FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 30, 2021
Contact: cdphe.officeofcommunications@state.co.us
REMOTE (June 30): Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment announced today it has hired Joel Minor to serve as an Environmental Justice Program Manager and Nathalie Eddy as Air Quality Environmental Justice liaison. They will help coordinate the department’s and Polis administration’s ongoing strategies to promote environmental equity in Colorado.
“We’ve articulated a sincere commitment to promoting environmental justice in the state, and assuring that everyone, regardless of where they live, has an opportunity to reach their full health potential without chronic exposure to pollution,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “We’re thrilled to have hired environmental justice positions at the department and are confident they will play a vital role in advancing the cause of environmental justice.”
Minor most recently served in the Natural Resources and Environment Section of the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, where he represented the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission staff in the agency’s rulemakings to implement Senate Bill 19-181. Minor has previously worked as an attorney at the environmental non-profit Earthjustice and clerked for the Hon. Carlos F. Lucero of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
“Joel was always there for us every time we had questions or doubts,” said Sandra Ruiz Parilla, a resident of the Globeville neighborhood and former resident of the Elyria neighborhood in north Denver. “Also he attended our community meetings and was a great guide for us. He is a great leader in everything he does.”
Eddy most recently worked for the environmental organization Earthworks, where she worked with communities impacted by pollution from oil and gas operations. In addition to her previous work with Lake County, Eddy also worked for the World Resources Institute, the Global Gender and Climate Alliance, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, the Amerindian People’s Association, the US Climate Action Network, the Center for International Environmental Law and the United Nations Climate Change Secretariat.
“The Western Slope is fortunate to have Nathalie Eddy serving as CDPHE’s Air Quality Environmental Justice Liaison,” said Natasha Léger, Executive Director, Citizens for a Healthy Community. “She is such a skilled advocate for protecting community health, and she is good at policy, field work, regulatory compliance, implementation strategies, and community outreach and communications. Not only is she dedicated to ensuring transparency and accountability, she is a trustworthy partner, always responsive and prepared with valuable information and tools to empower communities.”
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