Environmental Justice

Our neighbors deserve better. It's time to bring justice to Cincinnati's land use laws.

Yes. It really does exist --- in our own backyard --- yet most of us don't even know about it.

Many have heard the phrase "environmental injustice". The EPA describes it as a the "concern that minority populations and/or low-income populations bear a disproportionate amount of adverse health and environmental effects." --- I prefer a more tangible example.

Two communities exemplify the struggles faced by economically disadvantaged communities and communities of color in the Cincinnati: Winton Terrace and Lower Price Hill. As you read through the descriptions of these communities below, take a second to compare them to the communities that most of us are fortunate enough to live in.

Winton Terrace - The Winton Terrace neighborhood consists of five distinct low and middle-income housing groups, largely composed of minority groups, public housing tenants, and single mothers with small children. A County landfill and nearly 40 chemical factories and industrial manufacturers surround the community. A permit to site a solid waste transfer facility in Winton Hills is also pending. According to federal records, in 1997, these nearby companies generated more than 8.5 million pounds of toxic waste and released at least 374,000 pounds of toxic chemicals including hydrochloric acid, ammonia, and methanol into the air. The community suffers from numerous health problems including respiratory problems, chronic rashes, arthritis, liver damage, and a rise in the number of newborn baby illnesses and stillbirths.

Lower Price Hill - Lower Price Hill is a small (.57 square mile) low-income urban Appalachian community in Cincinnati. At the outskirts of downtown Cincinnati and on the banks of stagnant Mill Creek, Lower Price Hill has more than 20 industrial neighbors, a municipal sewer district, a company that cleans industrial waste barrels, and a federal Superfund site. The community suffers from disproportionate cancer deaths, asthma rates, upper respiratory ailments, seizures in both adults and children, learning disabilities, lead poisoning, ear problems related to sinus infections, and spontaneous abortions.

These communities have taken important steps toward organizing their own communities to battle the many specific problems that have been forced into their neighborhoods. However, they lack the time and resources to fight the problem of environmental injustice generally. Most residents of the Cincinnati area and many government officials are unaware of the difficulties and health problems that these communities face, and these communities continue to be degraded by poor and unjust land use decisions.

Cincinnati's environmental injustice video:

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