Environmental Justice and the U.S. EPA

By Joe Bruss

The relationship between human rights and environmental protection is an inseparable, yet often fragile one. This fundamental realization is clearly illustrated in the United Nations Convention on Environment and Development in 1992 (UNCED), or the “Rio Declaration”  as many came to know it. This is where the notion of “sustainable development” reached the global marketplace of ideas.

This convention and treaty helped societies recognize the need for balancing environmental protection against the pressures of poverty, hunger and the day-to-day survival of individuals in the developing world. Furthermore, inefficient and polluting industrial processes in the West challenged the idea that development can be sustainable while simultaneously promoting economic, environmental and social well-being.

With this new discourse, many advocates began to question traditional notions that were historically primary concerns of environmentalists, such as wildlife and endangered species protection, conservation and park management. However, these notions failed to address more deeply entrenched issues related to environmental degradation. Most of these issues found their roots in the inability of humans and economic systems to value “sustainability” — often sacrificing public health and the well-being of individuals for the opportunity to gain economic prosperity. 

Today, new ideas and initiatives  — such as environmental justice, brownfield redevelopment, smart growth and green design — have taken root, shifting the focus to a new paradigm of “urban environmentalism.” Growing population concerns now mark the transition of a once-rural farming and industrial America to one of post-industrialization.

Where the EPA Comes In
The U.S. EPA’s brownfield program embraces new concepts of environmentalism — rethinking traditional environmental notions to include innovative methods of understanding sustainability where the environment and society intersect. Since its inception, EPA’s brownfields program has strived to ensure that community concerns remain at its heart. This is apparent in the program’s history and its bottom up creation.

For example, in 1995, in collaboration with EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), the program participated in a series of public hearings. Public dialogues were held in five cities — Boston, Philadelphia, Detroit, Oakland and Atlanta, where, for the first time, an opportunity for environmental justice advocates and residents of brownfield-impacted communities to provide input was provided. Their perspectives on environmental protection included an emphasis on public health and human rights concerns. The dialogue concluded with a set of recommendations to EPA in a document called “Environmental Justice, Urban Revitalization, and Brownfields: Authentic Signs of Hope.” More importantly, these recommendations and ideas were transformed and integrated into the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002. 

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