National Commission on Environmental Justice on the Gulf Coast Takes Testimony from Organizations, Activists, Officials Experts and Activists Describe

25 October 2006

Experts, government officials and long time residents of hurricane-torn communities appeared before the National Commission on Environmental Justice on the Gulf Coast today in New Orleans, La. to report on environmental disparities in low-income and minority communities struggling to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

"We cannot ignore the environmental conditions that threaten the safety and security of coastal communities. Hurricane Katrina demonstrates how environmental neglect and degradation disproportionately burden minority and low-income communities," stated Barbara Arnwine, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Minority and low-income residents of the Gulf Coast are disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards, including chemical plants, destroyed wetlands and toxic landfills. The hurricane has only exacerbated the threats to their health and security. Community residents, fearful that government will fail to incorporate environmental justice into redevelopment plans, came out today to report on the myriad of disparities that exist and to offer recommendations for building a healthier, equitable Gulf community.

"How will I know it is safe to return?" asked Tracie Washington, a lawyer with the NAACP Gulf Coast Advocacy Center. "I hear different things from everyone."

"We are entitled to certain rights under the United Nations Guiding Principles for the Protection of Internally Displaced Persons," said Natalie Walker from Advocates for Environmental Human Rights. "We are entitled to humanitarian assistance. We are entitled to return assistance. We are entitled to long term development assistance."

The hearing was part of a series of hearings the Commission is holding in Mississippi, New Orleans and Texas. The commissioners -- experts in the field of environmental justice -- will be talking to local officials, activists and community members about the history of environmental injustice in this area, including stories of discriminatory sitings of chemical plants, garbage dumps and wetland fillings. Ultimately, the commission will publish a report, which will include recommendations to state, local and federal official on how to incorporate environmental justice into the new Gulf Community. The New Orleans hearing, the second in the series, was sponsored by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and part of the symposium, Race, Place and the Environment after Katrina: Looking Back to Look Forward, sponsored by the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice.

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The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The Lawyers' Committee formed the National Commission on Environmental Justice on the Gulf Coast, a panel of prominent academics, community leaders and civil rights practitioners, to create a report detailing the history of environmental justice issues unique to the Gulf and in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and to make recommendations for redevelopment.

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