Environmental Racism In Flint

Issue: Environmental Racism The term environmental racism stems from the notion that environmental hazards in the workplace, home, and community are disporatetly exposed to poor people and people of color. This is created by many factors which are intertwined. It is partly due to the fact the majority of urban industrial residents are poor and developers choose to put polluting facilities in areas where the land is inexpensive. Environmental racisms has become a contentious political issues because many studies have concluded that environmentally degrading land uses are more likely to occur in areas where there are greater concentration of minority populations. Federal agencies such as the EPA are meant to be watchdog who implement regulations

The state of Michigan declared that water in Flint is not safe for drinking or cooking purposes. By 2016 the water crisis in Flint had become a national concern and Michigan National Guard began to distribute bottled water to the area. President Barack Obama declared it a disaster and allocated $5 million in federal aid and said "FEMA is authorized to provide equipment and resources to the people affected. Federal funding will help cover the cost of providing water, water filters and other items," (NPR). The House Committee and Oversight and Government Reform held hearings which led to four officials involved charged with felonies. At this time, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was very involved in the crisis. They released video such called Corrosive Impact: Leaded Water and One Flint Family's Toxic Nightmare to inform the public of the lead contamination. They also released memos about lead levels being above the EPA’s

The class action lawsuits, support by ACLU and NAACP, which focus on environmental and toxic tort law, have been requesting compensation on grounds of compensatory damages, punitive damages, prospective equitable relief, including medical, educational, occupational, and nutritional support, among other relief for Flint water users (Flint Water Class Action). Their claims are founded on the basis that the State Department of Environmental Quality wasn’t treating the Flint River water with an anti-corrosive agent. This violated of federal law and experts say 90% of the problems with Flint’s water issues have been