Wednesday, August 29, 2001
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Wednesday, August 29, 2001 |
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South Fulton power plant site violates idea of environmental justice The environmental justice movement is generally acknowledged to have emerged in the early 1980s in response to large demonstrations opposing the siting of a PCB-landfill in a predominantly black community in Warren County, N.C. Environmental justice formally came into being when the former President William J. Clinton signed Executive Order 12898 on Feb. 11, 1994. This order mandated federal actions to address environmental justice in minority populations and low-income populations. Environmental justice according to Executive Order 12898 is a movement promoting the fair treatment of people of all races, income, and culture with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatment implies that no person or group of people should shoulder a disproportionate share of the negative environmental impacts resulting from the execution of this country's domestic and foreign policy programs. The presidential memorandum underscores several provisions of environmental, civil rights, and other statutes that provide opportunities to prevent minority communities and low-income communities from being subject to disproportionately high and adverse environmental effects. Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, agencies must ensure that programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance that affects human health or the environment do not directly, or through contractual or other arrangements, use criteria, methods, or practices that discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin. According to the Environmental Impact Report prepared by Black & Veatch for the Fulton Energy Center, LLC, June 2001, environmental justice is an issue Fulton Energy Center "regards seriously." They go on in the report "that the proposed project site may be considered a community of racial minority concentration. However, the racial composition of the community or income levels of nearby residents did not affect the siting decision by the applicant. The site was selected because it had extraordinary and unique characteristics that would allow it to be developed as an electric generation facility while minimizing impacts to the environment and surrounding community." We may never fully know why the present site was selected nor do we have any further information to refute their claim as to why the site was selected. Whatever the case may be for site selection, [it] may be irrelevant, since the net effect of their action is [that] the proposed site will be located in an area of high minority residential concentration. The Fulton Energy Center's proposed location transcends boundaries and is not a local problem to South Fulton county or Union City. It is a multi-jurisdictional problem and as such we all need to be concerned. We all need clean and an ample supply of water, clean air, safe food, minimum noise and an environment conductive to our well being as members of the human race. In particular, the elderly, children and those with impairments demand a quality of life absent pollution, noise and unsightly nuisances. We believe we can have such an environment without using minority and poor neighborhoods as criteria for dumping grounds. We can have an environmental friendly energy policy, but in planned areas of development. We have the technology to transmit energy long distances. In fact we are doing it. Do you have the political will and sense of justice to demand a better stake for our citizens? Preston R. Twyman Jr. Safeguard South-Metro Edward Johnson Fayette County NAACP www.nopowerplant.org
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