Journey to Justice: More Than a Promise?
By Erika Pietrzak, June 20, 2023
With almost a year in practice, we are now looking for answers on how much this program has actually done for communities in need.
The Biden-Harris administration began the “Journey to Justice Tour” last year to focus on “historic investments … that will lead to lasting public health protections in communities that need them most.” Leading this tour is the first Black administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Michael Regan. Regan stated that the tour’s purpose was to ensure equal and adequate protection for every community and highlight the realities that some Americans face. Regan demands the government “step it up and do a better job.” Regan says it is crucial that the government not question whether environmental injustices exist but rather amplify voices to solve the problems. This tour mainly focuses on Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, states with large racial minority populations that are disproportionately placed in lower-income areas with poor environmental conditions, largely the result of industrial pollution focusing in these communities.
The people affected by environmental injustices are wary of the tour. The EPA administrator has visited many of these towns where many people have died from environmental injustices for years. 56% of those living near toxic sites are minorities and these communities now have chronic health problems. 83% of facilities tested along the Mississippi River do not comply with the Clean Air Act. Mr. Regan stated that the Build Back Better agenda would equitably distribute federal funding to communities in need. However, the equitable distribution will largely be left to the states to determine, something that will allow states to ignore the environmental injustices they have allowed to fester for years. The people of Houston question how exactly the government will address the decades of loopholes and damages it has allowed. This comes after years of abandonment and mistreatment of these communities, leading to pollution, poor air and water quality, rising temperatures, toxic debris, and more environmental issues.
With almost a year in practice, we are now looking for answers on how much this program has actually done for communities in need. Residents in Gordon Plaza, New Orleans, for example, have not felt the program lived up to its promises as they have not gained assistance to relocate or received the improved living conditions they have demanded. In the EPA’s Region 6 2022 report, the summary showed the lack of action the government has taken, focusing on the initial conversations and promises yet to be proven true or false. The Biden administration has not successfully held the chemical plants across the nation accountable. The EPA recently released a report about chemical plants’ impact on air emissions with a concentration in the states this tour focuses on.
On the other hand, states like West Virginia have been promised a full-time position next year to identify and maintain water sources in the state. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act also promises grants to certain areas to improve air quality. Regan has also promised to take action against DuPont, one of the chemical plants that refuse to comply with EPA regulations and has caused significant damage to its communities. This tour has resulted in delicately enacted changes, but people still prioritize businesses, rejecting the need to intervene in economic affairs when they prove detrimental to American citizens. This has resulted in pushback against the administration and made the tour more difficult to succeed.
The Biden administration has to do far more than just issue promises in order to create change and get the people of underserved communities on their side. While the words are great to hear, these communities have been let down before. Residents thus remain “cautiously optimistic,” but skeptical. For many, this is the first time they are being listened to, and creates some hope for these communities. This is a great first step, but will not undo all of the previous damage. The Biden administration and the ongoing tour should do their best to not become another letdown for these communities in need. It is vital that the US population keep elected officials in office that will follow through on these promises, which means that voting is a particularly important role for all of us if we want the solutions to move forward.
Change The Chamber is a bipartisan coalition of over 100 student groups, including undergraduates, graduate students and recent graduates.