text: Following the events in Warren County, the UCC and US General Accounting Office released reports showing that hazardous waste sites were disproportionately located in poor minority neighborhoods. Chavis and Dr. Robert D. Bullard pointed out institutionalized racism stemming from government and corporate policies that led to environmental racism. These racist practices included redlining, zoning, and colorblind adaptation planning. Residents experienced environmental racism due to their low socioeconomic status, and lack of political representation and mobility. Expanding the definition in "The Legacy of American Apartheid and Environmental Racism", Dr. Bullard said that environmental racism:refers to any policy, practice, or directive that differentially affects or disadvantages (whether intended or unintended) individuals, groups, or communities based on race or color.The history of the United States has been grounded in white racism, shaping the nation's economic, political, and ecological landscape. The foundation's principles of "free land", extracted from Native Americans and Mexicans, "free labor" obtained from African slaves, and "free men," limited to white men with property, institutional racism became deeply ingrained in American society. This foundation has allowed for unequal relationships with the dominant white society.
  Institutionalized racism refers to the systematic and ingrained discrimination against individuals or groups based on race or ethnicity within the structures and practices of institutions such as government bodies, educational systems, businesses, and other organizations. Institutional racism operates on a large scale within societal norms, policies, and procedures. This institutionalized racism extends to environmental planning and decision-making, reinforcing environmental racism through government, legal, economic, and political institutions. Racism significantly increases exposure to environmental and health risks as well as access to health care.
  Government agencies, including the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have often failed to protect people of color from pollution and industrial infiltrations. This failure is evident in the disproportionate pollution burden borne by communities of color, with African American and Latino neighborhoods experiencing higher levels of pollution compared to predominantly white areas.
  For instance, in Los Angeles, over 71% of African Americans and 50% of Latinos live in areas with the most polluted air, while only 34% of the white population does. Nationally, a significant portion of whites, African Americans, and Hispanics reside in counties with substandard air quality, with people of color disproportionately affected by pollution-related health issues.