When lawmakers assemble in Richmond Wednesday, they’ll be considering an amendment from the governor to define environmental justice.
What exactly is environmental justice? The New Democratic majority in the General Assembly put together a definition that can be used in court cases and regulatory decisions, and now Governor Ralph Northam is adding “disability” to that definition — along with “race, color, faith, national origin and income.”
Kendyl Crawford is director at Virginia Interfaith Power and Light.
“Like other marginalized groups, folks with disabilities are frequently stigmatized," Crawford says. "They can be discriminated against, and they’re often left out of conversations and actions to protect the environment and to ensure healthy communities and hold utilities accountable.”
Quintin Kidd at Christopher Newport University says the governor’s amendment — and the original bill — speak to a changing perception of how the law should work.
“What happens when you change the definition in law is that laws have to take into consideration the needs of the disabled," he explains. "And I think it’s also an effort to mainstream, if you will, disability as a justice issue as opposed to disability as a narrowly defined issue in the law.”
Lawmakers will be considering that amendment along with several others when they reconvene in Richmond.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
