Richardson Signs Environmental Justice Executive Order
Race and class are still major factors in determining which neighborhood gets polluted and to what extent communities are protected from contaminated water, soil and air. Deputy Environment Department Secretary Derrith Watchman-Moore named Albuquerque's South Valley as an example of a community baring disproportionate environmental impacts. The South Valley has a landfill, several Superfund sites, the city waste-water treatment plant and other industrial facilities. It is a low-income, minority community, which bears greater public health and environmental impacts than other parts of the city. Richardson's order requires that this kind of disparity be eliminated.
The order states, "the state of New Mexico is committed to affording all of its residents, including communities of color and low income communities, fair treatment and meaningful involvement in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religion, income or education level."
The order brings environmental justice into the forefront of all decisions that could impact environmental quality and public health. It requires all cabinet level departments and boards to consider the impact on low-income communities and communities of color when making decisions about emission and discharge permits, clean-up regulations and locating new facilities.
To aid the various departments within state government in incorporating environmental justice, the order established a task force, which will serve as an advisory board. It will make recommendations regarding actions to be taken to ensure environmental justice. The task force will be led by the New Mexico Environment Department and will include designees from many other departments.
In addition to requiring that state agencies consider environmental justice, the order requires that state agencies make it possible for all people to be involved in a meaningful manner in the decision making process. Public health and environmental information must be made available in both English and Spanish, as well as tribal languages where appropriate.
Richardson signed the environmental justice executive order in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Many members of the community attended the signing ceremony, including Bishop Ricardo Ramirez of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces.
Richardson's executive order is widely approved of by environmental activists. Richard Moore, of the New Mexico Environmental Justice Working Group, said "We are pleased that the Richardson Administration was willing to listen to the voices of the people who have been directly impacted by environmental injustice for so many years. We are here to celebrate the work of the community in pushing forward an Executive Order on Environmental Justice and getting the Governor to sign it. Now we will be watching to see how our state government puts these good words into action."
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