Environmental Justice in America.

• Position: Book Review

Race, poverty, and environmental law are the subjects of a new book by Edwardo Rhodes, a professor in Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Environmental Justice in America, published by Indiana University Press, examines how well-meaning environmental laws can have unintended consequences for impoverished Americans, particularly those in racial minorities and other historically underrepresented groups. Rhodes also discusses laws and policies that have worked and the concept of fairness when race-charged environmental questions are tackled.

"One of the book's primary objectives," said Rhodes, "is exploring the basic notion that the same environmental policies and activities can have...