This article also appeared on p. 3 of the Summer 2018 print edition.Pamela Cravez, editor of the Alaska Justice Forum, gives an overview of articles in the Summer 2018 edition, which addresses environmental contaminants in Alaska, some of the programs in place to deal with them, and the lasting impact that they are having on Alaska Native communities

Cravez, Pamela

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ScholarWorks@UA

1Alaska Justice Forum 35(1), Summer 2018, online editionEnvironmental justice in AlaskaThe mission of the Justice Center, which publishes the Alaska Justice Forum, is to lead Alaskans toward a safer, healthier and more just society. Environmental justice, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementa-tion, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”  In this issue of the Forum, we look at environmental contaminants in Alaska, where they have been found, some of the programs in place to deal with them, and the lasting impact that they are having on Alaska Native communities, particularly the Alaska Native community on St. Lawrence Island.The articles evolved from a conversation I had with Paula Williams, who served as UAA’s Sustainability Director from 2009 to 2014. Paula, a lawyer and Ph.D. scientist who now works with the Center for Resilient Communities at the University of Idaho, offered to write an article on Alaska rural justice and contaminants. When I read her article, I real-ized I’d given her an impossible task — to try to keep it under 2,000 words.The fundamental thread in each article is that we continue to learn more about environ-mental contaminants in Alaska and work to address them, however the resources, laws, and remedies cannot keep up with what is known of the impact of these contaminants and what is unknown.  Those impacts fall most heavily on our Alaska Native communities in rural Alaska who depend upon the environment for their livelihood. As always, you can read Alaska Justice Forum articles online at http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/forum.Pamela CravezAlaskaJusticeForum@alaska.eduALASKAJUSTICEFORUMEditor:  Pamela CravezEditorial Board: Allan Barnes, Jason Brandeis, Sharon Chamard, Ron Everett, Ryan Fortson, Ingrid Johnson, Kristin Knudsen, Brad Myrstol, Troy Payne, Deborah PerimanTypesetting and Layout: Melissa GreenBrad Myrstol, Director, Justice CenterPublished quarterly by the Justice CenterCollege of Health University of Alaska Anchorage 3211 Providence Drive Anchorage, AK 99508 (907) 786-1810 (907) 786-7777 fax uaa.justice@alaska.edu http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/© 2018 Justice Center, College of Health, University of Alaska Anchorage  ISSN 0893-8903The opinions expressed are those of individual authors and may not be those of the Justice Center.UAA is an AA/EO employer and educational institution and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/titleIXcompliance/nondiscrimination.Go to the Alaska Justice Forum online, www.uaa.alaska.edu/justice/forum/, where you’ll find more stories and you can sign up to get the Forum by email.

Environmental Justice in Alaska

https://scholarworks.alaska.edu/bitstream/11122/8809/1/ajf.351b.editors-note-environmental-justice.pdf

Environmental Justice in Alaska

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