Event

Most of the discourse on environmental justice (EJ) has been initiated and led by advocates and the engagement of business and industry has tended to be reactive, defensive and muted.  What is the business perspective of environmental justice?  How can business and industry constructively engage EJ concerns?  What are reasonable expectations for all stakeholders and how can communities, businesses, and regulators create win-win outcomes?  What are the long-term implications of getting it right and getting it wrong?  This discussion will explore possible answers to these questions and present a missing perspective from the current discussion on how to achieve not only environmental justice, but also economic justice for low-income and racial/ethnic communities.

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Deidre is a subject matter expert on environmental justice (EJ) and has been a part of PG&E’s Environmental Policy Group since September, 2007. Her primary responsibilities include leading the effort to advance the implementation and institutionalization of PG&E’s Environmental Justice Policy.

She is also the lead for the identification and development of company response strategies associated with EJ and new laws and regulations, such as California’s landmark climate change legislation, AB 32, as well as other emerging issues. Additionally, she provides support to business operations that may engage EJ concerns.

Her previous positions include that of policy analyst on international issues for the federal government. She is also a member of the US EPA National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) and lead for the Environmental Justice Working Group for the American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE).  She earned her PhD in Politics and Policy from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California.