Difference between revisions of "Draft GPUS Platform Amendment Environmental Justice"
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(first revision of EJ plank, based upon material from the California Environmental Rights Alliance www.envirorights.org/) |
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'''Section subtitle: A safe environment for all.''' | '''Section subtitle: A safe environment for all.''' | ||
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| + | '''Our position: Greens believe that no one -- including people of color and the poor -- should be poisoned nor subjected to specially large doses of toxic chemicals.''' | ||
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| + | Low-income citizens and minorities suffer disproportionately from environmental hazards in the workplace, at home, and in their communities. Inadequate laws, lax enforcement of existing environmental regulations, and weak penalties for infractions undermine environmental protection and civil rights. Environmental justice is the crossroads of environmental activism and the civil rights movement, founded on two fundamental beliefs: | ||
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| + | All people have the right to live, work, learn, and play in safe and healthful environments. | ||
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| + | People have the right to have a say in decisions that affect environmental quality in their communities. | ||
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| + | Greens believe that government must ensure the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. | ||
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| + | '''Green Solutions''' | ||
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| + | '''1.''' Ensure that all people have the right to a clean and healthful environment; | ||
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| + | '''2.''' Make pollution prevention (i.e., the elimination of threats before they occur) the preferred strategy for dealing with environmental justice issues; always consider cumulative environmental impacts when evaluating risk | ||
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| + | '''3.''' Require polluters to bear the burden of proof in demonstrating the safety of their practices; | ||
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| + | '''4.''' Ensure the right of communities and agencies to seek redress; communities and agencies must not be required to show or prove “intent” to discriminate to achieve redress for problems of disproportionate environmental impacts | ||
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| + | '''5.''' Targeted actions and resources must be used in communities with the highest concentrations of environmental hazards. | ||
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| + | ---- | ||
| + | ---- | ||
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| + | '''ORIGINAL 2004 TEXT OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLATFORM PLANK''' | ||
'''Our position: Greens believe that no one -- including people of color and the poor -- should be poisoned nor subjected to specially large doses of toxic chemicals.''' | '''Our position: Greens believe that no one -- including people of color and the poor -- should be poisoned nor subjected to specially large doses of toxic chemicals.''' | ||
Revision as of 18:30, 3 April 2010
Section title: Environmental Justice
Section subtitle: A safe environment for all.
Our position: Greens believe that no one -- including people of color and the poor -- should be poisoned nor subjected to specially large doses of toxic chemicals.
Low-income citizens and minorities suffer disproportionately from environmental hazards in the workplace, at home, and in their communities. Inadequate laws, lax enforcement of existing environmental regulations, and weak penalties for infractions undermine environmental protection and civil rights. Environmental justice is the crossroads of environmental activism and the civil rights movement, founded on two fundamental beliefs:
All people have the right to live, work, learn, and play in safe and healthful environments.
People have the right to have a say in decisions that affect environmental quality in their communities.
Greens believe that government must ensure the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Green Solutions
1. Ensure that all people have the right to a clean and healthful environment;
2. Make pollution prevention (i.e., the elimination of threats before they occur) the preferred strategy for dealing with environmental justice issues; always consider cumulative environmental impacts when evaluating risk
3. Require polluters to bear the burden of proof in demonstrating the safety of their practices;
4. Ensure the right of communities and agencies to seek redress; communities and agencies must not be required to show or prove “intent” to discriminate to achieve redress for problems of disproportionate environmental impacts
5. Targeted actions and resources must be used in communities with the highest concentrations of environmental hazards.
ORIGINAL 2004 TEXT OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PLATFORM PLANK
Our position: Greens believe that no one -- including people of color and the poor -- should be poisoned nor subjected to specially large doses of toxic chemicals.
Low-income citizens and minorities suffer disproportionately from environmental hazards in the workplace, at home, and in their communities. Inadequate laws, lax enforcement of existing environmental regulations, and weak penalties for infractions undermine environmental protection.
Green Solutions
1. Devote greater resources to the enforcement and prosecution of environmental crimes.
2. Add environmental crime units to district attorneys in counties with significant pollution problems.
3. Impose a moratorium on siting new toxic chemical or waste facilities in those counties with the highest percentage exposure to hazardous substances.
4. Never force workers to choose between a hazardous job or no job at all.
5. Prevent communities, especially low-income or minority communities, from being coerced by governmental agencies or corporations into siting hazardous materials, or accepting environmentally hazardous practices in order to create jobs.
6. Precede the siting of hazardous materials or practices with public hearings, conducted in the language of those community members who will be directly affected.
