Boston Globe: 4/22/03 Kerry to press 'environmental justice'

[Guest guest]

THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

Kerry to press 'environmental justice'

Seeks federal scrutiny and more oversight in minority communities

By Glen , Globe Staff, 4/22/2003

WASHINGTON -- Senator F. Kerry plans to mark Earth Day today by calling for a renewed federal commitment to what advocates call environmental justice, arguing that polluters have unfairly targeted poor and minority communities because they lack the political strength to fight back.

In a speech at the Vine Street Community Center in Roxbury, the Democratic presidential contender will call for the establishment of ''environmental empowerment zones,'' a new environmental justice position at the Environmental Protection Agency, and a system for tracking child asthma and other diseases linked to environmental factors.

''Environmental justice means action to repair the environment in all communities wherever they may be. It means an end to playing favorites when it comes to Americans' health and their very lives,'' said a draft of Kerry's speech, which he plans to deliver later today in Concord, N.H., at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests. ''All Americans, regardless of their color or income, deserve clean air, pure water, land that is safe to live on, food that is safe to eat.''

The speech follows a recent trend in which the historically moderate senator has spoken in support of traditionally liberal causes. In Iowa earlier this month, he said he would appoint only Supreme Court justices who favor the existing Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision. He also ignited Republican criticism -- and adulation among some core Democrats -- when he called for a ''regime change'' in Washington as well as in Baghdad.

Addressing an enviromental concern that disproportionately affects blacks and other minorities could help Kerry with other liberal Democratic constituencies.

The environment has been a pet cause of Kerry's since he helped organize the first Earth Day in Massachusetts in 1970. He said he was literally awakened to the environmental movement as a child, when his late mother, Rosemary, would get him out of bed at 4 a.m. for nature walks. He met his wife, Heinz Kerry, at an environmental summit in Brazil.

Kerry's proposed environmental empowerment zones would be modeled after economic empowerment zones, with development decisions subjected to federal and local scrutiny about their impact on communities. His disease-tracking system would be implemented by an environmental health officer in each state who would coordinate disease and pollution data nationally.

A report released last week by the Harlem Hospital Center, in New York City, found that one in every four children in Harlem suffers from asthma, one of the highest rates ever recorded for an American neighborhood. The disease, an inflammation and constriction of the airways that hampers breathing, is more common in poor neighborhoods. Researchers believe that may be because of mold, mildew, or cockroach feces. Harlem is also a major throughway for buses and trucks, which burn diesel fuel that emits particles believed to contribute to asthma.

In his speech today, the Massachusetts Democrat also will continue his criticism of President Bush for breaking a campaign promise to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, for repudiating the Kyoto greenhouse emissions treaty, and for continued efforts to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

''Under President Bush, America's environment has become endangered, imperiled, and weaker,'' Kerry said.

Meanwhile, Kerry's aides dismissed questions yesterday about the large number of the senator's political donors for whom no occupation was listed on his most recent campaign finance report. Those donors include Minyon , a Kerry campaign consultant, and Soros, the billionaire philanthropist.

One aide said that the occupation information is generated by the donors themselves and then key-punched into a campaign database by people who might not necessarily recognize the donors' names. The Federal Election Commission requires the campaign to send a followup letter seeking the data. The campaign has complied, the aide said.

Glen can be reached at johnson@....

This story ran on page A2 of the Boston Globe on 4/22/2003.

© Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.