Identifying/reaching/addressing EJ concerns:

[Keith Smith <ksmith@calepa.ca.gov>]

As often as not EJ concerns are about the cumulative impact of multiple facilities in a community as much as the specific impact of one more facility. This can often present a problem for the regulator, who has expertise and information in one area, (e.g. the proposed waste facility and the impacts and issues around its siting) but has not considered, and is unprepared for, questions on cumulative air, traffic, water, hazardous waste etc. issues from other facilities in the community (that constitute the daily life in the community.) Awareness of, and sensitivity to, EJ issues requires much greater multi-media information and knowledge - in other words lets get out of our silos and look at the community as a whole system.