Environmental Justice

There has been a lot of talk about environmental racism and justice as part of the landfill/transfer station discussions in Orange County. At yesterday's SURGE conference, I attended the tail end of a session with the Environmental Justice Network and learned that they have been invited into Orange County to address both the landfill concerns and the Cane Creek are sludge battle with Alamance County and OWASA.

According to the EJN, environmental justice

• Demands that public policy decisions be based on mutual respect and justice for all people, free from any form of discrimination or bias.
• Calls for universal protection from dangerous practices that threaten the fundamental right to clear air, land, water, and food.
• Demands that those responsible for the production of dangerous substances be responsible for safely protecting the environment.
• Insists that community members participate as equal partners at every level of decision making that might affect their health
• Recognizes the right of all workers to a safe and healthy environmental without being forced to choose between an unsafe job and unemployment.

Using these principles, the original siting of the landfill was clearly an environmental injustice. And the process for selecting a site for the transfer station violated the principle of participatory decision making. As with so many other controversial issues in this community, such as Carrboro's annexation and Chapel Hill's Lot 5, our elected officials continue to execute their official functions as if we were living in the early 20th century, when a more paternal role of government was the norm. But this is an educated and activist community. Our local governments need help in learning to seek out the contributions of citizens with multiple perspectives. If Rogers Road residents had been brought into the decision making process or if the county had pursued a 21st century town meeting prior to making their decision, we might be able to move forward. Instead, I fear that we will live the consequences of the faulty process for siting the transfer station for many years, just as Carrboro will continue to pay the price of the faulty annexation process. Process matters.