A New Chapter of American Environmentalism
By: William Johnson, Senior Research Associate
Earlier this week, the EPA announced the creation of a new office focused on addressing environmental problems which plague certain communities of color, among other disadvantaged groups. This announcement speaks to a larger trend in the American environmental movement: a growing recognition that pollution and ecological crises do not affect all Americans equally.
The phrase “Environmental Justice” was coined by Dr. Benjamin Chavis—an academic, ordained minister, and civil rights leader—in response to the Warren County PCB protests of 1982. Although these protests were centered around the practice of importing toxic waste to the landfill of a predominantly Black community in North Carolina, Dr. Chavis’s term resonated with many environmental and social activists whose communities were also affected by disproportionate levels of toxic waste and environmental contamination. Now, 40 years later, the Warren County protests are memorialized in the mission statement of this novel EPA office: to assure the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income [in the] development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws” (EPA OEJECR, "What we Do").
The creation of this new office is not just a victory for overburdened and underprivileged communities, but for all Americans who dream of clearer air, safer water, and greener landscapes. In the words of Hop Hopkins, the Direction of Organizational Transformation at the Sierra Club, “dirty air doesn’t stop at the county line, and carbon pollution doesn’t respect national borders” (Hopkins, "Racism is Killing the Planet"). In accordance with Hopkins’ logic, a continued failure to protect and restore Black and brown communities destroys any hope of saving our global climate. All of earth, and all members of our nation, must be recognized as interconnected and equally sacred.
In addition to the political and historical significance of this announcement, the new EPA office will also receive $3.5 billion in investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which was passed in 2021. These funds will enable a variety of crucial efforts, including the restoration of previously unfunded superfund sites, the improvement of community involvement in environmental regulation, and the implementation of the Justice40 that seeks to ensure 40% of federal investments in clean energy and our climate directly benefit overburdened and underprivileged communities.