Group says Calif. air regulations discriminate

[XemaSab]

A coalition of environmental groups is alleging that California's Cap and Trade program violates the 1964 Civil Rights act.

The groups filed a complaint Friday against the California Air Resources Board charging that minority groups will be disproportionately harmed by the program that allows polluters to discharge more emissions by buying credits from other less-polluting industries.

The complaint alleges that African-Americans, Latinos and Asians are more likely to live in the low-income neighborhoods near refineries and power plants and will not receive the benefit of emission reductions intended under Cap and Trade.

The groups are asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to intervene.



Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/06/10/state/n160918D08.DTL#ixzz1xS4y14WA

[freshwest]

1. This has always been the case nationally. It's part of the environmental justice movement. Too bad

The people of the areas that are being raped by open mine operations who vote GOP for religious reasons don't see how wrong allowing the corporations to do this is. They are afraid of being called communists and regard those who have tried to save their precious piece of Earth like RFK, Jr., elite outsiders.

Not only is it wrong to their environment and the generations to come, but themselves right now. Their pride may be what prevents them from seeing they are being taken advantage of as poor. Maybe the other factor that causes them to allow this is a belief that this brings Jesus back and they are waiting for him to take care of what they are allowing. That is not how it works at all.

Most minority communities have suffered great health problems from pollution and are well aware of what is being done to them. There are so many examples. I hope this is going to get some legs.

[kristopher]

2. This sounds bogus to me; what "coalition of environmentalists"?

Legal attacks are part of the right's strategy to stop renewables from replacing the current energy system...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/112714465#post12

Cap and trade is not going to disproportionately affect the poor. It increases the cost of doing business for polluting plants - the more they pollute the more expensive it becomes to operate them. That has exactly the opposite effect of what is alleged in the complaint. This stinks of the right wing's strategy.

[freshwest]

3. Whoa! Thanks for the research. At first read, I thought the OP was satire, until I read the link.

Which is what the OP follows exactly. My first thought on reading the title was...

'Group says Calif. air regulations discriminate...'

Should have read...

'Corporations says Calif. air regulations discriminate...'

Since corporations are people. And you're not supposed to discriminate against people, er, corporations. Might hurt their feelings, you know...

Flesh and blood people usually want some regulations to protect them...

Astroturf, it's everywhere...