Environmental Justice

What Is Environmental Justice?

Environmental justice refers to the effort to ensure that people with lower incomes and BIPOC communities aren't disproportionately harmed by pollution and other environmental threats. There's a long history of undesirable facilities (think landfills, trash incinerators, or coal plants) being built where people have the least power—all too often communities with low incomes or largely BIPOC.

Clean water, clean air, and a safe environment are rights we all share.

Forty Years of Environmental Justice: Where is the Justice?

In May 2022, an article by CBF Vice President of Litigation Jon Mueller and Environmental Justice Staff Attorney Taylor Lilley was published in the Public Interest Law Review. "Forty Years of Environmental Justice: Where is the Justice?" examines the history of environmental justice (or EJ) primarily through the lens of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the White House, and evaluates the progress made in terms of regulations and permitting. It also examines recent administrative and judicial decisions addressing EJ claims and, in conclusion, provides recommendations for ways in which EJ issues can be better presented and addressed. Read the article

Here are a few of the ways CBF is working to ensure that everyone has equal access to clean water, clean air, and a safe environment.

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