SECOND OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE WORKSHOPS FOR LAX MASTER PLAN TO BE HELD

(Lennox, California – June 14, 2001) The second of six Environmental Justice Workshops scheduled to educate minority and low-income communities about the impacts and benefits of a Draft Master Plan to modernize Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will be held Saturday at Lennox Middle School, 11033 Buford Avenue, Lennox.

Conducted by Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), which owns and operates LAX Ontario International Palmdale Regional and Van Nuys airports, the series of workshops are believed to be the first of their kind in the United States connected to a major public works project. The intent of environmental justice is to ensure that public works projects do not have an unfair or adverse impact on minority or low-income communities by seeking residents’ input, and that those communities share in the economic, jobs, environmental mitigation, and other benefits of such projects.

For three hours, residents and others may visit exhibits and talk with experts on the community impacts of the Draft LAX Master Plan. LAWA experts will be available to discuss topics including the concept of environmental justice, air quality, aircraft noise, ground transportation and the economic and other social benefits of LAX modernization.

"We see these workshops as a natural extension of Los Angeles World Airports’ ongoing efforts to work with our neighboring communities to address the impacts of operations at our facilities," said Roger Johnson, deputy executive director for environmental affairs and chair of LAWA’s Environmental Justice Task Force. "It is important that we get the community’s input in finding solutions to the issues we face and ways to ensure that they share in the economic, jobs, and other benefits that airports bring."

Residents, public officials, and members of the media in communities surrounding the airport were notified of the workshop through multiple sources, such as media advisories, public service announcements, paid advertising and door-to-door canvassing of 7,500 Lennox homes.

The next environmental justice workshop will be held between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at the Jesse Owens Park Gymnasium in South Central Los Angeles. Subsequent workshops will be scheduled in other neighboring airport communities monthly through October.