O’Melveny. (2023, March 16). Environmental justice update (March 2023). Environmental Justice Update (March 2023). https://www.omm.com/resources/alerts-and-publications/alerts/environmental-justice-update-march-2023/
Environmental groups sued the county of San Bernardino, California over the approval of a new warehouse complex- claiming it violates the California Environmental Quality Act. The plaintiffs claim that Bloomington Business Park will expose a predominantly Latinx community to high levels of pollution as well as requiring the demolition of more than 100 homes- resulting in the displacement of minority families. According to the plaintiffs, Spanish-language versions of the executive summaries of impact statements and hearings were not provided by the county, causing the documents to be inaccessible to many residents. This led to their final decision to seek an injunction.
This article highlights the potential social and environmental impacts of a new warehouse complex on a marginalized community, addressing the environmental injustice of the project- which relates the issue to environmental science and sustainable development. Initially, I questioned why access to information and decision-making were not guaranteed, much less accessible. This then made me question who is majorly involved in the decision-making processes to approve such projects that disproportionately affect members of marginalized communities. I also reached the conclusion that an order to stop any continuation of the project would be the most equitable option, in agreement with the environmental groups.
Shayla- You’ve got such an important topic. Often times people think of env. science happening in places like Yosemite but the reality is it is very much part of urban areas too. And who is feeling the brunt of env. stress and pollution is not equitable. Your thoughtful follow up paragraph shows you are really mulling this particular issue over. Do you think that if the info Bloomington Business put out were in Spanish that the community would have been able to respond more? Or is this part of the conundrum with this type of community- people are working and busy trying to provide for their families and may have a hard time organizing to halt this type of development (something I know most in my neighborhood can relate too).
Thank you for reading my post! If the information was available in Spanish, they would have a greater understanding of the issues they would be facing however I do not think much action would be taken. You also bring up a notable point that people are busy with work and trying to provide for their families, rather than focusing on stopping developments such as these.