Local Risks, States' Rights, and Federal Mandates: Remedying Environmental Inequities in the U.S. Federal System

One of the most salient debates in environmental policy centers around perceived racial and class biases in exposure to environmental hazards. As with most aspects of environmental policy, states are at the forefront in dealing with these new issues. However, we have only a cursory understanding of the actions being taken by state governments to address environmental justice issues. Equally important, scholars and practitioners have yet to take stock of the likely consequences of federal policy directions to the states in this area on the distribution of environmental hazards or on the distribution of authority between the federal and state governments. We address the first shortcoming using two original surveys of state environmental justice activities, and the second through a detailed discussion of current federal efforts aimed at promoting environmental justice in the states.