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The Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee
(OREJC)

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OREJC is now operational. On September 21, 1999, OREJC held an organizational meeting and passed a provisional set of Bylaws. OREJC invites all interested citizens of Oak Ridge and surrounding counties to attend the meeting and join in the effort. More information and membership forms can be obtained from A. A. Brooks, 100 Wiltshire Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830; Phone 482 1559, E-mail or Web Page http://home.comcast.net/~brooks50/orejc.html. Go to the OREJC Environmental Newsletters for the latest news. Go to Agenda and Minutes for details committee actions

The Founding Committee

These documents were prepared by the Founding Committee and may change in the organization process. All DRAFT documents are subject approva of the membership.

OREJC By-Laws - Passed Provisionally on September 21, 1999
OREJC Program of Work and Project Plans - Under Revision
Recruiting Letter - Still Valid, Sign up now
Membership Form - Print Version
News Release 9/10/99

Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee
C/o Alfred A. Brooks, Chair Pro Tem * 100 Wiltshire Drive * Oak Ridge, TN 37830

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Provisional BY-LAWS DRAFT
of the
OAK RIDGE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Article I - Name

The name of the Organization shall be the Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee hereinafter known as the Organization and by the acronym, OREJC.

Article II -Objectives

Environmental justice is defined as:

The lawful, fair and moral components of a community's surroundings including those aspects of the social and cultural conditions that bear on the surroundings of the community.

The objectives of the Organization shall be:

To improve the quality of life for the greater Oak Ridge residents.
To provide reality-based information to the citizens of the community through an environmental education and public outreach program.
To objectively focus public attention on the environmental justice and related problems that exist in the neighborhoods near the Oak Ridge Reservation.
To provide an inclusive, multi-racial forum for the discussion of citizens' concerns in an open and constructive manner; and to respond to citizens' concerns.
To provide a process including organizational networks by which the considerable talent and expertise in Oak Ridge can be brought to bear on the environmental justice problems of the community.
To provide informed input to the Department of Energy, the State of Tennessee, the City of Oak Ridge, and other agencies or governing bodies on issues of environmental justice and related problems, especially in the area of public health.
To provide a community-wide interface to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Environmental Justice Steering Committee on issues related to the TDEC Environmental Justice Strategic Plan.

Article III - Membership

Membership shall be open to all, present and past, residents of Oak Ridge and the surrounding counties influenced by the Oak Ridge Reservation who subscribe to its purposes and objectives. No person shall be denied participation for non-payment of dues.

Article IV - Officers and Advisors

The Officers shall be the Chair, Vice-chair, the Secretary and Treasurer. There shall be three Advisors.
The Officers and Advisors shall be elected annually for a term of one year by secret ballot.
Elections shall be held at the next meeting after the adoption of these bylaws with nominations from the floor and annually thereafter. All elections shall be decided by a plurality of the members voting.
The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers and the Advisors.
The Nominating Committee (see Article VI) shall make nominations for all officers and advisors. Nominations may also be made at least one month before the election by petition of three or more members.
A vacancy in any offices will be filled by special election called by the Executive committee.
Recall of any elected officer or shall be by written ballot and shall require two-thirds of the members to have voted for the recall. A petition signed by at least 20 percent of the Organization shall initiate such recall.

Article V - Administration

The Executive Committee, except as otherwise expressly provided in these bylaws, shall conduct the routine business of the Organization.
All matters of policy, program of work, positions on issues and approval of reports shall be determined by the full membership in a meeting called for that purpose. The program of work shall be adopted and revised at the annual meeting or more often as needed.
The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the Organization and Executive Committee and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned by the Executive Committee or the Organization. In the Chair's absence the Vice-chair shall preside. If both the Chair and Vice Chair are absent the Executive Committee shall designate a temporary chair.
Four members of the Executive Committee constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The Executive committee may conduct business by telephone or E-mail consensus.
The Secretary shall keep separate minutes of all meetings of the Organization and Executive Committee; shall carry on the correspondence of the Organization. Minutes of the meetings of the Organization and Executive Committee shall be promptly submitted to the Organization or Executive Committee for approval. The Secretary shall keep a numbered document file of all substantive documents, sent and received, and a document registry.
The Treasurer shall be the custodian of all funds of the Organization and shall pay all authorized bills incurred by the Organization. The disbursement of funds shall be made only upon authorization of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall submit reports at all regular meetings. The Treasurer shall submit the accounts for audit at the last meeting of the Executive Committee prior to the Annual meeting of the Organization, and shall transmit to his/her successor in office all funds and property of the Organization in his/her possession. An annual report shall be submitted to the Organization in such form as may be determined by the Executive Committee.

Article VI - Committees

In addition to the Executive Committee (See Section 4.04) there shall be Standing Committees and ad hoc Committees. The meeting of all committees shall be open to all members and to the public.
The Standing Committees shall be the Nomination Committee, the Program Committee and the Membership Committee.
All Committees, Committee Chairs, including ad hoc Committees, shall be filled by appointment of the President with the approval of the Executive Committee.
A Nominating Committee consisting of not less than three members shall be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee two months prior to the election. The Nominating committee will prepare a slate of candidates for each election, as specified in Article IV, on a timely basis.
The Program Committee shall revise the Program of Work and assist the Chair in selecting presentations.
The Membership Committee shall recruit members.

Article VII- Meetings

All regular monthly meetings shall be open to the public. They shall be invited and shall have equal opportunity to participate.
The Organization shall meet monthly at a time and place determined by the Executive Committee. A seven-day notice of meetings shall be given unless otherwise provided for.
An annual business meeting of the Organization shall be held at the time of elections at which reports of the Officers shall be made. The time and place of the annual meeting together with the agenda shall be communicated to the membership at least 10 days prior to the meeting.
The President may call special meetings at any time with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President, provided that each of the members of the Committee is notified at least seven days prior to the meeting or waves the right of notice.
Standing Committee meetings shall be held at least once a year, at the discretion of the Chairperson.
Meetings shall be held under Robert's Rules of Order at the lowest level of formality unless otherwise provided for in these bylaws.
The organization shall seek positions that are acceptable to a large majority of the members and the expression of minority opinion shall be permitted in all committee and organizational reports.
The Order of Business shall be:

Call to Order
Introductions and Presentations
Roll Call
Correspondence and Announcements
Status of Action Items
Approval of Agenda
Reports of Officers and Committees
Unfinished Business
New Business
Identification of Action Item Assignments
Adjournment

Article VIII - Dues and Sources of Funding

The dues schedule shall be established by the Executive Committee and shall be approved by the membership. Revisions of the dues schedule may be made in the same fashion as amendments to these By-laws (Article IX).
The Organization may solicit voluntary contributions from the membership and corporate sponsors. Grants may be solicited from appropriate funding sources.

Article IX - Amendments

These By-laws may be amended at an annual or special meeting of the Organization, provided that a written notice of the meeting, together with the text of the proposed amendments and of any existing articles thereby affected, has been mailed to the members by the Secretary at least ten (10) days before the meeting.
Amendments may be proposed either by the Executive Committee or by petition of at least 20 percent of the members. Amendments must be presented to the Secretary at least one month before the mailing.
Adoption of a proposed amendment to these By-laws shall require the affirmative votes of two-thirds of the members voting.

Passed provissionally September 21, 19999
Alfred A. Brooka, Chair Pro tem

Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee
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To: Residents of Oak Ridge and Surrounding Counties

Environmental justice: The lawful, fair and moral components of a community's surroundings including those aspects of the social and cultural conditions that bear on the surroundings of the community.

The Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee (OREJC) will have the following purposes (from the DRAFT Bylaws):

To objectively focus the attention of the greater Oak Ridge community on the environmental justice and related problems that exist in the neighborhoods near the Oak Ridge Reservation.
To provide an inclusive, multi-ethnic forum for the discussion of citizens' concerns in an open and constructive manner; to direct those concerns to the appropriate agencies, and to respond to citizens' concerns.
To provide a process including organizational networks by which the considerable talent and expertise in Oak Ridge can be brought to bear on the environmental justice problems of the community.
To provide community outreach and information to the citizens of the community through an environmental education program.
To provide informed input to the Department of Energy, the State of Tennessee, the City of Oak Ridge, and other agencies or governing bodies on issues of environmental justice and related problems especially in the area of public health.
To provide a community-wide interface to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Environmental Justice Steering Committee on issues related to the new TDEC Environmental Justice Strategic Plan.

Membership: Membership shall be open to all residents of Oak Ridge and the surrounding counties influenced by the Oak Ridge Reservation who subscribe to the OREJC purposes and objectives.

The above name, purposes and definition are temporary and subject to change in any bylaws adopted. These and other appropriate questions will be addressed at the Organizational Meeting at ??:?? on August, ??, 1999 at the TN Department of Environment and Conservation, 761 Emory Valley Road , Oak Ridge TN 37830.

The following members of the OREJC founding committee invite all eligible and interested residents to join.

James Lewis
Susan Kaplan
Marie Saint Louis
L. C. Manley

Norman Mulvenon
Emanuel Bailey
Diantha Pare

Art Nelson
Demetra Nelson
Nelson Stephens

Ronnie Griffin
Gary Johnson
David Johnson

Al Brooks, Secretary Pro Tem

Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee Membership Form

Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ____________________

Address: ___________________________________________________________________________

City/State/ZIP: ______________________________________________________________________

Phone: Home: _____________________________Work: ____________________________________

E-mail: ___________________________________ FAX: ____________________________________

Special Interests: ____________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

Special talents (writing, public relations/outreach, technical, etc.):

__________________________________________________________________________________

Organizational Memberships (for outreach purposes): _______________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

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Return to: Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee
C/o Alfred A. Brooks · 100 Wiltshire Drive · Oak Ridge, TN 37830-4505
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News Release September 10, 1999 - ORR-Wide EJ Group Formed

On Tuesday September 7, the founding committee of Oak Ridge Environmental Justice Committee announced OREJC's formation as an inclusive regional organization to consider matters of environmental justice.

The committee defines environmental justice as the lawful, fair and moral components of a community's surroundings including those aspects of the social and cultural conditions that bear on the surroundings of the community.

Under this broad definition, ORJEC plans:

1. To objectively focus the attention of the greater Oak Ridge community on the environmental justice and related problems that exist in the neighborhoods near the Oak Ridge Reservation.

2. To provide an inclusive, multi-ethnic forum for the discussion of citizens' concerns in an open and constructive manner; to direct those concerns to the appropriate agencies, and to respond to citizens' concerns.

3. To provide a process including organizational networks by which the considerable talent and expertise in Oak Ridge can be brought to bear on the environmental justice problems of the community.

4. To provide community outreach and information to the citizens of the community through an environmental education program.

5. To provide informed input to the Department of Energy, the State of Tennessee, the City of Oak Ridge, and other agencies or governing bodies on issues of environmental justice and related problems especially in the area of public health.

6. To provide a community-wide interface to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation's Environmental Justice Steering Committee on issues related to the new TDEC Environmental Justice Strategic Plan.

OREJC will hold its first full meeting at 9:00 AM on Tuesday September 21 at the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conversation, 761 Emory Valley Road to consider draft bylaws and project agenda prepared by the founding committee. The founding committee invites all interested citizens of Oak Ridge and surrounding
counties to attend the meeting and join in the effort. More information and membership forms can be obtained from A. A. Brooks, 100 Wiltshire Drive, Oak Ridge, TN 37830; Phone 482 1559, E-mail .