Fellow Story

Morello-Frosch publishes on historical racist redlining practices leading to higher exposures to oil and gas wells

Fellow(s): Rachel Morello-Frosch
Topic(s): Climate Change, Architecture & Urban Planning, Environmental & Social Justice, Environmental Policy & Law, Land Use & Open Space Conservation, Natural Resource Management, Energy Resources & Access

Rachel Morello-Frosch co-authored a study and op-ed on how historical racist redlining practices are linked to higher exposures to oil and gas wells in the United States. The April 2022 study, published in the Nature Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, adds to the evidence that structural racism in federal policy is associated with the disproportionate siting of oil and gas wells in marginalized neighborhoods. The op-ed in Environmental Health News connects this research to the Biden administration's decision to resume selling leases for new oil and gas drilling on public lands, and argues that "policymakers should consider the scientific evidence of the risks posed by oil and gas production to public health, and how historical racist policies contributed to the health disparities we see today."

The op-ed is also available in Spanish.

 

Banner photo originally accompannied the Environmental Health News op-ed. The image shows UCLA Law students and faculty participated in a toxic tour of Wilmington, CA, a predominantly Latinx neighborhood surrounded by the Port of Los Angeles, heavy industry, and an oil field in 2019. (Credit: Emmett Institute/flickr)

Meet the Fellows in this Story

Rachel Morello-Frosch

Rachel Morello-Frosch

1995 Fellow
Rachel Morello-Frosch is Professor of Environmental Science, Policy and Management and the School of Public Health at the University of California, Berkeley. She has an MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics and a Ph.D. in environmental...