Rhode Island’s land-use choices during the past dozen years have followed a historical pattern: rape the environment and rob future generations of natural resources for a quick buck or selfish wants.
Olneyville’s health and well-being were not priorities when the state agency that rebuilt the 6-10 Connector using 1950s specs allowed the project’s primary developer to dump contaminated dirt in one of Providence's two environmental-justice neighborhoods.
It is not difficult to connect the damaging impacts of the climate crisis to historical greed, neglect, and racism. This hate-filled thirst for power has never waned.
Only now, three and a half decades after the two-word phrase briefly grabbed the nation’s attention, is environmental justice being taken seriously enough to at least have bills written that define it, governmental reports that mention it, and policy enacted to address it.