Black Caucus Launches Environmental Justice Tour

The U.S. government’s $2 million “environmental justice” tour joined forces with the Congressional Black Caucus over the weekend to educate minority communities in California’s inner cities about climate change and pollution.

The Golden State jaunt was part of the Obama Administration’s costly crusade to help underserved and indigenous communities throughout the nation increase recycling, reduce carbon emissions through “weatherization,” participate in “green jobs” training and avoid heat stroke.

In all, the government will hand out grants of about $25,000 each to dozens of leftwing “community groups” that will help low-income, black and Latino populations obtain the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards as wealthy communities. The cash is being distributed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), whose chief (Obama-appointed Lisa Jackson) claims that poor and minority communities have little voice in environmental decisions while living in the shadow of the worst pollution.

Among grant recipients are a New Jersey group (Lazos America Unida) that represents and advocates on behalf of the “Mexican immigrant community” and a migrant farm worker’s group in Missouri. They will use their taxpayer money to create a “lead-safe backyard gardening” program, explain symbols and key words on television weather advisories and increase awareness about the dangers of sun and heat exposure in migrant communities.

To bring environmental justice to one notoriously run-down northern California area, Jackson dropped $100,000 over the weekend. Accompanied by a local congresswoman (Barbara Lee) who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus, Jackson took a bus tour through parts of Oakland after participating in a large environmental justice town hall meeting with community leaders, elected officials and religious figures.

Lee, who is well known for playing the race card, says that “underserved and vulnerable populations” are bearing the greatest brunt of pollution, environmental degradation and climate change. Earlier this year Lee made headlines for ordering a Supreme Court Justice to hire more minority clerks during a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing.