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The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has hired its first-ever Environmental Justice Coordinator to help ensure that all communities in the state, particularly those historically marginalized, have equal access to environmental protection.
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The coordinator will work to create strategies and policies that address environmental justice issues in the state, and will engage with community groups, government agencies, and other stakeholders to identify and address environmental disparities.
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Delaware has been identified as one of the most polluted states in the country, and low-income and minority communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution and other environmental hazards.
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The position was created in response to an executive order signed by Governor John Carney last year, which directed state agencies to take a proactive approach to identifying and addressing environmental justice concerns.
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The Environmental Justice Coordinator will work closely with DNREC’s Office of Community Services, which provides technical assistance and support to communities in the state, and will collaborate with other state agencies, including the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services and the Delaware Department of Transportation.
By WHYY | February 01, 2023
Urban geographer Katera Moore has taken on the role of Delaware’s first environmental justice coordinator, the state’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced Thursday.
DNREC Secretary Shawn Garvin said the department wants to reach people of color and low-income communities, which have disproportionately faced adverse human health and environmental impacts.
“We talk a lot about environmental justice and making sure people have a seat at the table, but I’ve learned throughout my career that there’s a lot of people who don’t even know there’s a table for them to have a seat at,” he said.
Moore is an educator who holds a doctorate in Earth and Environmental Sciences, with a specialization in geography, from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her research areas include how socio-political structures contribute to disparities that impact everyday life.
Moore previously served as an ombudsman for the DNREC Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances, and was the interim associate director of the Einstein Health Network’s “A Better Start” program.
Read more from WHYY.
