Op-ed: When it Comes to Environmental Justice, Communities Know Best
Mott Haven Herald
By Harry Bubbins
A prominent Mott Haven environmentalist says the City Council has the right idea as it considers bills to begin reversing generations of environmental injustice in the South Bronx, but lawmakers must include communities in the decision-making process.
The hunger for environmental justice in New York City was in evidence at a recent public hearing of the City Council that was so crowded that people were forced to wait in a lobby.
The Council is considering two bills (Intro No.s 359 & 886) to create an interagency task force and an advisory board to address these issues, as well as authorizing an analysis on ways to reduce the burden of polluting industries on saturated neighborhoods. Throughout the city, low-income communities of color with limited access to parks and the waterfront shoulder an unfair proportion of toxic facilities.
Although it is encouraging that the Committee on Environmental Protection under the leadership of Councilman Costantinides is dedicating attention to this vital issue, residents in affected areas already know very well what the root of the problem is: impacted communities are rarely consulted, and when they are their role is merely advisory.
