Implementing Principles of Environmental Justice

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Implementing Principles of Environmental Justice

• A Los Angeles Regional Model

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Palos Verdes Shelf Site Map
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History of Institutional Controls

• 1985 State issues interim seafood consumption
  advisory
• 1990 State issues commercial fishing ban for
  white croaker
• 1991 State issues final seafood consumption
  advisory
• 1998 State sets daily bag limit for white
  croaker
• 1999 EPA initiates pilot outreach education
  project
• 2001 EPA issues Action Memo for the PV Shelf
• 2002 EPA issues Institutional Controls
  Implementation Plan

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What are we doing at Palos Verdes Shelf?
Bald Eagles on Channel Islands Feasibility Studies
MSRP
Restoration Plan/ EIS
Institutional Controls Program
RI/FS
Public Outreach Education
Enforcement
Monitoring
Technical Review Board
Technical Review Board
Seafood Contamination Task Force
Commercial Ban Area
Fish in Ocean Sampling Program
Markets, Restaurants Wholesalers Outreach
Pier/ Marina Outreach
General Community Outreach
Media Outreach
Sport Fishing Restriction
Marketplace Monitoring Program
Angler Survey
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The Problem

• More than 100 tons of DDTs and PCBs have
  deposited in the sediment around the Palos Verdes
  Shelf and along the coast of LA.
• Thousands of people fish here
• Some contaminated fish found in local markets
• Limited information about the contamination
  (mainly in English) is available

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Populations at Risk

• Anglers who catch and eat fish regularly off the
  coast of Los Angeles and Orange Counties
• Latino, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Pacific Islander,
  Filipino, Chinese, Korean
• Women of childbearing age and children are more
  sensitive

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Populations at Risk

• Because some communities rely on fish from this
  area as a major food source for their families,
  they are disproportionately at risk for exposures
  to chemicals.

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USEPA Definition Environmental Justice

• The fair treatment and meaningful involvement of
  all people regardless of race, color, national
  origin, or income with respect to the development
  of environmental laws, regulations and policies.

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Fair Treatment

• No group of people should bear the
  disproportionate share of the negative
  environmental consequences resulting from
  industrial, municipal and commercial operations
  or the execution of federal, state, local and
  tribal programs or policies.

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Meaningful Involvement

• Potentially affected communities have
  appropriate opportunity to participate in
  decisions that affect their health. Public
  contribution can influence regulatory decisions.
  Concerns of all participants involved will be
  considered in decision making. Decision makers
  seek out involvement of those affected.

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Incorporating Principles of Environmental Justice
Principle 2 Based on mutual respect and justice
for all peoples, free from discrimination or
bias Principle 4 Universal protection from
toxic wastes and poisons fundamental right to
clean air and water Principle 6 Past and
current producers of hazardous wastes be held
strictly accountable to people for
detoxification.
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Incorporating Principles of Environmental Justice

• Principle 7
• Right to participate as equal partners at every
  level of decision making, including needs
  assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation
• Principle 12
• Need for policies to clean up in balance with
  nature, honoring the integrity of all, fair
  access to full range of resources
• Principle 13
• Enforcement of principles of informed consent
• Principle 16
• Education of present and future generations

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Begin with Community Pilot Project / Needs
Assessment

• Extensive interviews with over 20 CBOs
• Forum laid out contamination issues from both
  government and community perspective
• Government and community work and learn together
  on the Task Force
• Train the trainers workshop for CBOs and health
  depts.
• CBOs created materials and conducted outreach

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Needs Assessment Results

• CBOs were unaware of problem-were concerned once
  they learned about fish contamination
• Community input changed agency terminology,
  altered how agencies viewed issue
• Community success will increase when there is
  collaboration

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Needs Assessment Results

• CBOs needed funding, training, staff, computer
  capabilities, and guidance to be able to
  meaningfully partner
• For best results, CBOs should design their own
  outreach strategies
• Due to need, some will continue to fish in areas
  of high contamination

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Effective Health Education Interventions

• Are tailored to specific audiences in defined
  settings, build upon strengths within
  communities, prepare participants to become
  leaders, support the diffusion of innovation to a
  wider population, seek to institutionalize
  successful components and replicate them in other
  settings, and involve participants in the
  planning, implementation and evaluation
  processes.

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Fish Contamination Education Collaborative (FCEC)
Goals

• To reduce exposures of populations who regularly
  eat fish caught off the LA and OC coasts
• To conduct education with the most affected
  populations so they can make informed health
  choices
• To strengthen local CBO ability to address fish
  contamination issues now and when the project is
  over

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Four Programs

• General Outreach
• Pier Outreach
• Market Outreach
• Media Outreach

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General Outreach

• Curriculum, training workshops, in-language
  materials, technical assistance
• Training of community trainers
• CBOs design and implement education campaigns
• Project provides the resources and tools

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Educational Materials

• CBOs use project curriculum to design own
  trainings
• Some CBOs use project materials, others create
  their own
• 30 minute video for Cambodian TV fish markets
• Korean public service announcement for radio
• 4 page Korean brochure

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Market Outreach

• CBOs work with market owners to promote purchase
  of fish from reliable sources
• CBOs choose local markets for outreach
• Project provides materials. CBOs translate
• CBOs receive training and education
• Creates partnerships with market owners
• Market education as opposed to regulation

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CBO Participation in Data Collection

• CBO market selection process will assist USEPA in
  market sampling plan design.
• CBOs will help determine if white croaker is
  present in market.

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Pier Outreach

• Outreach conducted directly with anglers
• Local environmental organization leads the
  outreach effort
• Members of affected communities are recruited,
  hired and trained to become outreach workers.
  Hire from within.

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Pier Outreach

• An interactive, multilingual display will be
  collectively developed and exhibited at an
  aquarium located in an area of high contamination
• CBO reps trained as docents. New visitors brought
  by CBOs to the aquarium

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Media Outreach

• Media campaign using radio, TV, and print
• CBOs identify media plan
• PR contractor will leverage CBO media contacts
• Media advocacy training for CBOs to excel in
  media outreach
• Contractor coordinates CBO efforts

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Adaptive Program Planning

• Create platform for community expertise to shape
  project
• Increase number of languages for translation
• Adjust budget when needed
• Adjust timelines when needed

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Providing community with what they need to
meaningfully partner

• -funding
• -training
• -education
• -support/technical assistance
• -time

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Respect for Community Time and Process

• Provide enough resources so that community
  organizations can hire/assign fish program
  coordinator
• Compensate CBOs for all their efforts

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Hire from Within Community

• Pier outreach workers
• Promotoras
• Health Educators
• Appropriate community rep on Task Force

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Community Driven Data Collection

• CBO outreach will shape USEPA market sampling
  efforts
• Community expertise employed to verify findings

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Summary

• Since funding for extensive partnering is
  usually not available, communities and government
  must strategize together to find creative
  approaches that are respectful to community need
  and ability in order to implement EJ principles.