Letter of Support
Mayor Bill de Blasio
City Hall
New York, NY 10007
Re: Environmental Justice Act [Int. No. 886]
The African American Environmentalist Association supports Council Member Inez Barron’s Environmental Justice Act
[Intro 886]. The legislation has numerous cosponsors and I
sincerely hope that it will be passed by the council and that you will sign it
into law. We encourage you to let the
New York City Council know that you support the legislation and intend to sign
it upon its passage by the Council.
Your OneNYC was recently the recipient of harsh criticism
from environmental justice activists who said that it does not reflect
equity. The criticism can be silenced if you support this legislation,
which assures that the executive agencies and environmental justice activists
will work together to bring about a just future.
The legislation is vitally important in
protecting communities throughout New York City. At present, there is no national or state law
that protects these communities. Int.
No. 886 is a local law to amend the administrative code of the city of New
York, in relation to identifying and addressing environmental justice issues.
Int. No. 886 sets up an interagency task force to develop agency-wide plans to
assure that environmental justice in incorporated into the planning and
implementation of agency duties. The legislation also creates an associated
environmental justice advisory board, reflecting geographic balance, comprised
of pertinent committee chairs or their designees, appointments from
environmental justice community boards health or environmental committees, at
least seven appointees who are directors, members or employees of environmental
justice organizations and at least two appointees who are directors, members or
employees of organizations engaged in research related to human health.
I drafted the Environmental Justice Bill for Councilman Charles
Barron in 2003 and Councilmember Charles Barron introduced the bill (Int. No.
404) in 2004 with seven cosponsors.
After meeting with Councilwoman Inez Barron in 2014 to request
re-introduction of the legislation and after much review and revisions by the
Committee on Environmental Protection, Councilwoman Barron introduced the
legislation that we are considering today.
We encourage you to let the New York City Council know that you
support Int. No. 886 in order to help accelerate passage of this legislation.
Sincerely yours,
Norris McDonald
President
