"Profile: Environmental Justice Comes Naturally to New EPA Region 9 Administrator"

"SAN FRANCISCO -- Jared Blumenfeld, the newly appointed director of the U.S. EPA's Pacific Southwest region, Region 9, is pledging to make life difficult for polluters, especially those who despoil the environment in underserved and vulnerable communities.

'I will be a tireless advocate for equity,' said Blumenfeld at a roundtable discussion Tuesday. 'The quality of your environment cannot be dependent on the color of your skin, the size of your bank account, whether you were born on tribal lands or in a gated community, whether you live on a small island or in a big city. Environmental justice cannot be an afterthought -- it must be central to how we think and what we do so that we can offer meaningful assistance to communities that have been left behind.'"

Environment News Service had the story January 27, 2010