Environmental Justice

Los Angeles To Phase Out Oil Drilling
The city has banned new wells and will end all extraction within two decades.

Electric Vehicles Require Real Progress—Not Lip Service—on Equity
Communities of color are already being left behind as the nation prepares the infrastructure for an electric future.

Mapping Environmental Justice to Census Tracts
The Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, version 1.0, is now available on the internet.

Los Angeles County Launches Environmental Justice Department
The new department will develop plans for addressing the impacts of air and water pollution, extreme heat, and climate change on vulnerable communities.

The Shifting Demographics of Covid-19
For most of the Covid-19 pandemic, Black Americans died at much higher rates than White Americans. That trend has reversed at times during the past year.

Democrats Call for Stronger Action on Environmental Justice
The Justice40 initiative could make a major difference for communities burdened by pollution, but only if funds are spent on projects that maintain a focus on equity.

Biden’s Environmental Legacy (So Far)
President Biden campaigned on promises to restore many of the environmental regulations rolled back by the previous administration, while promising new efforts to tackle environmental injustice and climate change.

Desalination and Water Recycling Needed to Increase Bay Area Water Supply
In an ongoing drought exacerbated by climate change, the Bay Area needs to look toward two technologies to secure adequate drinking water supply: desalination and wastewater recycling, according to an analysis by the San Francisco Examiner.

Federal Environmental Justice Program Could Worsen Outcomes in Low-Income Neighborhoods
Without more specific regulations, the Justice40 initiative, which requires spending 40 percent of federal funds in underserved areas, could fund projects that increase emissions and pollution.

“Completing the Loop” Plan Wins National Award for Excellence in Sustainability
Riverlife and evolveEA were honored by the American Planning Association (APA) for the plan, which outlines a 10-year vision to connect, enhance, and expand Pittsburgh’s network of riverfront parks, trails, and public green spaces.

Report: The West Is the Worst for Air Quality
Thanks to longer fire seasons and increasingly intense blazes, Western states are experiencing the nation’s worst air quality.

Where Redlining and Oil and Gas Drilling Intersect
Research shows neighborhoods historically redlined by the federal government have twice as many oil and gas extraction projects as “desirable” neighborhoods.

'Greening' L.A.'s Schoolyards
Advocates for increasing green space on school campuses say giving students a more healthy outdoor environment can also reduce the urban heat island effect and improve public health in historically underserved communities.

What Is CEQA?
Designed to assess the environmental impacts of new projects and provide mitigation measures, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) has a controversial history, sometimes serving as a convenient tool for groups intent on stopping or slowing development.

Dallas Neighborhoods Fight Toxic Zoning
Communities in south and west Dallas are working to introduce zoning reform that would reduce industrial pollution and hold companies accountable for their impacts on surrounding neighborhoods.

Formerly Redlined Neighborhoods Continue to Suffer Disparate Air Pollution
How did ZIP codes become such powerful determinants of public health? New new evidence of the disparate air pollution of redlined neighborhoods partly answers that question.

A Toxic Legacy in an Orange County Neighborhood
The contaminated soil and neglected infrastructure in Santa Ana's Barrio Logan community are a result of decades of land use decisions and willful disinvestment, one journalist writes.

Racial Disparities in Life Expectancy Are a Place-Based Problem
New research from the Brookings Institution illuminates the racial disparities of public health outcomes both during and before the pandemic.

The Impact of Amazon Warehouses on Communities
Often located in low-income communities of color, Amazon's warehouses contribute to public health impacts like poor air quality, noise pollution, and traffic congestion.

New Research on the Disparate Impacts of Air Pollution in the U.S.
Researchers at the University of Washington published a new study of the disparate impacts of air pollution in the United States
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