Rosemere Neighborhood Association » environmental justice

Agencies’ Pact Seen Forcing Action To Address Environmental Justice (reprinted with permission from Inside Washington Publishers)

admin — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 19:51:57 +0000

This article originally appeared in Inside EPA Weekly Report on August 12, 2011. It is reprinted here with permission of the publisher, Inside Washington Publishers. Copyright 2011. No further distribution is permitted. Click here to view article (pdf format): Agencies’ Pact Seen Forcing Action To Address Environmental Justice

Despite Jackson’s Vows, EPA Faces New Suit For Stalled ‘Rights’ Petitions (reprinted with permission from Inside Washington Publishers)

admin — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:05:29 +0000

This article originally appeared in Inside EPA Weekly Report on July 8, 2011. It is reprinted here with permission of the publisher, Inside Washington Publishers. Copyright 2011. No further distribution is permitted. Click here to view article (pdf format): EPA Faces New Suit For Stalled ‘Rights’ Petitions

Report Attacks EPA Civil Rights Office As DOJ Fights Pollution Complaint (reprinted with permission from Inside Washington Publishers)

admin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:34:41 +0000

This article originally appeared in Inside EPA Weekly Report on April 15, 2011. It is reprinted here with permission of the publisher, Inside Washington Publishers. Copyright 2011. No further distribution is permitted. Click here to view article (pdf format): Report Attacks EPA Civil Rights Office As DOJ Fights Pollution Complaint

Deloitte Consulting LLP Final Report on EPA Office of Civil Rights: “Poor Performance”

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 21:50:14 +0000

EPA, under the direction of Administrator Lisa Jackson, has released a redacted version of the Deloitte Consulting LLP Final Report on the Evaluation of the EPA Office of Civil Rights (OCR). Rosemere Neighborhood Association (RNA) Title VI Complaint and subsequent Settlement Agreement between RNA and EPA of March 2010 figure prominently in the Report (See page 2 of Deloitte Report, link provided below): This situation has exposed EPA’s Civil Rights programs to significant consequences which have damaged its reputation internally and externally. In the Rosemere Neighborhood Association case regarding the timeliness of a Title VI complaint response, it was found that “OCR’s failure to process the Retaliation Complaint in accordance with the timeline set forth in 40 C.F.R. S7.115(c)(1) constitutes agency action unlawfully withheld pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, 5 U.S.C. S706(1).” 5 OCR’s performance has also damaged its reputation within EPA. It was noted repeatedly in interviews with EPA staff and management that OCR has been viewed as an organization that performs poorly and does not offer specialized expertise. Deloitte's assessment reveals a bleak accounting of the anti-discrimination processes within the OCR, listing, among others, these issues: The Office of Civil Rights lacks "the rudiments of organizational infrastructure," such as established procedures, defined staff duties or the ability to track cases. Its handling of employee complaints "is known for poor investigative quality and a lack of responsiveness"; Dismally "poor performance" with backlogs and long delays in investigations of discrimination complaints. A review of complaints from EPA employees found that none received a final agency decision on time, with many several months overdue; and A confused "fire drill mentality has resulted in significant financial and reputational consequences for the Agency" in the form of large cash settlements from botched discrimination investigations.

White House Forum on Environmental Justice: Dec 15, 2010

admin — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:23:07 +0000

CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, NEJAC Chair Elizabeth Yeampierre, and South Carolina State Representative Harold Mitchell deliver opening remarks at the White House Forum on Environmental Justice (Photo by Eric Vance, US EPA) CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, NEJAC Chair Elizabeth Yeampierre, and South Carolina State Representative Harold Mitchell deliver opening remarks at the White House Forum on Environmental Justice, December 15, 2010 (Photo by Eric Vance, US EPA) Rosemere has attended various meetings held by the Oregon Environmental Justice Task Force, and the Task Force has been supportive of Rosemere's work. To date, Lisa Jackson, director of EPA, has refused to meet with Rosemere to discuss the 9th Circuit Case in Rosemere v. EPA, where the court found EPA had broken the law by failing to investigate Title VI complaints filed with EPA's office of Civil Rights. Environmental Justice Communities around the nation have experienced the same failures by EPA, and have called for the Office of Civil Rights to be be revamped. Professors Will Collin and Robin Collin of Willamette University attended the White House Forum on Environmental Justice in Washington DC as recipients of the national award to Oregon Environmental Justice Task Force. This was the first convening for the cause of Environmental Justice in a decade. Mrs. Collin was able to provide some important remarks on what is needed to support the Environmental Justice movement, as noted in Part 3 of the Youtube video

Video: Dvija Michael Bertish Interview with Jake Thomas on the Portland Observer Hour

admin — Thu, 13 May 2010 04:47:29 +0000

Please click on the arrow to begin the video. Dvija Michael Bertish recently sat down with Jake Thomas, Web Editor & News Reporter of the Portland Observer on Portland Observer Hour, and discussed the history of Rosemere Neighborhood Association's landmark environmental justice case as well as our dedicated work for environmental protection and improving the status of environmental justice communities.

Rosemere Settles Landmark Environmental Justice Case Against EPA

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 04:34:27 +0000
PRESS RELEASE****PRESS RELEASE****PRESS RELEASE ROSEMERE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION SETTLES LANDMARK ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CASE AGAINST EPA’S OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS Contact: Ralph Bloemers, Crag Law Center Tel. (503) 525-2727 Contact: Dvija Michael Bertish, Rosemere Neighborhood Association, Tel. (360) 281-4747 www.crag.org , www.rosemerena.org (March 22, 2010) Judge Benjamin H. Settle, US District Court of Washington, entered a Stipulated [...]

Press Release: Rosemere Neighborhood Association, Columbia Riverkeeper, Northwest Environmental Defense Center Challenge Clark County Over Weak Stormwater Controls

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:21:00 +0000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 18, 2010 Contact: Jan Hasselman, Earthjustice, (206) 343-7340 ext. 25 Clark County Challenged for Weak Stormwater Controls Clean water advocates put county on notice illegal loopholes must be closed Vancouver, WA–Clean water advocates, represented by Earthjustice, today formally put Clark County on notice it could be sued under the federal [...]

Press Release: Rosemere Neighborhood Association, Columbia Riverkeeper, Northwest Environmental Defense Center Fight For Stronger Stormwater Controls in Clark County

admin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 18:45:47 +0000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 1, 2010 Contacts: Jan Hasselman, Earthjustice, 206-343-7340 ext. 25 Dvija Michael Bertish, Rosemere Neighborhood Association, 360-281-4747 Brett VandenHeuvel, Columbia Riverkeeper, 503-348-2436 Mark Riskedahl, Northwest Environmental Defense Center, 503-768-6673 Clean Water Advocates Fight For Stronger Stormwater Controls in Clark County Lawsuit filed to protect salmon and close illegal loopholes Lacey, WA.–Local residents [...]

Jackson Orders Agency to Speed Civil Rights Claims Reviews (reprinted with permission from Inside Washington Publishers)

admin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:27:37 +0000
From Inside Washington Publishers, September 28, 2009. Appears here with permission of the publisher. Click here to view article (pdf format): Jackson Orders Agency to Speed Civil Rights Claims Reviews