Ben Wilson and Stacey Halliday Featured in Forum Debate on Environmental Justice
Chairman Ben Wilson and Associate Stacey Halliday (Washington, DC) participated in a printed debate organized by the Environmental Law Institute's Forum journal on the topic of environmental justice. The forum, entitled "With Hurricanes Providing Fresh Examples of Needs, Panel Is Asked What Trump Can Do to Foster Environmental Justice," asked panelists to evaluate the civil rights implications of the lack of environmental emissions controls in Colfax Louisiana adversely affecting a poor and largely black community. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, panelists were additionally asked to discuss why these super storms still negatively impact poor and minority communities and what the Trump administration should be doing to advance equity in shouldering the pollution burden and the effects of natural disasters.
Ben and Stacey’s article, "Learning From Disaster Response in the Trump Era," notes how each disaster and surrounding failures reveals measures that federal, state, and local actors can take to ensure better outcomes in the future. Though the improvement in disaster relief is encouraging, Ben and Stacey note that environmental justice considerations must be made at every juncture in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws.
Click here for the full article (subscription required).