Environmental Justice

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Environmental Justice Brownfields in Portland

• Kevin Raymond Odell
• Executive Director
• OPAL Organizing People-Activating Leaders

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Background

• What is Environmental Justice?
• Environmental Justice Issues--
• Why are Brownfields part of EJ?
• OPAL Concerns

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What is Environmental Justice (EJ)?

• Environmental Justice is the right to a decent,
  safe quality of life for people of all races,
  incomes and cultures in the environments where we
  live, work, play, learn and pray. Environmental
  Justice emphasizes accountability, democratic
  practices, equitable treatment and
  self-determination

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National and Local EJ issues

• NATIONAL EJ
• Love Canal (1977)
• Warren County, NC (1981)
• Hurricane Katrina (2005)

• LOCAL EJ
• Vanport Flood (1949)
• 1-5 and 1-205 Hwy (1983-1985)
• Portland Harbor (2002-)

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EJ In Oregon

• Issues and Concerns
• Health Issues Asthma, Lead-Poisoning, Toxic
  Exposure, Contaminated Fish Consumption,
  Substandard Housing, Blighted Communities,
  Highway Bifurcation, Mold, Resource Availability.
• Other Issues Land-Use and Zoning, Lack of Voice,
  Political Will and Access, Cultural Competence.

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What are Brownfields?

• Brownfields" are used lands where
  expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real
  or perceived environmental contamination.
• The term brownfields was created to illustrate
  an unintended side-effect of federal and state
  cleanup laws liability and severe costs of
  cleanups imposed by these laws cause these
  properties to be abandoned in favor of developing
  unused land or greenfields.

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Why are Brownfields part of EJ?

• Blighted Communities
• Small vs. Large
• Access to Resource and Decision-Making
• New Brownfields Meth Houses, etc.

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Concerns around Brownfield Redevelopment and
Urban Renewal
The Community Renters, Low-Income Property
Owners, Schools, Churches Small Businesses,
Senior Citizens, Immigrants, Affordable Housing
Tenants
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Who Makes Decisions ?
The Community
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OPAL TIF REFORM

• Tax increment financing should be used only if
• the investment serves a public purpose, (b) a
  legitimate finding of blight can be made, and (c)
  subsequent private redevelopment would not
  reasonably be expected to happen, but for the
  public investment.
• There should be a showing that a TIF in a
  blighted area will benefit the residents of that
  area.
• TIFs should not be used to finance gentrification
  of a neighborhood that forces local residents to
  move or forces rents up beyond affordability to
  current residents.
• TIFs should spellout how that benefit will occur
  in such areas as improved housing quality and
  affordability,improved economic activity and
  employment opportunity, and improved access to
  quality and affordable services.
• Any TIF project that will displace residents
  should be put to a referendum, regardless of
  thenature of the public investment, and the
  project should be required to provide replacement
  housing for such displaced residents of a kind
  and location satisfactory to those residents.
• Existing residents and businesses should be
  involved from the beginning in the planning
  process for redevelopment of any TIF area.

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Who is OPAL?
OPAL is a community organization formed
in 2005 that works for Environmental Justice in
the Portland metro area. We support ignored
communities that fight against the oppression of
pollution and social injustice.
www.opalpdx.org

• OPAL brings together and helps educate residents
  and groups around EJ issues such as the right to
  breath clean air, drink clean water, and live in
  safe and healthy neighborhoods.
• OPAL focuses on the ignored communities of Outer
  SE Portland and Lents, an ethnically diverse
  region of Portland where the average household
  income is 25 lower than the rest of the city.

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OPAL Concerns

• Brownfields Redevelopment for Who?
• Government Accountability
• Elected Leadership
• COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION!!!