Low-Income Residents and People of Color in Hawaii Are Living Near Chemical Dangers - The Center for Effective Government graded states based on the relative dangers faced by people of color and residents with incomes below the poverty line living within one mile - Nationally, 7.5 percent of the population lives within one mile of a hazardous facility.

Microsoft Word - Hawaii BG.docx Low-Income Residents and People of Color in Hawaii Are Living Near Chemical Dangers The Center for Effective Government graded states based on the relative dangers faced by people of color and residents with incomes below the poverty line living within one mile of dangerous facilities, compared to white and non-poor people in these areas. [...] Are people of color and low-income residents of Hawaii safe from chemical hazards? Compared to most states, Hawaii has a relatively small proportion of its total population living within one mile of a chemical facility (3.1 percent). [...] Inequities in Likelihood of Living in a Fenceline Community Racial Inequities Score Grade Income (Poverty) Inequities Score Grade Percentage of People of Color Who Live in Fenceline 3% A Percentage of Poor People Who Live in Fenceline 3.5% A Likelihood of People of Color to Live in Fenceline (compared to whites) 1.1 times less likely A Likelihood of Poor People to Live in Fenceline (compared to th. [...] You can attend public meetings and planning hearings and urge decision makers to think carefully about the sites chosen for new industrial facilities, and you can write, call, and meet with other state, county, and city officials to send the message that all Hawaii residents deserve to be protected from chemical dangers. [...] You can also demand that the federal government require facilities to switch to safer chemicals and alternatives whenever feasible and urge the Hawaii Department of Health and the state-level OSHA to conduct more thorough and frequent inspections to spot problems before they cause disasters.