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| Environmental Justice Coalition for Water | |
|---|---|
| Name | Environmental Justice Coalition for Water |
| Formation | 2001 |
| Type | Nonprofit coalition |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | United States |
| Focus | Environmental justice, water policy, civil rights |
Environmental Justice Coalition for Water The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water is a United States-based alliance of community organizations, civil rights groups, and advocacy networks focused on water access, water quality, and sanitation for historically marginalized communities. Formed to address intersecting issues faced by communities of color, low-income neighborhoods, and indigenous nations, the coalition aligns with contemporary movements and policy debates involving regulatory agencies and public interest organizations. Its activities intersect with campaigns, litigation, and collaborations that engage federal agencies, state capitals, tribal governments, and municipal utilities.
The coalition emerged during debates around the Safe Drinking Water Act reauthorization and the implementation of the Clean Water Act in the early 2000s, drawing inspiration from the Environmental Justice Movement and organizing tactics used by United Church of Christ, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and grassroots groups such as Native American Rights Fund affiliates. Founding members included leaders tied to National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Natural Resources Defense Council partners, and local community development corporation activists who had previously collaborated on campaigns against industrial pollution in places like Flint, Michigan, Kettleman City, California, and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The coalition has since engaged with landmark events and reports produced by institutions such as the Environmental Protection Agency and has participated in national convenings like the People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit.
The coalition’s mission centers on securing equitable access to safe water and sanitation for disproportionately impacted communities, aligning with international frameworks such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and domestic civil rights precedents like Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Its stated goals include advancing legal protections through engagements with the Environmental Protection Agency, pushing for federal appropriations debated in the United States Congress, partnering with state agencies including the California State Water Resources Control Board and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and supporting tribal sovereignty efforts before bodies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Programs have targeted lead contamination responses in cities like Washington, D.C. and Chicago, wastewater equity in coastal communities impacted by hurricanes such as Hurricane Katrina, and groundwater protection near agricultural corridors exemplified by the Central Valley Project. Campaigns include public health initiatives in collaboration with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, capacity-building fellowships modeled on trainings by Ford Foundation and MacArthur Foundation grantees, and advocacy toolkits inspired by litigators from Earthjustice and policy analysts at Brookings Institution. The coalition has run campaigns addressing infrastructure funding through federal packages like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, while coordinating with labor allies such as the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations on workforce and just transition elements.
The coalition is structured as a network of member organizations, including community-based groups, tribal councils, faith-based organizations, and national nonprofits. Members have included organizations similar to WE ACT for Environmental Justice, Southwest Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas, and tribal entities such as the Navajo Nation advocates; academic partners have comprised centers at universities like Howard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University. Governance has combined a steering committee with rotating co-chairs modeled after consortia such as National Wildlife Federation coalitions, and advisory input from public health scholars affiliated with Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University.
The coalition has engaged in administrative advocacy before the Environmental Protection Agency, submitted comments to rulemakings under the Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act, and supported Title VI complaints filed with federal civil rights enforcement offices. It has allied with legal organizations including Public Justice and Center for Constitutional Rights for litigation strategies and amicus briefs in cases adjudicated in federal courts such as the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States. Policy efforts have targeted funding mechanisms administered by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and collaborated with legislators on bills introduced in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives.
Notable outcomes include contributions to strengthened lead remediation policies following high-profile crises like the Flint water crisis, influencing state-level rulemakings in California and Michigan, and bolstering community access to federal funds under recovery programs after disasters such as Hurricane Sandy. The coalition’s research and advocacy informed reports by think tanks such as the Urban Institute and the Center for American Progress, and supported successful enforcement actions by the Environmental Protection Agency against polluters implicated in contamination events similar to those at Love Canal and industrial sites regulated under Superfund provisions.
Funding streams have combined foundation grants from organizations analogous to the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Kresge Foundation with project-specific support from federal grant programs administered by the Environmental Protection Agency and philanthropic partners like Open Society Foundations. Strategic partnerships have included collaborations with civil rights groups such as NAACP Legal Defense Fund, public health institutions like American Public Health Association, environmental law firms, and municipal utilities associations represented in forums like the American Water Works Association.
Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States Category:Water supply and sanitation in the United States