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- Title
EVS AS EJ?
- Authors
Benjamin, Lisa
- Abstract
Electric vehicles ("EVs") are everywhere. And they are cool--consumers love them. Federal agencies, such as EPA and NHTSA, promulgated rules which will usher in an EV revolution. But EVs have justice implications--both positive and negative. The transition to EVs will have significant climate and environmental justice benefits for some communities and negative impacts for others, including Native American tribes. EV batteries rely on minerals such as lithium and cobalt. Many of these minerals are located in or near tribal land, including sacred and culturally important sites. A previously unseen imbalance of sacrifices emerges in the context of the transition to EVs--tribes should not bear the brunt of this transition. EVs should instead contribute to environmental justice more broadly. Despite the Biden-Harris Administration's focus on environmental and racial justice, federal agencies may face headwinds as they work to redress longstanding environmental injustices. This Article argues that despite the importance of the EV transition to climate action, the transition should be equitable for environmental justice communities by honoring tribal sovereignty through updated mining regulations. In addition to updated mining rules, this Article recommends other agency actions that would elevate the voices of environmental justice communities; provide them with opportunities for economic justice; and ensure market and technological developments place environmental justice communities, including tribes, at the center of the transition to EVs.
- Subjects
ELECTRIC vehicles; ENVIRONMENTAL justice; TRIBAL sovereignty; ELECTRIC vehicle laws; NATIVE Americans; DISTRIBUTIVE justice; UNITED States. Environmental Protection Agency; UNITED States. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Publication
Harvard Environmental Law Review, 2023, Vol 47, Issue 2, p347
- ISSN
0147-8257
- Publication type
Article