Addressing Environmental Injustices and Their Impact on Public Health: Water, Water Everywhere, But None That We Can Drink

Overview:

This is a recording of a live webinar on February 27, 2024.

The concept that everyone is entitled to experience and enjoy clean air, water, and soil should not be a foreign concept. Yet, millions of communities across the country suffer from environmental injustices that prevent this dream from becoming a reality. As part of a movement that started in the 1970s, environmental justice advocates have tirelessly been the voice of those who were denied a seat at the table regarding the environmental policy and economic decisions that impacted their lives. Recently, the movement has benefited extensively from key partnerships with the White House, federal agencies, Congress. In some cases, the regulated community and together communities have been able to capitalize on unprecedented funding opportunities with the passage of the Bi-partisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. There is undoubtedly a role for public health officials within the ever-expanding advocacy tent in support of communities most in need. While adverse public health impacts are vast, this webinar focuses on a key component: clean water. The presentation will discuss the historical underpinnings of the environmental justice movement, the most recent policy developments, and the tools and resources available to bring key stakeholders from both the public and private realms to make lasting change.

Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, JD, has spent over twenty years in the public sector. She served as Principal Legal Advisor (General Counsel) for Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and as Chief of Staff to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during the Obama Administration.

Here in the Southeast, Gwen served as the EPA Region 4 Regional Administrator (RA), where she was responsible for establishing and implementing environmental policy, including the principles of environmental justice for eight southeastern states and six federally recognized tribes. Gwen finalized the Region’s Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy, instituted regular environmental justice information sessions with state partners and communities, and created a Regional EJ Interagency Working Group with other federal agencies to strategically and comprehensively address community concerns. Gwen also instituted the Colleges and Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP), which partnered college students with senior federal staff to provide much-needed environmental, health, and technical services to some of the poorest jurisdictions in their region.

Gwen attended law school here at Emory and was the first woman and first African American to serve as District Attorney for the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit in DeKalb County, Georgia.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the history of the environmental justice movement and its connection to public health.
• Identify two stategies for health departments to work with cross-sectoral partners, particularly the regulated industry, to address structural and systemic causes of environmental injustices.
• Locate tools and resources for health departments and their partners to address environmental disparities in their community.

CERTIFICATE: The course contains two modules: a module to access the webinar and an evaluation module. After accessing both modules, learners will earn a certificate of completion.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number UB6HP31680, Public Health Training Centers for $4,348,992. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.