Environmental Justice (ELI Summer School, 2021)

Environmental Justice ELI’s annual Summer School Series concludes with a special session to introduce participants to the opportunities and obstacles within the realm of environmental justice. Although no federal environmental justice laws have been enacted, federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have made staunch efforts to work with other federal agencies to integrate environmental justice into policies and practices. This session explores the foundations, current opportunities for federal environmental and climate justice legislation, and obstacles facing environmental justice. Faculty will explore the following: inclusion of local and indigenous communities in the decision-making process, how federal, state, tribal, and local governments are addressing environmental justice, methods for including multiple stakeholders in environmental justice conversations and processes. Panelists: Kristine Perry, Staff Attorney, Environmental Law Institute, Moderator Kiana Courtney, Staff Attorney, Environmental Law & Policy Center Beth Rose Middleton, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Native American Studies, University of California Davis Rujeko A. Muza, Associate, Beveridge & Diamond PC Daria Neal, former Senior Counsel, Environmental Justice Project, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under the Law Gerald Torres, Professor of Environmental Justice, Yale School of the Environment and Professor of Law, Yale Law School