President Joe Biden has named Michael Regan, a North Carolina regulator, as his choice for the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

While in office, former President Donald Trump rolled back many of the environmental regulations that his predecessors put in place for businesses nationwide. There are high expectations for Biden’s environmental policy appointees to reverse this damage. 

Regan, who is best known for his work fighting environmental injustice and racism, may prove to be an asset for cities like Syracuse that are constantly battling such transgressions. While his name is perhaps one of the least known of Biden’s future cabinet, Regan is one of the most qualified individuals for the position he is expected to take.

Onondaga County is no stranger to the fight against environmental injustice and racism. From unsafe drinking water to unsatisfactory sludge disposal, residents are familiar with poor environmental conditions. However, it is the fight for clean air for all citizens in which Regan becomes an ally.

There are many health complications associated with indoor air pollutants, the majority of which are caused by eye, ear, nose and throat irritants. Common ailments include sinusitis, asthma, and irritation of the eyes. Long-term effects include some forms of cancer, respiratory, and heart diseases.

As a former air quality specialist, Regan recognizes the consequences that air pollution has for public health. While outdoor air quality is within safe parameters, it is indoor air quality that can also greatly affect one’s health.

However, not all communities are impacted by poor indoor air quality. CNY Vitals, an organization associated with the Central New York Community Foundation, is responsible for providing accessible data reports for the most important topics that directly impact those living in Syracuse.

One such report conducted in 2018 used a multitude of indicators to create an interactable map of the populations living below the poverty line in over 60 census tracts within Onondaga County. Of those, two in particular stand out in stark contrast to one another.

Census tract 14, located between the Strathmore neighborhood and the hamlet of Taunton, just west of Syracuse, contained the highest number of individuals living in poverty. This number, 1,689, is especially high when compared to census tract 48 on the northeast side of Washington Square, which contained a mere 123 individuals living below the poverty line. But this isn’t the only difference that can be seen between these two areas.

When compared demographically, there is a sharp contrast. In census tract 14, 41% of residents are reported to be Black, while only 21% are white. In census tract 48, however, 82% of residents are reported to be white, with only 12% being Black.

On its own, these numbers do not hold much significance, but when compared with the statistics of lead poisoning in Syracuse, a trend becomes visible. As found by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those who live in housing below the federal poverty line are more susceptible to lead poisoning.

In 2018, the two children of a family living in an apartment complex on Bellevue Avenue were diagnosed with lead poisoning. This apartment complex is within census tract 48, but this family did not fall under the predominant demographic in that area. 

Lead poisoning in children is usually caused by the ingestion of lead paint, of which the commercial sale was banned in 1978, and any home built before then is likely to have remnants of lead anywhere the paint was used. 

When surfaces coated in lead-based paint chip away, it becomes easy for small children to accidentally, or purposefully, ingest. This can lead to a variety of health issues, including brain damage and inhibited growth. 

In poorer neighborhoods, however, a high number of older houses have not been renovated. Another woman – who lived on Kellogg Street, a few blocks north of Bellevue Avenue –  reported that while her home was inspected 21 times, and high levels of lead were found each time, her landlord never did anything to remedy it.

It is important to acknowledge that both of these homes are located within census tracts with higher levels of poverty, and there is a trend forming in these neighborhoods in Syracuse. While not obvious, lead poisoning in Syracuse seems to affect families of color more than it does white families.

Throughout his 18 years of experience, Regan has been dedicated to supporting organizations in finding solutions to complex environmental and economic challenges. Regan worked as a national program manager for the EPA, and was responsible for constructing programs whose goals were to end these complex issues. In 2017, attended a workshop in Mebane, North Carolina, where he discussed ways to aid economically impoverished communities that are vulnerable to environmental health hazards. 

It was at this same workshop that he said, “my job is to protect the human health and environment,” and it is this dedication that makes him an ally to Syracuse’s lead poisoning issue that has directly resulted from environmental racism.

In an assessment done by Syracuse University professor Sandra Lane, she states that lead poisoning is an issue of racism and environmental injustice. She reports that from the years of 2000-2003 in Syracuse, 10.8% of children with an elevated blood lead were white, but 22.7% were African American – more than double. 

As someone with experience fighting to end environmental injustice and racism, Michael Regan can work to alleviate these same problems in Syracuse. If similar data were collected about the amount of families of color that are directly affected by indoor air pollution, a strikingly comparable trend is likely to be discovered.

President Biden made an educated choice in his appointment for the next head of the EPA. Michael Regan could be the man to finally mitigate the environmental injustices and racism that currently exist in the city of Syracuse and similar cities across the country.

Samantha Kolb is an environmental studies major at SUNY-ESF. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at sakolb@syr.edu.

Published on January 25, 2021 at 1:17 am