Ethics & Environmental Justice: What it Means for Your Business and its Future

On May 22, 2017, President Trump unveiled his 2018 budget proposal which provides no funding for the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental justice office. While the EPA may not have an environmental justice office, the federal court in Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently found that an environmental justice analysis is required under NEPA.

Please join attorney Maribel Nicholson-Choice for this program on the Environmental Justice Initiative, the nuances of recognizing environmental justice issues, and the potential impact for American businesses as communities and organizations head to federal court to successfully require that  an “environmental justice analysis” be performed as part of the National Environmental Policy Act environmental assessment. This session will address conflicts of interest for government officials and ethical obligations to enforce environmental protections irrespective of the race, national origin, ethnicity or income level of the affected community. She will close with a discussion of how businesses can proactively manage environmental justice and ethical issues to avoid litigation.

Learning Objectives:

1. Appreciate the origins and meaning of the Environmental Justice Initiative
2. Discuss the scope of EJ issues and how they can be evaluated under NEPA
3. Identify implications for American businesses
4. Address how businesses can proactively address environmental justice issues to avoid litigation