Assisting Congress to Better Understand Environmental Justice Midterm Briefing Magdalena Dewane March 6, 2013 Advisor: Gail Suchman

The Beginning of WE ACT Prepared for Photo Credits: HCE Contractors and WE ACT 1

WE ACT Today Prepared for National leader in environmental justice New office in Washington, D.C. Programs: Clean Air Affordable, Equitable Transit Waste Reduction Toxic Free Products 2

What is Environmental Justice? “…the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies…” -U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Prepared for Data: University of Michigan 3

Promoting Environmental Justice Objective: Support WE ACT in advocating for environmental justice in Congress. Outputs: Five community case studies by district Localized fact sheets for district Representatives Research report and case study model Congressional briefing Prepared for 4

Target States Prepared for 5

Methodology Elements Prepared for Conduct data analysis Low-income and minority populations Environmental hazards Research political profile Relevant committee membership Voting record Align with WE ACT policy priorities 6

Colorado Demographics Prepared for 2010 Census Statistics Data: Census.gov 7

Poverty in Colorado Prepared for Percentage Below Poverty by County % Below Poverty Data: EPA EJ View 8

Poverty in Denver Prepared for Percentage Below Poverty by Census Tract % Below Poverty Data: EPA EJ View 9

Minorities in Denver Prepared for Minority Percentage by Census Tract Data: EPA EJ View 10

Minorities in Downtown Denver Prepared for Minority Percentage by Census Tract Data: EPA EJ View 11

Denver County Burden Ratios Prepared for Ratio 2:1 Ratio 1.21:1 Data: Good Guide Toxic Chemical Releases Superfund Sites Above Poverty Below Poverty 12

Political Analysis Prepared for Photo Credit: lcv.org Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy 13

Additional Research “When you first picture Denver, you probably don't picture pollution … but the state suffers from a wide span of toxic, hazardous and radioactive pollution.” Prepared for Credit: TheWitness.org 14

Case Studies Prepared for 15

Overcoming Challenges Prepared for Challenge: Identifying target communities 312 counties  3 cities/regions Solution: Cross reference environmental justice mapping tool with census data Consider committee assignments and voting record of Representatives 16

Looking Ahead Prepared for Tasks: Conduct interviews Complete case studies Develop fact sheets Compile research report and model 17

Thank you!Thank you!Questions?