ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 35

WASHINGTON LANDSCAPE

What Is 'Environmental
Equity'?
By Matthew Levetown

S

ince the 2020 presidential
campaign, the term " equity "
has been increasingly used by
the media, politicians and regulators,
especially regarding " environmental
justice " issues. Despite seemingly
appearing out of nowhere, environmental justice is not a new concept,
even in politics. Then-President Bill
Clinton used the term in a 1994
executive order, requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
to analyze the impact of its regulations on minority and low-income
populations. Environmental justice
and equity are generally synonymous
terms, but for the purpose of this article, the term " equity " will be used to
reduce confusion. Equity in environmental regulation will be a key driver
in the Biden administration, and
understanding the concept can help in
understanding the policy justifications
underlying orders, regulations and laws.
What is environmental equity?
Simply put, environmental equity is
an application of equity theory, which
broadly seeks to determine whether a
distribution of resources and impacts
is fair to all stakeholders, considering
their subjective characteristics. Equity
is used in contrast to equality, which
is a blind, objective distribution of
resources. As an example, if a 10-foottall tree produces fruit, a 6-foot-tall
person can use a shorter ladder than
a 5-foot person to reach the fruit. An
equality outcome gives both people
the same-sized ladder, leaving the
shorter person unable to reach. An

equitable outcome gives each a ladder
allowing both to grasp the fruit.
ENVIRONMENTAL EQUITY
Applying the theory to environmental
regulation is relatively straightforward.
When proposing a rule or issuing
permits, federal agencies must examine
the impact on minority and low-income communities. A major catalyst
for the environmental justice and
equity movement was a 1982 protest
by African Americans against the
construction of a landfill accepting
polychlorinated biphenyl-contaminated
soil in North Carolina, which led to
several studies analyzing pollution
through the lens of race and income.
The study revealed that low-income
and minority communities were
much more likely to be situated near
hazardous waste sites. Consequently,
the EPA created an Office of Environmental Justice in 1992. Until recently,
environmental equity has been focused
on pollution and used in issuing
permitting decisions for projects like
landfills, pipelines and power plants.
While pollution is still the major
facet of environmental equity, the
term is being applied to broader topics, such as climate, transportation and
water. In appointing EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who created the
first state environmental equity agency
in North Carolina, the Biden administration made it clear how the EPA will
pursue enforcement and rulemaking.
Climate environmental equity is
therefore expected to be the major

focus for the Biden EPA. Climate
environmental equity is more nebulous
than concrete examples of pollution
and air quality. Climate equity examines the estimated impact of a rule or
project on a community from the predicted consequences of climate change,
such as increased hurricane strength,
coastal flooding and reduced water
resources. Low-income communities
typically are thought to have less resilient infrastructure, which does poorly
when hit with powerful storms. As a
result, proponents posit that this causes
a poverty cycle, as the community loses
income from reduced trade and making
replacement repairs, further reducing
the area's economic level.
The Environmental Justice for All
Act, introduced in Congress in January,
would codify this concept if enacted.
It would expand the role of the EPA's
Office of Environmental Justice by
requiring it to gather data to analyze
the effects of climate change and
environmental laws on different regions
and demographics via interagency and
community information collection. The
data would then be used to direct funding for federal projects to vulnerable
areas as part of the Biden administration's clean energy and climate-resilient
infrastructure proposals.
As with all theories applied to fact,
there are pros and cons. If projects are
forced to take into account objective
equity analyses, communities can hypothetically resist disasters. For example,
the winter storm in Texas earlier this
Continued on page 36

35



ILMA Compoundings - May 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings - May 2021

ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - Cover1
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - Cover2
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 1
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 2
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 3
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 4
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 5
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 6
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 7
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 8
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 9
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 10
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 11
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 12
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 13
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 14
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 15
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 16
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 17
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 18
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 19
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 20
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 21
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 22
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 23
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 24
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 25
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 26
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 27
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 28
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 29
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 30
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 31
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 32
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 33
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 34
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 35
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 36
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 37
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 38
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 39
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 40
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - Cover3
ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G127535ILMA_vol71_no7
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G126213ILMA_vol71_no6
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G125546_ILMA_vol71_no5
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G124996_ILMA_vol71_no4
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G123886_ILMA_vol71_no3
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G123315_ILMA_vol71_no2
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G122980_ILMA_vol71_no1
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G121540_ILMA_vol70_no11
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G120882_ILMA_vol70_no10
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G120035_ILMA_vol70_no9
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G121XXX_ILMA_vol70_no8
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G120XXX_ILMA_vol70_no7
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G119XXX_ILMA_vol70_no6
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G118112_ILMA_vol70_no5
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G117382_ILMA_vol70_no4
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G116888_ILMA_vol70_no3
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G115555_ILMA_vol70_no2
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G114774_ILMA_vol70_no1
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g110500_ILMA_vol69_no12
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g110500_ILMA_vol69_no11
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g110500_ILMA_vol69_no10
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g109884_ILMA_vol69_no9
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g109284_ILMA_vol69_no8
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g108494_ILMA_vol69_no7
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g107507_ILMA_vol69_no6
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g106483_ILMA_vol69_no5
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g105803_ILMA_vol69_no4
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g104743_ILMA_vol69_no3
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g103647_ILMA_vol69_no2
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g102869_ILMA_vol69_no1
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g101930_ILMA_vol68_no12
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g100836_ILMA_vol68_no11
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g99200_ILMA_vol68_no10
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g98468_ILMA_vol68_no9
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/g97711_ILMA_vol68_no8
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G96767ILMA_vol68_no7
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G95397ILMA_vol65_no6
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G94323ILMA_vol68_no5
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G93127_ILMA_vol69_no4
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G91785_ILMA_vol68_no3
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G90956_ILMA_vol68_no2
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G89146_ILMA_vol68_no1
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G87981_ILMA_vol67_no12
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G85409_ILMA_vol67_no11
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G83595_ILMA_vol67_no10
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G81672_ILMA_vol67_no9
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G80238_ILMA_vol7_no8
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G79388_ILMA_vol7_no7
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G78361_ILMA_vol7_no6
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G77448_ILMA_vol7_no5
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G75899_ILMA_vol67_no4
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G75036_ILMA_vol67_no3
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G72720_ILMA_vol67_no2
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G72220_ILMA_vol67_no1
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G70970_ILMA_vol66_no12
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G69813_ILMA_vol66_no11
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G67522_ILMA_vol66_no10
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G66343_ILMA_vol66_no9
https://www.nxtbook.com/ygsreprints/ILMA/G64859_ILMA_vol66_no8
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com