A Method for Tribal Environmental Justice Analysis
Author:
Stuart Harris and Barbara Harper
Date Published:
2011
Description:
The goal of environmental justice (EJ) is for all peoples to achieve the same degree of protection from
environmental health hazards. Although each tribe is an independent sovereign nation and a single federal
approach may not suit all tribes, this article presents an improved method for evaluating and quantifying
potentially disproportionate impacts in tribal communities under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). A critical first step in evaluating disproportionate impacts in tribal communities might be to
determine the condition of natural resources used by, important to, or appertaining to tribes. The ecocultural
system or ethno-habitat relevant to the tribe and its resource interests can be described in narrative
and quantitative terms. The features, attributes, goods, and services provided by the baseline conditions of
the ethno-habitat and its resources can be described. Examples of quantifiable measures to evaluate interruptions in service flow and risks to traditional lifeways over multiple generations are suggested. A
subsistence exposure scenario and risk assessment based on traditional lifeways can be included in this
step, since risks to tribal members are likely to be higher than to non-native persons due to differences in
the frequency and intensity of environmental contact. To evaluate cumulative impacts, existing co-risk
factors that make the community more vulnerable can also be considered.
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