Thursday, July 29, 2010

EPA Puts ‘Environmental Justice’ Front and Center in Its Rulemaking Process

Justice is suppose to be blind right? The environment affects everyone does it not? To every color, sexual preference, etc.....except for you social status.  “Achieving environmental justice is an Agency priority and should be factored into every decision,” the 55-page document reads.  From CNS:

The EPA defines environmental justice as the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, particularly minority, low-income, and indigenous populations, and tribes, in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”

The guide states that from now on -- in the process of developing rules, policy statements, risk assessments, and other regulatory actions -- EPA managers and staffers must first ask themselves, “Does this action involve a topic that is likely to be of particular interest to or have particular impact upon minority, low-income, or indigenous populations, or tribes?”
If the answer is yes, the rule-writers must reach out to the affected minority and/or low-income communities. One section of the guide explains how EPA rule-writers may have to make “special efforts” to connect with people who may be uneducated or non-English-speaking.
“It will likely be necessary to tailor outreach materials to be concise, understandable, and readily accessible to the communities you are trying to reach,” the guide says.

My opinion:  Why even consider this?  The entire notion of "social justice" smacks in the face of your rights as a person.  Worrying about the social ramifications of particular groups only hinders the system with bureaucratic red tape, by always making sure that every individual is just as equally affected as another.  Progression in the name of social justice, must take a back seat to the progression of common sense.

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