Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

There is evidence to suggest that there has been and continues to be a practice of locating environmental hazards in neighborhoods where the residents are minority or low income. There is further evidence to suggest that this increased environmental risk carries an increased health risk. If justice and equity in health outcomes and access to a clean environment are valued, policy intervention must occur to correct for this practice. Although increasing regulations to limit emissions would be most beneficial, it is impractical given the political climate and an administration that is calling for the elimination of existing regulations. I suggest a more politically feasible policy would be to create a standard for property line setbacks regarding heavy industry that is sufficiently far from residences and schools since studies have found that proximity to environmental hazards has a relationship to adverse health outcomes. Houston has a history of deep segregation and the nation’s second largest port. The neighborhoods surrounding the ship channel have been identified as environmental justice (EJ) communities and given that Houston has no zoning ordinances, this policy would start to redress the issue. I will argue in favor of a policy of increased setbacks using economic and moral theory. Census data and data from a recent health survey in Houston will be examined.