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

Microsoft Word - Washington BG.docx Low-Income Residents and People of Color in Washington Are Living Near Chemical Dangers The Center for Effective Government graded states based on the dangers faced by people of color and residents with incomes below the poverty line living within one mile of dangerous facilities. [...] Are people of color and low-income residents of Washington safe from chemical hazards? Children of color under age 12 are twice as likely to live in fenceline communities as white children in the same age group. [...] 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 9.5% C Percentage of Poor People Who Live in Fenceline 9.7% C Likelihood of People of Color to Live in Fenceline (compared to whites) 1.6 times more likely C Likelihood of Poor People to Live in Fenceline (compared to. [...] 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 Washington 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 Washington State Department of Ecology and the state-level OSHA to conduct more thorough and frequent inspections to spot problems before they cause disasters.