Gustavo Angeles, gustavo.angeles@sierraclub.org, 804.225.9113 x. 1005
Kendyl Crawford, kcrawford@vaipl.org, 804.505.4624
Denise Robbins, denise@chesapeakeclimate.org, 608.620.8819
RICHMOND, Virginia – The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) announced today they will be seeking a “qualified external consultant” to conduct an environmental justice study. The goal of the study is to identify recommendations the department can implement to create a strategic approach that focuses on environmental justice throughout the state.
In response, the following groups provided comments:
“Environmental justice leaders in Virginia remain committed to working with the administration on concrete actions to address Virginia’s inequities,” said Queen Zakia Shabazz, Coordinator for the Environmental Justice Collaborative. “We, the 23 organizations that make up the collaborative, are still awaiting a response to the letter we submitted to the administration providing expert input on the disbanding and reconvening of the environmental justice council (EO 29). ”
“It is promising to see that DEQ recognizes the need to take steps toward better understanding and addressing environmental inequities in the state,” said Kate Addleson, Director of the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. “No population should disproportionately bear the effects of pollution and contaminants, and it is no secret that this has historically been the case in Virginia and across the nation. We hope to see the agency use more scrutiny in ongoing permitting processes that do not equitably protect all Virginians.”
“We at CCAN are encouraged that the DEQ is taking steps to address environmental justice in Virginia,” said Harrison Wallace, Virginia Director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “For far too long, communities of color and frontline communities have been sacrificed for the gain of the fossil fuel industry. We urge the DEQ to seek responders who represent these communities and to conduct an inclusive information gathering process which includes public forums in directly affected communities like Union Hill.”
“We can’t know where to go if we don’t know where we are,” Kendyl Crawford, Director of Virginia Interfaith Power & Light, said. “This study announced by DEQ today hopefully will begin us down a path of accountability to heal the broken trust and the toxic damage done over centuries to disenfranchised communities."
About the Virginia Environmental Justice Collaborative: The mission of the VEJC is to build the health and wealth of communities of color, low income communities, and communities overburdened by pollution in Virginia by reducing the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards through educating, empowering, and mobilizing grassroots organizations and individuals to speak for themselves and through building an alliance to advocate for equitable policies and practices. For more information, visit www.vaejc.com.
About the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter: The Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club is over 20,000 members strong. We are your friends and neighbors working to build healthy, livable communities, and to conserve and protect our climate and environment. The Virginia Chapter is part of the national Sierra Club, the nation's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. For more information, visit http://www.sierraclub.org/virginia
About the Chesapeake Climate Action Network: CCAN is the first grassroots, nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to fighting global warming in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Our mission is to build a diverse movement powerful enough to put our region on the path to climate stability, while using our proximity to the nation’s capital to inspire action in neighboring states, regions nationwide, and countries around the world. For more information, visit http://www.chesapeakeclimate.org
About Virginia Interfaith Power & Light: Virginia Interfaith Power & Light is a nonprofit organization that collaborates, as people of faith, to grow healthy communities and advance climate justice through education, advocacy, and worship with over 2,500 supporters across the state. We are a program of Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy. For more information, visit http://www.vaipl.org.