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June 30, 2023Statement of gratitude to Richard Moore for his twelve years as National Co-Coordinator of EJHA
The Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform (EJHA) and Coming Clean
With warmth and deep appreciation, we thank Richard Moore for his twelve years as National Co-Coordinator of the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy Reform (EJHA). Richard will be stepping down from this role today, while continuing to serve as Co-Coordinator of Los Jardines Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an affiliate member of EJHA.
During his time as National Co-Coordinator, Richard helped secure historic commitments from the White House and federal agencies to advance environmental justice, the result of decades of dedicated bottom-up organizing rooted in solidarity and respect. In recent years, Richard has served as Chair of the White House Advisory Council for Environmental Justice, where he has lifted up the priorities, leadership and perspectives of EJHA affiliates and guided the creation and implementation of the Justice40 Initiative. Within EJHA and Coming Clean, Richard helped build momentum from the ground up for more protective chemical policies aligned with the Louisville Charter, such as updates to the Risk Management Program that can prevent chemical disasters, equitable enforcement and protection for communities under the Clean Air and Water Acts, and the first ever chemical policies at the top two dollar store chains, Dollar General and Dollar Tree. Richard was a key architect in building momentum for the national campaign to reform the federal chemicals management program, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and then pivoted to a strategy aimed at EPA and the White House when the components of TSCA reform failed to reflect the priorities of fenceline communities. All the while, he has strengthened national coalitions by helping them stay grounded in and accountable to the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing.
We look forward to supporting the many exciting local initiatives he will continue to lead in Albuquerque, which include building a robust Justice40 coalition at the state and city levels, organizing for local regulations to reduce cumulative impacts on environmental justice communities, and helping to build a state-wide coalition to contest false climate solutions. These initiatives are already serving as inspiring models of action for other communities seeking to build a nontoxic, equitable economy, and reflect how capacity on the ground must be enhanced - and work on the ground must be the driving force - when progress is made at the federal level.
Many of the accomplishments he’s driven and the lessons Richard has repeatedly shared are woven into the fiber of the people, the organizations and the principled networks and partnerships he has touched over these many years. With love, gratitude and respect, we commit to supporting Richard and Los Jardines Institute as he transitions from the National Co-Coordinatorship of EJHA to focus more fully on this invaluable local work.