Environmental Injustice: Is Race or Income a Better Predictor?

Objective . Drawing on recent debates over environmental justice and environmental racism, this paper investigates the distribution of Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) emissions in Michigan in an attempt to ascertain whether these emissions are inequitably distributed according to race. Methods. The analysis examines TRI emissions for the entire state, the state's urban areas, and the Detroit Metropolitan Area (DMA). Results . TRI emissions for the entire state are inequitably distributed according to race. This finding does not hold for multivariate analyses of the state's urban areas and the DMA. However, in these areas, race is significantly correlated with TRI emissions in bivariate regressions. Conclusions. I make several arguments. First, the nature of specific conclusions drawn from this and another, similar study depends on a) whether one holds an institutional or intentional model of environmental discrimination and b) whether one gives more weight to statewide analyses or analyses restricted to urban areas. Second, one should not theorize race and income as competing explanatory variables. Third, qualitative historical case studies are necessary if we are to adequately explain the formation of current environmental hazard distributions.