Thread by @Netroots_Nation

Notes from
Environmental Justice and the Politics of Equity
with
@RepRaulGrijalva
@Yeampierre
@marcidale
@CathFlowers
#CA45 @RepKatiePorter
#NN21

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @marcidale @CathFlowers @RepKatiePorter @RepKatiePorter
framing convo:
What do WE mean in this session by environmental justice (EJ)?
Systematically addressing injustice in our environmental laws that adversely affect vulnerable, low income, POC communities
EJ is NOT a single issue. It is not its own bucket

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @marcidale @CathFlowers @RepKatiePorter "We need to develop a standard of public ethic in our laws.... Our elected officials must people--all people--before profits."--@RepKatiePorter in TeenVogue

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @marcidale @CathFlowers @RepKatiePorter @RepRaulGrijalva of AZ, Chair of House Committee of Natural Resources
@yeampierre Co-Chair of Climate Justice Alliance
@CathFlowers Founder of Center for Rural Enterprise and Environmental Justice
@marcidale former Congressional staffer

@RepRaulGrijalva Got involved in EJ because of an aquifer than poisoned 20-30K people...many indigenous and Latinx

As he worked on this issue--began to understand the rates of adverse outcomes due to pollution and environmental issues was being ignored

@RepRaulGrijalva Made the connection that what happened was not only an environmental issue, but a justice issue.

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre "Recently my mother died because she couldn't breathe. My father died because he couldn't breathe."

All work across New York and federally focused on the frontline of the justice struggle.

"Who speaks for who."

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @CathFlowers Started because in Atlanta people were being criminalized for environmental infractions.

After study, began to see that the inequity of quality of sewer service was disproportionately affecting Black and poor communities.

Engaged at community and now federal level

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @CathFlowers New to panel! Fawn Sharp
@PresFawnSharp President of National Congress of American Indians.

Hearing from community how ancestral lands were endangered---+ seeing.

Could not engage substantively here, so left country and realized: to effect change, need to enact accountability.

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @CathFlowers @PresFawnSharp @marcidale began in 2010 lower barriers to entry, high idealism that has gone up and down, but excited to see movement and momentum rise on this issue

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @CathFlowers @PresFawnSharp @marcidale How are frontline communities now engaging on environmental issues compared to when you started @yeampierre

Everything has changed since late 1990s. We have the Climate Justice Alliance, center of EJ gravity.
What we used to see grasstop determining everything. Now we see of grassroots organizations representing the people engaged.

"But now we are disappointed."

BIPOC are engaged, helped elect Biden. But current policy and appointments are challenging vision that these communities most engaged have for EJ

Grassroots leaders have been shaping SJ and driving action--want to see leadership follow our work.

@RepRaulGrijalva On work on Environmental Justice for All...

When we started we did not have the investment or engagement needed to make it policy.

Held summit to engage communities and grassroots input with policy.

Goal: to codify into law environmental effect and redress.

@RepRaulGrijalva From @yeampierre--what @RepRaulGrijalva did to engage meaningfully wrt decision making is a model for how to do this work.

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre More about @POPVOX + how using tech to engage in EJ; role of tech in engaging grassroots.

@marcidale the work (of @RepRaulGrijalva) was groundbreaking not because of tech but because of work to do meaningful outreach.

@POPVOX = brought in public feedback in unprecedented way.

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @POPVOX @marcidale On parallels of Biden-Harris administration work with local work
@CathFlowers from personal POV:
After helping draft EJ policies for then candidate Biden--saw them become part of EJ WH policy now. Powerful to do deep local work--and see recognition at federal level (WHEJAC)

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @POPVOX @marcidale @CathFlowers Question from chat: Thoughts on COVID as EJ issue?

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @POPVOX @marcidale @CathFlowers COVID has devastated my community @CathFlowers
"People most affected are the ones most underserviced and overburdened."

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @POPVOX @marcidale @CathFlowers Indigenous are bearing brunt of COVID
We are bearing the brunt of lack service and connection
@PresFawnSharp

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @POPVOX @marcidale @CathFlowers @PresFawnSharp Question: How EJ legislation is looking at cumulative impact?

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @POPVOX @marcidale @CathFlowers @PresFawnSharp From @RepRaulGrijalva
Communities need autonomy to look for solutions that are right for them.

We need to stop looking at specific occurrences and push to look at effects of overall environmental issues in an area.

@RepRaulGrijalva @yeampierre @POPVOX @marcidale @CathFlowers @PresFawnSharp From @yeampierre Important to talk about COVID and cumulative effect.

No surprise that impact was in areas already struggling with issues and adverse environmental impact.

Challenged by inconsistency of enforcement and policy by administration.

Wrapping up...
How can we push organizations not focusing on EJ to be more EJ minded?

From @marcidale
EJ is done differently so that communities speak for themselves. That needs to be the case across all issues.

from @PresFawnSharp
We need to lead by example and maintain momentum

@PresFawnSharp From @yeampierre this is a moment to build effective partnership and consider solutions from all communities

We are going need to have messy conversations...and look at racial and inequity legacy.

@PresFawnSharp @yeampierre From @CathFlowers
We need to have the hard conversations and find alignment or we are going to be undone separately.

from @RepRaulGrijalva
We have to talk about EJ in expansive ways.
"EJ is not just about "those people". It is about everyone."

We need to change dynamics of conversation and treatment of EJ and climate change issues.

Many many thanks to all panel members:

@RepRaulGrijalva
@Yeampierre
@marcidale
@CathFlowers
@PresFawnSharp
#CA45 @RepKatiePorter

and to all of you that joined in. (AWESOME chat stuff!)

#NN21