Return to Goal 3. Regain Environmental Health and Safety

Pass an Environmental Justice Policy

Environmental Justice in Richmond

The need for an effective Environmental Justice Ordinance

The history of Richmond is intrinsically tied to the development of and the decline of the industrial economy of northern California, especially the maritime and petrochemical industries. One legacy of this history is an urban poisoning creating numerous brownfields, frequent chemicals exposure due to fires and leaks, and higher than average rates of diseases and illnesses associated with autoimmune disorder resulting from exposure to these chemicals.

To ensure a sound and healthy environment, where human beings and industry can safely coexist, there needs to be a greater transparency of the behavior of industry and its foreseeable impact on the community. To this end, the Richmond Progressive Alliance supports the adoption of a strong Environmental Justice Ordinance that includes the requirement of the execution of an Environmental Justice Analysis.

The language for such a ordinance could be:

Environmental justice means the fair and equitable treatment of people of all races, cultures and socioeconomic status in matters involving the development, adoption, implementation and enforcement of all laws, regulations and policies that have an impact on the environment.

To ensure for effective and fair enforcement of the ordinance and transparency of the impact of any proposed development determined to have a potential environmental justice impact, an environmental justice analysis will be done whenever there is consideration of the siting, expanding or redesigning of a facility or activity that could result in any, especially increased, exposure to risk of contamination to any community in Richmond, particularly those already disproportionately impacted.

The process described above would allow that an informed citizenry to have more input on the direction and quality of development in the City of Richmond. The Environmental Justice Ordinance is likely to be controversial because of the scope of its authority and the change this would bring to the political economics of development, as well as the quality of life issues the process would present.

The Environmental Justice Ordinance would improve the long term quality of health for the residents of the impacted communities, create an environment promoting corporate responsibility and ensure that development in Richmond will benefit all members of the community for generations to come.

The Richmond Progressive Alliance believes the adoption of the Environmental Justice Ordinance is an important component of creating a more just and democratic environment for the people of Richmond.