washington, D.C.: U.S. EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, 1994. 68 pp.
This report was produced by EPA s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER) to guide its environmental justice efforts on the reauthorization of Superfund. Some of the core recommendations from grassroots groups are incorporated in OSWER s action plan.

__________. Toxic Release Inventory & Emission Reductions 1987-1990 in the Lower Mississippi River Industrial Corridor. Washington, D.C.: U.S. EPA Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, 1993.
Using geographic information system and Toxic Release Inventory data, the EPA mapped the pollution levels along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. Not Surprisingly, the EPA study found that African American communities along the river bear the greatest risk burden from industrial pollution.

__________. Environmental Equity: Reducing Risk for All Americans. Washington, D.C. : U.S. EPA, 1992. v1, 43 pp. v2, 130 pp.
This report was issued after a year-long study of environmental justice problems. While stopping short of recognition of environmental racism, the report does provide recommendations and action steps to begin addressing some of the nation s environmental inequities.

U.S. General Accounting Office, Siting of Hazardous Waste Landfills and Their Correlation with Racial and Economic Status of Surrounding Communities. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1983. 13 pp.
This Congressional report was prompted by the 1982 protests over the Warren County, North Carolina PCB landfill. The study findings show that three of the four offsite hazardous waste landfills in Region IV (eight states in the South) were located in predominately black communities.

West Virginia Law Review, v96, n4 (Summer 1994). 218 pp.
This law review issue contains a dozen articles that address some aspect of environmental justice, environmental equity, environmental racism, LULUs and facility siting, networking, and teaching environmental law and environmental justice.

Yale Journal of International Law, "Earth Rights and Responsibilities: Human Rights and Environmental Protection." Symposium, v18, n1 (Winter 1993). 411 pp.
This volume grew out of an international conference held at Yale Law School. The papers address such topics as biotic rights, human rights and environmental rights, codes of corporate responsibility, race and the environment, Native American and indigenous rights, and international treaties.

top of page