Background
Energy
policies that most affect blacks concern equity and relate
especially to housing, community development, and land use. Energy
policies should be designed to be equally advantageous to everyone.
They should not reinforce the often subtle forms of discrimination
in housing and housing related policies, or discourage homebuilding
for those who need housing most.
When energy
policy is primarily conservation oriented—lacking a broad
view of community and regional needs—it may inadvertently
emphasize high cost aspects of housing, land use, and construction
that favor the well off. Such policies include low density land
use, low growth, and reluctance to zone for low and moderate priced
housing or for multiple family dwellings. These practices limit
housing within areas and close by. Blacks are especially victims,
since many neighborhoods are already closed to them, either
intentionally or in effect.
According
to the National Commission on Urban Problems:
...there
are sometimes important nonfiscal policies behind certain types of
exclusionary land-use decisions. "Undesirable" uses such as
junkyards are not very attractive. "Undesirable"
people—minority groups and the poor—would not "fit
in."
Restrictions limit the kind of housing that can
be built and how existing homes can be remodeled. These
restrictions lead to inequities and through land use, zoning, or
building code regulations often raise the cost and reduce the
amount of housing available. Informal decisions about financing
also effectively reduce the housing pool from which black families
can choose.
High
housing cost and limited availability affect energy use. More
costly homes are likely to be larger and more fully equipped and
thus highly energy intensive per person living there. The less
housing there is, the more limited the choice both of housing and
energy using alternatives. These conditions affect blacks more than
others, because fewer of them can afford high priced housing and
they have a more limited choice of homes or neighborhoods
regardless of what they can afford.
Well off
white families already have good housing. The main