EJ Notes
The Newsletter of the South Central Oklahoma Environmental Justice Resource Center Constitution
Welcome to the South Central Oklahoma Environmental Justice Resource Center.
Environmental justice requires the fair treatment of all races, cultures, and income levels with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. South Central Oklahoma represents a unique mix of opportunity and need for resources to pursue environmental justice. The combination of Native American tribal lands and governments (the Chickasaw National Headquarters is located in Ada, Oklahoma), low income subsistence farming and ranching, and high levels of unemployment compared to the rest of the state and nation, demand particular sensitivity to the potential adverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic impact of environmental matters.
Decisions concerning siting of Ada, Oklahoma's new municipal land fill or whether a local firm (Holnam Cement Company) should receive a permit to burn tires and hazardous waste, for example, must be made with sensitivity toward the question of environmental justice.
The most effective way to insure that there is no discriminatory decline in the environmental condition of local Native American Indian tribes or others in the area who may be socioeconomically disadvantaged is to assess the level of environmental justice associated with any activity that may result in an adverse impact on that environment.
An essential prerequisite to assessment is that the resources necessary to assessment be made easily and widely available to those whose interests are most at risk. That is the purpose of this resource center. The purpose of this Web site is to make at least some of these services and information available to all people, but especially to stakeholders, across the United States and throughout the world. Environmental justice begins locally, but it spreads globally.
The establishment of this center, and support for its resources and activities, is provided in part through a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Justice Small Grants Program. Additional support is provided by East Central University and its Departments of Political Science and Cartography/Geography.
Center Resources
The Resource Center is a fully computerized, modern facility that provides access to a variety of environmental databases relevant to environmental justice, GIS, legal research tools (for example, WestLaw, the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), and the U. S. Code (USC)), and national (international) communication capability on environmental justice matters through INTERNET. At least five terminals with access to these resources are available during the Center's operating hours.
The Center is jointly supervised by Political Science and Cartography Departments at East Central University. A staff member is available to help individuals conduct research necessary to pursue environmental justice.
Center Services
In addition to providing local citizens, stakeholders and students research access to computer, environmental database, and GIS resources, the Center offers periodic environmental justice training workshops and seminars. The Center also publishes a newsletter for distribution to the local community. The newsletter serves as a source of information and communication concerning environmental justice issues from a local to an international perspective.
Comments, information, and opinions expressed here are for informational purposes only, and do not necessarily represent the position or policy of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, The Board of Regents of Oklahoma Colleges, East Central University, or the Directors of the Center.