ACTING LOCALLY - ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE AND THE EMERGENCE OF GRASS-ROOTS ENVIRONMENTAL-ORGANIZATIONS

Because of the contradictions inherent in a liberal democratic state, the environmental regulatory process often fails to protect citizens f rom corporate pollution As a consequence, organizations have emerged i n some contaminated communities to put pressure on the regulatory proc ess. This paper examines the structural sources of the emergence of gr ass roots environmental organizations. These organizations represent a new trend in the environmental movement, and are part of a broader hi storical process involving the evolution of the legal culture and the social control of corporate conduct in the United States