( CNN ) -- As he surveys the nation 's landfills , chemical plants , waste facilities , and smelters , Robert Bullard sees an insidious form of institutional racism . Robert Bullard is the director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University . `` When you look at the neighborhoods that are where you have a lot of different waste facilities ... the people who live closest are oftentimes the most vulnerable people who have the fewest resources to escape neighborhoods because of residential segregation , housing discrimination , and limited incomes , '' said Bullard , a professor at Georgia 's Clark Atlanta University and the director of that university 's Environmental Justice Resource Center . `` Just because you 're poor , just because you live physically on the wrong 'side of the track ' does n't mean that you should be dumped on . '' Those people are predominantly minorities , Bullard said . In fact , more than half of the 9 million people living within two miles of the nation 's hazardous waste facilities are minorities , according to `` Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty , 1987-2007 : Grassroots Struggles to Dismantle Environmental Racism , '' a recent report that Bullard co-wrote . Widely acknowledged as a pioneer in environmental justice , Bullard has worked in the field since 1978 . He is the author of several books on the topic , including `` Confronting Environmental Racism , '' `` Dumping on Dixie '' and `` Unequal Protection . '' In his nearly two decades of work in the field , Bullard said little has changed . `` I 've visited dozens of communities and done these toxic tours , '' Bullard said . `` What 's so disheartening is that it looks so familiar . I could have been in Louisiana , Richmond , California ... I could have been in Chester , Pennsylvania . `` And I think this phenomenon of concentrating polluting industries in communities [ of ] working class ... low incomes , communities of color , this phenomenon has to be dealt with . '' Living near these facilities puts people at higher risk for health problems , Bullard said . `` We 're seeing elevated asthma rates , we 're seeing higher than average cancer rates , we 're seeing lots of diabetes and kidney failure , '' he said . In a response to the `` Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty , 1987-2007 : Grassroots Struggles to Dismantle Environmental Racism '' report , the Environmental Protection Agency said `` The EPA is committed to delivering a healthy environment for all Americans and is making significant strides in addressing environmental justice concerns . Since 1993 , EPA has awarded more than $ 30 million in grants to over 1,100 community-based organizations focused on addressing local environmental and public health issues . '' The agency also said that it is developing an Environmental Justice Smart Enforcement Assessment Tool , which will look at environmental , health , socioeconomic and compliance factors to ensure that the EPA 's enforcement activities will focus on communities that need it most . `` EPA expects to begin using this tool later this year , '' the agency said . E-mail to a friend .
Robert Smith is a professor at Georgia 's Clark Atlanta University . Bullard has worked in environmental justice since 1978 . People living near construction sites are predominantly minorities , Bullard says .