TEDC Hosts Visiting Scholars to Discuss EPA Clean Power Plan

(Left to right: Cecilia Martinez, Ph.D, Nicky Sheats, Ph.D, Esq., Ana Baptista, Ph.D, Michelle DePass, Cecil Corbin-Mark and Jalonne White-Newsome, Ph.D)On October 28-29, TEDC hosted environmental justice scholars to have a dialogue about the EPA Clean Power Plan. These scholars discussed a variety of environmental justice, race, and class with both students and fellow advocates.Our scholars this year included:

• Cecil Corbin-Mark, Deputy Director / Director of Policy Initiatives at WE ACT for Environmental Justice
• Cecilia Martinez, Ph.D, Director of Research Programs at the Center for Earth, Energy and Democracy
• Nicky Sheats, Esq. Ph.D, Director of the Center for the Urban Environment of the John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy at Thomas Edison State College
• Ana Baptista, Ph.D, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management at The New School
• Jalonne White-Newsome, Ph.D Federal Policy Analyst at WE ACT for Environmental Justice

These visiting scholars presented on a variety of topics surrounding the EPA Clean Power Plan. Thursdays panel began with Cecilia Martinez, Ph.D giving an introduction to the Clean Power Plan and its goals. Nicky Sheats, Esq., Ph.D, presented about the environmental justice implications surrounding the Clean Power Plan.Cecil Corbin-Mark did not have a formal powerpoint presentation, however he gave a talk about the history of environmental justice and climate change policy. He also discussed the difference between environmental racism and environmental justice. His point was that the distinction is important and that because environmental racism is real and systemic, and ongoing, people of color are bound together by environmental threats to their lives and well-being.TEDC's Associate Director and EPSM Professor, Ana Baptista, Ph.D gave a presentation about garbage incineration and how the Clean Power Plan would affect EJ communities who are already affected by incineration. Jalonne Newsome-White, Ph.D discussed how to properly analyze and evaluate the Clean Power Plan from an environmental justice perspective.Cecilia Martinez, Ph.D bookended the talk by foregoing her presentation about making the Clean Power Plant just by having a talk with guests about how everyone is impacting the planet and how everyone has a moral obligation as a consumer to do something about it.You can can see all of the Visiting Scholar's presentations in full. View presentation.