Report: Policy Changes Needed To Achieve Environmental Justice In Ohio

Ohio environmental advocacy groups are calling on state lawmakers to address the disproportionate impact of environmental challenges of water pollution, air quality and access to clean energy in communities of color.

A new report from the Alliance for the Great Lakes details recommendations for achieving equity in areas of water, air, land and energy and highlights how environmental issues tie into other systemic inequalities, said Crystal M. C. Davis, vice president of policy and strategic engagement at the Alliance for the Great Lakes.

“Part of that study found that water affordability is really an issue of income inequality,” Davis said. “The root causes between urban and rural communities are different, but it’s an issue of income inequality, so there are synergies there.”

A ban on residential water shutoff due to nonpayment, is among the recommended policy changes, along with a call for increased funding for lead service line replacement and home lead removal, more funding for the creation of parks and outdoor spaces and incentives for zero-emission vehicles.

“It’s not just outside air. It’s also the air inside of your house,” Davis said. “When we talk about environmental justice and we talk about water, it’s not just Lake Erie.”

The issues highlighted in the report aren’t limited to communities of color, Davis said, but the problems do have a higher impact in those areas.

“These are not just traditional white-collar issues, these are environmental justice issues. These are issues that are important both to rural and urban residents in Ohio,” Davis said.

The report is a result of the Ohio Environmental Justice Policy Forum, which took place in November 2020. About 30 environmental advocates met to discuss inequities in environmental policy, Davis said, as well as how to improve.

“A number of environmental harms have fallen on our communities. So we want to acknowledge that and see what needs to be done to correct those harms,” Davis said. “It is tough to be the only face that looks like yours in a room, and having to explain the burden that you feel on a daily basis as you watch repeated injustices in your community.”

The report also offers recommendations for improving the job market and economic involvement for businesses owned by people of color, Davis said, including ways to prioritize people of color in assigning contracts and creating jobs in those communities, rather than simply offering training programs.

“There are folks who are trained and want the jobs. They want the opportunities,” Davis said. “That’s why we came together and put together this agenda, which allowed us to put forth some recommendations and take charge of what we would like to see.”

The Alliance for the Great Lakes will meet with state legislators in coming months to discuss how policies outlined in the report can be implemented across the state, Davis said.