A Call to Service: on Environment

Make environmental justice an EPA priority

The problem of environmental justice is well-documented. Back in the 1980s, studies determined that most landfills were located near minority communities. In 1992, a Bush administration investigation confirmed that the poor face greater risk of hazardous waste exposure and sustain more environmental costs than more fortunate Americans.

On Earth Day 2003, I announced a proposal to resume the battle against environmental injustice, in part by greatly elevating it priority for the EPA and other federal enforcement agencies and in part by creating environmental empowerment zones, in which the impact of federal decisions on the health of low-income and minority citizens would have to be taken into account before they are implemented.

I also called for a measure that will be critical not only in dealing with environmental injustice but also in dealing with environmental health issues generally: establishing a national tracking system for chronic diseases and environmental health hazards.

Source: A Call to Service, by John Kerry, p.159-60

*The above quotations are from A Call to Service, by John Kerry, published Oct. 2003.* Click here for definitions & background information on Environment. Click here for more quotes by John Kerry on Environment.
*Other candidates on Environment:*
George W. Bush Dick Cheney John Edwards John Kerry *Third Party Candidates:* Michael Baradnik Peter Camejo David Cobb Ralph Nader Michael Peroutka	*Democratic Primaries:* Carol Moseley Braun Wesley Clark Howard Dean Dick Gephardt Bob Graham Dennis Kucinich Joe Lieberman Al Sharpton
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