Public Hearing: YES ☐ NO ☐ Department: Board of Commissioners - District 6
SUBJECT:
Title
Commission District(s): All Commission Districts
A Resolution to Establish an Environmental Justice Ad-Hoc Committee To Investigate to Make Recommendations to Mitigate Exposure to Marginalized Communities From Hazardous Waste, Resource Extraction, and Other Land Uses from Which These Communities Do Not Receive Benefits.
Body
Information Contact: Commissioner Edward C. “Ted” Terry
Phone Number: 404-371-4909
PURPOSE:
This proposed resolution to establish an Ad-Hoc Committee for Environmental Justice aligns DeKalb County with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to ensure that DeKalb County’s policies and practices are doing their part to address environmental injustice in all areas of the county, especially the areas that impact marginalized communities.
NEED/IMPACT:
DeKalb County Government recognizes the importance of addressing climate change, promoting sustainability, and pro environmental justice and is committed to do its part to ensure that all DeKalb County residents are entitled to clean air, water, and a healthy environment that in turn directly effects health and quality of life.
The acknowledgment of environmental racism prompted the environmental justice social movement that began in the 1970s and 1980s in the United States. The term is used to describe environmental injustice within a racialized context in practice and policy. Multiple studies have proven that people of color and low-income neighborhoods are disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices like hazardous waste sites and polluting facilities.
President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative was created to address environmental injustice by stating “40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.” Establishing an Ad-Hoc Committee to review DeKalb County’s policies and practices advances our determination to protect our greatest asset, the people and future of DeKalb County.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Fiscal impact not known at this time.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action
To adopt this resolution to establish a DeKalb County Ad-Hoc Committee on Environmental Justice and authorize the chief executive officer to execute all necessary documents.