ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IS NATIONAL POLICY
The proposed Pearl River Project puts Jackson at risk. Here’s how:
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It neglects existing flood and drainage problems along Jackson's creeks,
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It increases the contaminants entering Jackson's water supply,
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It creates further incentives for individuals and businesses to leave or ignore West Jackson
The Levee Board is trying to access federal funding for a proposed lake on the Pearl River. However, their project may violate federal policy for environmental responsibility.
Declaration of national environmental policy
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) declared the Federal Government's responsibility to "assure for all Americans safe, healthful, esthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings," and to "attain the widest range of beneficial uses of the environment without degradation, risk to health or safety, or other undesirable and unintended consequences".
Presidential executive orders
The United States President directs how the Federal Government meets its environmental responsibilities.
In 2021, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14008 which prioritizes environmental justice and transforming disadvantaged communities into healthy and thriving ones. Executive Order 14008 also created the Justice40 Initiative which states that 40 percent of the benefits from infrastructure investments should "flow to disadvantaged communities".
A "disadvantaged community" is one that has “been historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution and underinvestment in housing, transportation, water and wastewater infrastructure, and health care.”
The following map shows the disadvantaged communities in Jackson. Nearly all communities in Jackson, west of Interstate 55 are considered disadvantaged.
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers oversees flood control projects along the Pearl River. More specifically, the proposed lake project is reviewed by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works (ASACW).
On March 15, 2022, the Office of the ASACW published a memo that defines environmental justice as achieved “when everyone enjoys the same degree of protections and equal access to Civil Works programs and services to achieve a healthy environment in which to live."
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This article was written by Juan David Fernández and edited by Vilas Annavarapu, a member of the Riverside Collective, a worker-owned and youth-led community center.
Background image: A view of the Pearl River from Rosemary between Terry and Florence, Mississippi. Distributed under a Creative Commons License. The image and license description are online.