Comments of the Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law on the Federal Government's Environmental Justice and Civil Rights Responsibilities
Submitted to the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights, April 9, 2002

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(202) 662-8332April 9, 2002

Mary Frances Berry, Chair
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
624 9th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20425

Dear Chairwoman Berry,
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law would like to thank you for holding hearings in January and February of this year to examine Federal actions to bring environmental justice to communities of color and poor communities in the United States. In 1991, the Lawyers' Committee formed its Environmental Justice Project to represent communities of color in environmental and civil rights matters. We use the rule of law to challenge environmentally discriminatory conditions and decisions and to seek justice for people of color who are battling environmental discrimination.

We believe there is much the Federal agencies, especially the Environmental Protection Agency, can and should do to meet its obligations under civil rights laws, as well as Executive Orders relating to environmental justice issues. Our enclosed comments highlight several key areas of concern and provide suggestions on how agencies can better implement their civil rights responsibilities and provide environmental justice to all communities. We have also provided several attachments that provide further detail and support for many of the comments we provided today. In addition, we have provided corrections to the transcript from the February 8, 2002 hearing your staff provided to us.

We look forward to the Commission's report. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (202) 662-8332.
Sincerely,

Mary M. O’Lone
Environmental Justice Project Director

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