"Federal agencies responding to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster should do a better job of targeting communities that have historically been underrepresented in disaster response, including people of color and Native Americans, members of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council said Tuesday.

In an unusual teleconference meeting "attended" by more than 370 callers, the council agreed to write a letter to the federal Environmental Protection Agency that also would recommend that agencies make better use of non-governmental organizations, including environmental and community groups, that were among the first to respond to the spill."

Mark Schleifstein reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune June 15, 2010. [2]