Gonzalo Rodriguez (‘18) is using a case he worked on in Los Angeles to continue pursuing environmental justice while in law school.
As an intern for the Communities for a Better Environment, an environmental justice program in Los Angeles, he contributed to a lawsuit that alleged the city of Los Angeles routinely approved oil drilling applications without complying with the California Environmental Quality Act, and exposed black and Latino residents to disproportionate health and safety risks.
The lawsuit, filed by Youth for Environmental Justice, the South Central Youth Leadership Coalition and the Center for Biological Diversity, was settled in October. Prior to the settlement, the city’s planning department implemented new procedures and guidelines to ensure that it complies with California’s environment regulations when granting permits for oil wells, according to a news release.
“It was a great experience being able to participate in this process and to put in place these protections that will hopefully assist us in alleviating the problem of environmental injustice in the City of Los Angeles,” Rodriguez said.
As part of the Lawyers & Social Change, a practicum course taught by Professors Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, Rodriguez is continuing his work. He and other students are surveying social change movements and identifying their challenges. Using his knowledge and feedback from his classmates, Gonzalo is crafting a plan for addressing environmental issues in the city he calls home.
“In my case, since I am very passionate about environmental justice, the plan I have been working on is related specifically to this matter as well, to oil and gas drilling in the Los Angeles Basin.”
Before Rodriguez applied to law school, he knew he wanted to practice environmental law. As a child, he lived near a tire factory in Uruguay, where he felt the vibration of trucks and smoke stacks billowed pollution.
He applied to the University of Alabama School of Law because he had followed the work of Delgado, who has won six Gustavus Myers awards for outstanding books on human rights, and Professor Heather Elliott, an expert on Alabama water law and policy.
Rodriguez is confident he made the right decision and has secured a clerkship with Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm, for summer 2017.
“I am hoping that will give me more experience and the tools to be able to, once I graduate, come back to my community in Los Angeles and continue fighting for justice.”