The State of Environmental Justice in America 2012

Statement of Purpose

Purpose and Goals of Conference (Mission):

The year 2007 marked the 25^th anniversary of Warren County, the 20^th anniversary of Toxic Wastes and Race and the 15^th anniversary of the National Law Journal’s work that found inequitable enforcement of environmental laws by race and income. This conference will bring together individuals interested in environmental justice from diverse groups at this noteworthy juncture in the history of environmental justice, through a process of dialogue and learning from each other, to:

• Identify significant EJ success stories, strategies, and lessons learned, and how to replicate them.
• Identify potential collaborations that can produce additional strategies and success stories.
• Identify key dates and events in the history of environmental justice activities.
• Identify emerging issues in environmental justice.
• Develop an additional resource in Washington, DC for an annual environmental justice conference and other support to environmental justice efforts.

Expected Outcomes:

• Rigorous analysis and discussion of environmental justice issues from diverse points of view.
• Better understanding of EJ successes and how to replicate them on the part of conference participants and other audiences (readers of conference related materials).
• Stronger commitment to EJ from key groups, agencies, business and industry, academic institutions and other entities.
• A comprehensive Conference Report including papers presented by conference panelists and others.

 Projected Audience:

The conference seeks to bring together federal employees, academics, business and industry, non-profit organizations, tribes, faith-based organizations, local community activists and others to participate in dialog on achieving equality of environmental protection. The conference will serve as an academic legal conference to advance scholarship regarding environmental justice. A related goal of this conference is to expose law students to the myriad and complicated aspects of environmental justice.

Conference Planning Process:

Conference planning is organized around an overarching Planning Committee and Work Committees.

Planning Committee:

The Planning Committee is composed of Chairs of Work Committees, Track Managers and other individuals selected for various reasons, including providing overall guidance and outreach to affected communities or other stakeholder groups for participation in the conference. The Planning Committee is responsible for organizational, program, budget, policy, coordination related to all matters pertaining to the conference, including the selection of papers. The committee will ensure papers and conference speakers represent the diversity in profession and ideas and strategies for achieving environmental justice.

Work Committees:

Budget

Sponsors

Facilities and Site Selection

PR/Outreach

Plenary

Track Management

Track Managers

EJ and Health Disparities

Land Use Planning

Public Participation in Decision Making

EJ in Indian Country

Policies on Key Issues (and measures taken to address them), such as but not limited to:

• Meaningful Involvement of Communities: Conference is committed to meaningful involvement of affected community representatives. All committees are open to their participation and the conference will actively reach out to affected communities. This outreach effort includes regular conference calls with affected communities seeking their participation on various work committees, views, advice and recommendations for the conference.

• Corporate Participation and Fundraising: Conference is committed to constructively engaging members of the corporate sector for financial support and active participation in the conference discussions. All committees are open to corporate participation and the conference will actively reach out to business and industry for participation on various work committees, views, advice and recommendations for the conference.

• Transparency: The planning committee will be as transparent with respect to groups contributing to the conference. Conference contributors will be named in conference materials and included on the conference website. No financial contribution will determine the discussion or subject matters at the conference.