Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment (CRPE) is an environmentalist advocacy organization based in California’s San Joaquin Valley that campaigns in support of restrictions on conventional energy. It bases its advocacy in identity politics, claiming that restrictions on conventional energy production are needed due to alleged adverse health effects on ethnic minority and low-income communities. ¹

CRPE co-produced Growing Resistance, a film that accuses conventional energy production and use for causing health issues in select communities, with environmentalist group 350.org. ²

Background

Center on Race, Poverty, and the Environment is an environmentalist nonprofit organization that uses identity politics to advocate for ”environmental justice.” It pursues litigation against government agencies, politicians, and energy conglomerates from the position that ethnic minorities and low-income communities are disproportionately affected by environmental practices. ³

CRPE is based in California’s San Joaquin Valley, claiming to represent the interests of its residents while arguing they are victims of adverse health effects due to the presence of farms and conventional energy production. As a result, it campaigns in support of reliance on weather-dependent energy and restrictions on local farms to reduce carbon emissions. ¹

Campaigns

Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment has a campaign titled “Climate Change and Energy” that supports reliance on weather-dependent energy because it argues ethnic minority and low-income communities are oppressed by the production and use of conventional energy. ⁴ It states that it “trains” local residents to believe that their health is in danger due to the local production and use of conventional energy and that they should advocate for reliance in environmentalist energy as a result. ⁵

CRPE’s Climate Change and Energy campaign also advocates for increased restrictions on carbon emissions through California’s Cap and Trade regulations. It also states that it campaigned in support of Senate Bill 32 and Assembly Bill 197 as it claims they imposed the “most aggressive” restrictions on carbon emissions. ⁶

CRPE’s Sustainable Agriculture campaign advocates for restrictions on agricultural processes, requiring increased space between farms that use pesticides and schools as well as requiring dairy farms to limit methane emissions. ^{7 8} It also uses identity politics as a foundation of the campaign, accusing farms of causing adverse health effects on minority and low-income communities and that they should change their practices to prevent the alleged damages. ⁹

Litigation

In 2015, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment represented Rodrigo Romo in a lawsuit against then-Governor of California Jerry Brown (D) and the Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources, claiming Romo’s daughters incurred respiratory illnesses due to their school’s proximity to oil drilling and natural gas well stimulation. The lawsuit also alleges the illnesses were incurred due to a lack of regard for the health of the children because they are ethnic minorities. ¹⁰

People

Caroline Farrell has served as the executive director for the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment since 2009. Farrell sits on the steering committee for Central Valley Air Quality Coalition and for California Environmental Justice Alliance and sits on the Impact Fund’s Grant Advisory Committee. She also sits on the board of directors for Communities for a Better Environment, the Planning and Conservation League, and ACT for Women and Girls .¹¹

Funding

In 2021, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment reported receiving $3 million in total revenue and having $1.8 million in total expenses, including $1.2 million spent on salaries and compensation for its employees. ¹²

1. “Our Work.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment, December 16, 2016. https://crpe-ej.org/our-work/.
2. “Growing Resistance.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/growing-resistance.
3. “About.” The Center on Race, Poverty The Environment, December 14, 2016. https://crpe-ej.org/about.
4. “Climate Change and Energy.” The Center on Race, Poverty The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/our-work/climate-change-and-energy.
5. “Oil, Gas and Fracking.” The Center on Race, Poverty The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/our-work/climate-change-and-energy/oil-gas-fracking.
6. “Cap and Trade.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/resources/policy/cap-and-trade.
7. ^[1] “Dairies.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/our-work/sustainable-agriculture/dairies.
8. “Pesticides.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/our-work/sustainable-agriculture/pesticides.
9. “Sustainable Agriculture.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/our-work/sustainable-agriculture.
10. “Romo v. Brown.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/resources/legal/romo-v-brown/.
11. “Our Team.” The Center on Race, Poverty & The Environment. Accessed June 12, 2023. https://crpe-ej.org/about/our-team.
12. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Center on Race, Poverty & Environment. 2021. Part I, Lines 12-18.