Environmental laws require that the public be given the opportunity to participate in environmental permitting and rulemaking. One of the many barriers Texans face in attempting to engage in environmental advocacy for themselves and their communities is the limited access to information in languages other than English. Clinic students worked with Earthjustice in representing Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services (T.E.J.A.S.) and Sierra Club in a Title VI civil rights complaint and a rulemaking petition to TCEQ, our state environmental agency, to increase language services at the agency. In response, TCEQ recently revised its rules to provide increased translation and interpretation services.
