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Collaborative Problem-Solving Is Working in Anahola, Hawaii
Collaborative Problem-Solving
Program Update
A 20-acre lot in the community of Ana-
hola was contaminated with pesticide
residues by a now defunct sugarcane
plantation. However, this lot is now
being transformed into a community
center by the native Hawaiian commu-
nity in Anahola, Hawaii, thanks to a
$100,000 cooperative agreement
under the Environmental Justice Col-
laborative Problem-Solving (CPS)
Cooperative Agreement Program. This
is the first time the Anahola Home-
steaders Council (AHC) has obtained
federal grant funds. Using a collabora-
tive, problem-solving approach, AHC
has initiated "Project Imua" to assess
the environmental and public health
concerns associated with the site, build
partnerships, and prepare a redevelop-
ment plan. As part of the project, AHC
has teamed with project partners to
train teams of community volunteers,
students, and government representa-
tives in collecting surface and potable
water samples and conducting aerial
surveys to map solid waste sites. AHC
has successfully leveraged in-kind sup-
port from various federal, state, and
local government agencies; business-
es; academic institutions; and other
nonprofit partners. The City of Anahola
alone contributed an estimated
$304,000 of in-kind support to haul
solid waste from the site.
AHC is using the CPS cooperative
agreement funds in ways that ensure
the long-term viability of Project Imua
long after the initial funds have been
expended. In addition to redeveloping a
brownfield site into a major community
asset, AHC is also creating a partner-
ship and problem-solving model that
can be used to help other communities
in Hawaii facing similar adverse environ-
mental and public health concerns and
issues.
The CPS cooperative agreement has
also opened the door to additional fund-
ing from ERA'S Brownfields program in
the amount of $196,334, and funding
NEJAC Charter Renewed
On August 16, 2005, EPA Administrator
Stephen L. Johnson approved the
renewal of the charter for the National
Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC), which provides the EPA
Administrator with advice and recom-
mendations with respect to integrating
environmental justice into EPA's pro-
grams, policies, and day-to-day activi-
ties. NEJAC's charter was scheduled to
expire in September 2005, but has been
renewed until September 26, 2006.
NEJAC, a federal advisory committee,
was established in September 1993 to
provide a forum for addressing human
health and environmental conditions in
all communities, including minority pop-
ulations and low-income communities.
The NEJAC is composed of members
representing community-based organi-
zations; academic and educational
institutions; business and industry;
state and local governments; tribal
governments and indigenous organiza-
tions; and non-governmental and envi-
ronmental groups. The Executive
Council's diverse membership ensures
that all points of view are represented
when discussing issues that affect
these groups.
NEJAC elicits comments, questions,
and recommendations from the public
through its meetings, which are open
to the public. Since 1999, these meet-
ings have addressed such national pol-
icy issues as facility siting and
permitting, the relationship between
local environmental conditions and
neighboring pollution-generating facili-
ties, fish consumption, the integration
of environmental justice principles into
federal agencies, pollution prevention
and waste minimization, and cumula-
tive risks and impacts.
"NEJAC has made significant contribu-
tions to our efforts to integrate environ-
mental justice considerations into the
Agency's decision-making," said
Thomas V. Skinner, acting assistant
administrator for Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance. "Its recom-
mendations are given serious consider-
Jimmy Torio, Executive Director of AHC, next
to the marker for the 20-acre project site
from the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services in the amount of
$479,640.
For more information on the Anahola
CPS project, contact Ayako Sato at
(202) 564-5396 or .
ation at the highest levels of the organi-
zation."
Throughout its 12-year history, NEJAC
has played an important role in helping
EPA integrate environmental justice
considerations into Agency programs.
During that time, NEJAC has reviewed
and made substantive recommenda-
tions affecting EPA's first Environmental
Justice Strategy and examined count-
less enforcement, permitting, compli-
ance, and economic issues affecting
environmental justice communities
around the country.
In 2006, EPA will convene a NEJAC
workgroup to provide advice and rec-
ommendations about the environmen-
tal justice issues related to the cleanup
and rebuilding of areas affected by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
For more information about NEJAC,
contact Victoria Robinson at
(202) 564-6349 or .
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Regional Corner
Region 2
nal program. EPA Regio
York. Puerto Rico. U.S.
Region 2 Interim Environmental Justice Policy
In December 2000, Region 2 published the Interim Envi-
ronmental Justice Policy, which outlines the approach and
method Region 2 staff are expected to use when evaluat-
ing and assessing environmental justice concerns in the
region's communities. The policy strives to ensure the
identification, targeting, and responsiveness to communi-
ties that experience disproportionately high adverse health
and environmental burdens and promote environmental
protection and livable, sustainable communities.
The policy also defines a set of "Guiding Principles and
Concepts," which shape the region's environmental justice
program. These include:
• Equal protection is the objective.
• "Early and meaningful" involvement of the affected
community is essential.
• A community's "perception" is its reality.
• Solutions require all stakeholders to participate
at the table.
• Meetings must be convenient for the affected
community.
• Look at existing environmental regulations, statutes,
policies to incorporate and consider environmental
justice.
• "Environmental justice is a matter of fairness" - Jeanne
M. Fox, Regional Administrator.
Region 2 defines the policy as a "living document," signi-
fying that it can and should be periodically supplemented
and updated with the latest environmental and census
data, based on the progress of its implementation. For
more information on Region 2's Interim Environmental
Justice Policy, contact Terry Wesley at (212) 637-5027 or
.
Region 2 Partners With Mohawk Tribe to Monitor
St. Lawrence River Remediation
Massena, New York
EPA Region 2 and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe have creat-
ed a successful partnership to monitor the clean up the St.
Lawrence River, which is tainted with PCB-contaminated
soils, sludge, and sediment from several surrounding
superfund sites. The Mohawk tribal lands are located
directly downstream from the Reynolds Metals Company
and the General Motors Facility, both recent remediation
sites. Through a Support Agency Assistance grant, repre-
sentatives of the tribe's Environment Division have worked
with EPA to monitor remediation performance, resulting in
the removal of 170,000 tons of contaminated sediment.
The tribe has also managed community relations with resi-
dents, performed sampling and analysis of suspected con-
taminants, and coordinated air sample collection.
Region 2 Recognizes Project for Outstanding
Contributions
Puerto Rico
Since its founding in 1993, the Empowering Communities
to Secure Drinking Water in Puerto Rico project has
brought together 250 small drinking water systems to
ensure safe drinking water for 180,000 Puerto Ricans.
This successful project, which helps rural, remote, and
low-income communities protect their drinking water while
complying with federal safe drinking water regulations,
was officially recognized for Outstanding Contributions to
Environmental Justice by Region 2's Caribbean Director,
Carl Soderberg, in April. The project continues to create
positive results for Puerto Rico.
St. Croix Listening Session Results in Environmental
Information Repository
Sf. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
In March 2003, Region 2 partnered with the University of
the Virgin Islands (UVI) Cooperative Extension Services to
hold a community dialogue/listening session in St. Croix.
The session focused on improving communication
between environmental regulatory officials and the public
to better serve the community, and exceeded all expecta-
tions for turnout and participation. In direct response to
the program, UVI, the Virgin Islands Resource Conserva-
tion & Development Council, and the St. Croix Environ-
mental Association have collaborated to create and
develop the St. Croix Environmental Information Reposito-
ry. The project's goals include better identification of envi-
ronmental concerns in St. Croix and improvement of
public access to environmental information. The project,
funded through a Region 2 grant, promises to be an
excellent source of information for St. Croix residents and
officials on St. Croix-specific environmental issues.
Continued on page 7
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Headquarters Update
Office of Research
and Development
policies an
ie Headquarters Update
ific office at EPA Head™
at addressinq a variety
ORD Research Accomplishments in Support of Environmental Justice
The FY 2004/2005 ORD Environmental Justice Action
Plan describes ORD's role in supporting the protection of
public health and the environment by providing sound
science for Agency decisions. ORD does not have a
separate Environmental Justice program, since the
broad range of science activities in ORD touches on
many important EJ issues through our close work with
our Program and Regional partners. This article gives an
sampling of some of ORD's science activities that sup-
port the Agency's commitment to environmental justice.
• The National Children's Study—This study, led by
the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(through the National Institutes of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control) and EPA will examine
the effects of environmental influences on the health
and development of more than 100,000 children from
96 geographically dispersed and demographically
varied locations across the United States from before
birth to the age 21, with the goal of improving the
health and well-being of children. The defining char-
acteristic of the study is the ability to examine multi-
ple exposures and link them in cause-effect
relationships with multiple health outcomes. Strong
partnerships between federal and non-federal scien-
tists, community, parent, advocacy, and industrial
groups throughout the planning process have
focused the study on environmental health themes of
major public health concern, such as pregnancy out-
comes, neuro-behavioral development, asthma, obe-
sity and altered physical development, and injury.
• Detroit Exposure and Aerosol Research Study
(DEARS)—This three-year air monitoring study, begun
in 2004, is being conducted by EPA, the Research Tri-
angle Institute, the Michigan Department of Environ-
mental Quality, and the University of Michigan to
define how individuals are exposed to particulate mat-
ter and air toxic sources and the conditions that affect
their exposures. Air pollutant concentrations and their
sources measured at central or community air moni-
toring stations will be compared with those measured
in various neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan. Person-
al and residential monitoring will involve a total of 120
adult participants wearing personal monitoring vests
over five days of summertime monitoring and five
days of wintertime monitoring.
U.S.-Mexico Border 2012 Program—The goal of
this 10-year joint effort is to reduce threats to human
and ecosystem health along the border, which fre-
quently involves environmental justice issues (race,
ethnicity, age, sex, and sociodemographics). This is a
joint effort involving EPA, Mexico's Secretariat of Envi-
ronment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), the
Mexican Secretariat of Health, the 10 border states,
tribal governments, the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, and other federal agencies.
ORD co-chairs the Environmental Health Workgroup,
which seeks to address environmental health con-
cerns to reduce exposures and other factors associat-
ed with the increase in disease rates along the border.
The workgroup's focus includes strengthening health
surveillance capabilities, conducting research on high-
priority issues that have binational and border-wide
applications and implications, training and education,
and communication. Currently, the Environmental
Health Workgroup is facilitating projects such as the
establishment of an electronic network of environmen-
tal health professionals and conducting a major
research initiative to link environmental improvements
with health outcomes.
Framework for Cumulative Risk Assessment—This
guidance document was completed in 2003 by the
ORD-sponsored and coordinated Agency Risk Assess-
ment Forum, a standing committee of senior ERA sci-
entists established to promote Agency-wide consensus
on difficult and controversial risk assessments. In 2004,
EPA's National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(via its Cumulative Risks/Impacts Work Group) complet-
ed a report titled "Ensuring Risk Reduction in Commu-
nities with Multiple Stressors: Environmental Justice and
Cumulative Risks/Impacts," that promoted the idea that
combining the Agency's new framework with a collabo-
rative problem-solving approach is the fastest and
surest way to bring about tangible and sustainable ben-
efits for disproportionately impacted communities and
tribes. For the first time, the framework opens the
scope of risk assessment to include the environmental,
health, social, and cultural factors that are key to under-
standing community risk. Within this framework, the
community can enter into a dialogue about risk that
realistically incorporates the factors experienced by dis-
advantaged, under-served, and environmentally over-
burdened communities and tribes.
Continued on page 5
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• Asthma Initiative and Conference—ORD, in collabo-
ration with the Office of Children's Health Protection,
sponsored a workshop in October 2004 to review the
current scientific evidence with respect to factors that
may contribute to the induction and therefore increased
incidence of asthma. The workshop addressed two
broad questions: 1) What does the science suggest
that regulatory and public health agencies could do
now to reduce the incidence of asthma, and 2) What
research is needed to improve our understanding of
the factors that contribute to induction of this disease?
Preventing in utero and perinatal exposure to cigarette
smoke was identified as a public health measure that
could reduce the incidence of asthma, and a number
of research needs were identified relative to the roles of
both indoor and outdoor air pollutants in the induction
of asthma. ORD's asthma research strategy and a
recent asthma initiative are addressing some of these
research needs, particularly the role of mold contami-
nation in indoor environments (a common problem in
low-income housing) and exposures to certain volatile
organics in the induction of asthma.
• Environmental Health Disparities Workshop—ORD
cosponsored a workshop with EPA's Office of Chil-
dren's Health Protection and the University of Michigan
School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, Ml in May 2005
to explore social and environmental factors that cause
environmental health disparities. Papers covered such
diverse topics as the relationship between racial resi-
dential segregation and exposure to particulates; the
selection of indicators for EPA's "America's Children
and the Environment" report; and methodologies for
examining environmental health disparities. The organ-
izers' presented their own conceptual framework for
examining how social and physical environmental fac-
tors may create health disparities, as well as how indi-
cators may aid in the measurement and tracking of
environmental health disparities. Some of the most
inspiring presentations were by leaders of environmen-
tal justice community organizations from Oakland, CA,
and Boston, MA, on their use of environmental health
indicators to monitor conditions in their neighborhoods.
• Science of Environmental Justice Conference—EPA
New England, in conjunction with Boston University
School of Public Health hosted a two-day working con-
ference sponsored by ORD's Regional Science Pro-
gram titled "Science to Action: Community-based
Participatory Research and Cumulative Risk Analysis as
Tools to Advance Environmental Justice in Suburban,
Urban and Rural Communities." The conference, which
was held at Boston University May 24 - 26, 2004, pro-
vided an interactive, educational forum joining together
scientists, technical experts, community leaders, non-
profit groups, academia, and government representa-
tives. The conference participants discussed current,
national efforts in community-based participatory
research and cumulative risk analysis that are helping
to assess, address, and resolve environmental and
public health risks in suburban, urban, and rural envi-
ronmental justice areas of potential concern. The con-
ference featured two plenary forums on Cumulative
Risk Analysis and Community-Based Participatory
Research, as well as five small group presentations
beginning with diverse, moderate panels presenting on:
Air Toxics, Asthma, Children's Environmental Health,
Land-Based Risks and Water Quality. The panels were
followed by facilitated roundtable discussions on key
conference questions. The conference provided sug-
gestions to ORD and regional offices for new research
as well as strategies to translate currently available and
future research into action and policies that better
serve the needs of environmental justice communities.
Research Apprenticeship Program for High School
Students—This program, begun in 1990 as a collabo-
ration between ORD in Research Triangle Park, NC and
Shaw University in Raleigh, NC, addresses the under-
representation of minorities in the fields of science and
engineering, a problem that educational researchers
have determined can begin as early as elementary
school. Students in grades 9 through 12 living in Wake
County, NC and demonstrating superior ability in sci-
ence and math may apply, with eight rising 9th graders
accepted into the program annually. The objective is to
encourage students to pursue advanced degrees in
math, science, and engineering by enriching the scien-
tific and mathematic concepts that they study, provid-
ing them the opportunity to interact and mentor with
scientists and engineers, allowing them to develop
effective scientific research and technical skills, and
enhancing their motivation, self-confidence, and desire
to achieve.
Minority Institution-Based Centers—ORD's annual
budget supports two minority institution-based centers
that serve the particular research needs of minority and
disadvantaged communities, addressing correlations
among environmental justice, risk communication and
the perception of risk to socioeconomic status and
exposure to environmental contaminants.
Center for Environmental Resource Management,
University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP)—This Center
maintains a program of education, outreach, and
research to support analyses and remediation of crit-
ical Superfund-related issues. The principal research
emphasis is on the detection, assessment, and eval-
uation of the risks to human health of hazardous
substances and the detection and remediation or
hazardous substances in the environment. The Cen-
ter also provides opportunities for their culturally
diverse population to train as environmental scien-
tists and engineers. The Center is part of UTEP's
existing Center for Environmental Resource Manage-
Continued on page 6
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(Continued from page 5)
ment, which addresses the problems that threaten
health, safety, well-being, and economic develop-
ment of the southwest border region of the United
States and northern Mexico.
Institute for Environmental Issues and Policy Assess-
ment (IEIPA), Center for Energy and Environmental
Studies (CEES)—This Center supports research on
environmental issues and policy assessments,
including environmental equity, reaching out into the
community to address environmental problems that
impact the quality of life in Louisiana. The main
issues addressed by the Center include technology
development, pollution prevention, Mississippi River
environmental strategies, geographical information
systems, and environmental risk management.
• Center for Hazardous Substances in the Urban
Environment—The Hazardous Substances Research
Centers Program was established by EPA to assist in
the implementation of the federal Superfund statute.
One of the centers in the program is the Center for Haz-
ardous Substances in the Urban Environment led by
Johns Hopkins University with the University of Mary-
land, Morgan State University, University of Connecticut,
and New Jersey Institute of Technology. Urban residents
in the Northeast, a population heavily concentrated in
urban areas with a rich tradition of manufacturing and
handling hazardous substances, face potential risks
caused by exposure to a number of environmental
stressors including toxic chemicals from Superfund
sites, landfills, incinerators, and brownfields. The Center
has identified "Urban Livability" as a strategic research
priority for EPA Regions 1, 2, and 3, and developed a
research program composed of seven projects to pro-
mote a better understanding of physical, chemical, and
biological processes for detecting, assessing, and man-
aging risks posed by contaminated soil, water, sedi-
ments, and airborne particles. The program is managed
by ORD through the Science to Achieve (STAR) grants
program and jointly funded by ORD and EPA's Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response, with the
requirement that 30 percent of the funds be used for
public outreach and technology transfer. This effort high-
lights EPA's growing awareness of the need and resolve
to provide technical assistance to environmentally trou-
bled communities and help them become more actively
involved in site cleanup decisionmaking.
• NHEERL Extramural Minority Training Program—
This extramural minority training program, established
by ORD's National Health and Environmental Effects
Research Laboratory (NHEERL) in 2001, annually
awards roughly $300,000 to promote diversity, stimu-
late minority students' interest in environmental science
careers, and provide training opportunities to minority
students, post-docs, and faculty. The five current minor-
ity training programs are at Oregon State University,
Portland State University, University of Rhode Island,
NHEERL's Gulf Ecology Division, and Shaw University.
• National EPA-Tribal Council—ORD sponsors the
Agency's Tribal Council, which was created in partner-
ship with tribal representatives to help integrate Agency
and tribal environmental science interests. The Council
provides a forum for tribes and EPA to identify priority
science issues and collaboratively design effective solu-
tions. Composed of a tribal representative from each of
the nine EPA Regions with federally recognized tribes,
an additional tribal representative from Region 10 to
represent Alaska Native communities, and an Agency
representative from each Headquarters program office
and region, the TSC has sponsored three workshops
since 2002. Tribes have raised numerous issues to the
Council that stem from the need for an appreciation of
tribal traditional lifeways—the way tribes closely relate
to the environment in all aspects of their life—and con-
tributing to Agency consideration of the "health and
well being" paradigm.
• ORD Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program—
EPA Awards Largest-Ever Grant to Study Health Effects
of Air Pollution - In July 2004, EPA awarded the Univer-
sity of Washington $30 million, the largest grant ever
awarded by EPA for scientific research, to study the
connection between air pollution and cardiovascular
disease. Over a ten-year period, the study will con-
tribute to a better understanding of the long-term
health effects of breathing air contaminated by particu-
late matter and other pollutants, tracking 8,700 people
from varied ethnic groups, aged 50 to 89, in cities
across the country. The study will explore relationships
between exposure levels encountered in the daily lives
of the participants and the occurrence of cardiovascu-
lar disease. Premature death and other health problems
are strongly related to sulfates in the air and ambient
concentrations of fine particles less than 2.5 microme-
ters, and chronic exposure to particulates can cause
decreased development of lung function among
school-age children.
EPA Awards $2.2 Million in Grants to Study Health Effects
of Environmental Contaminants on Tribal Populations - In
April 2004, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Service's Agency for Toxic Substances
and Disease Registry, EPA awarded $2.2 million to estab-
lish research partnerships to study the health effects of
contaminants on tribal populations. These tribal-academic
partnerships are focusing on subsistence issues related to
mercury, PCBs, pesticides, and other chemicals, leading
to management strategies to reduce the risks from expo-
sure to these and other chemicals.
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EJ Online: Environmental Justice Training in One Honr
The release of the TboM for/Assess-
ing Potential Allegations of Environ-
mental Injustice (Toolkit), by the
Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ)
in November 2004, represents an
important step in EPA's continuing
efforts to integrate environmental jus-
tice considerations into the Agency's
decisionmaking processes. To help
ensure that the Agency effectively
uses the Toolkit, the Office of Envi-
ronmental Justice has developed an
hour-long course, "Introduction to
Environmental Justice," which helps
increase understanding and aware-
ness of EPA's environmental justice
program. It also provides employees
and others with an understanding of
the Toolkit's methodology for assess-
ing issues of environmental justice.
The Toolkit not only provides a con-
ceptual and substantive framework
for understanding the Agency's envi-
ronmental justice program, defining
environmental justice as both a civil
rights issue and an environmental
policy issue, but it presents a sys-
tematic approach with reference
tools that can be adapted to assess
and respond to potential allegations
of environmental injustice as they
occur, or to prevent injustices from
occurring in the first place.
The online training includes two
core policy modules, "Policy and
Indicators Framework" and "Envi-
ronmental Justice Tools," which
highlight the use of the Toolkit's
Environmental Justice Indicators
(health, environmental, economic,
and social). As described in the
training and Toolkit, these indicators
can be used as part of an analytic
process to evaluate potential envi-
ronmental justice situations.
The Toolkit and online training are
the two latest environmental justice
integration efforts developed by
OEJ. Together with the existing
online mapping capabilities, offered
through OEJ's Environmental Jus-
tice Geographic Assessment Tool,
and new products under develop-
ment, the Agency is enhancing its
ability to make environmental
justice considerations part of its
day-to-day work.
The Toolkit is available online in PDF
format at .
The "Introduction to Environmental
Justice" Web-based training course
is available through EPA's National
Enforcement Training Institute at
.
Continued from page 3
Community Environmental Project Cleans Up
Rochester
Rochester, New York
The Rochester Community Environmental Project, con-
ducted in Rochester, New York, is a citywide initiative by
Region 2 to reduce health and environmental risks of resi-
dents, especially children in Rochester. The city was cho-
sen because it is a highly industrialized area with relatively
high emissions reported through EPA's Toxic Release
Inventory, and health data show high blood lead levels in
some children. Since spring 2004, the Region has been
using a variety of environmental grants, compliance assis-
tance tools, inspections, and enforcement actions to
reduce the emission of pollutants through better overall
compliance with environmental regulations, and to
improve the local environment and health of residents,
especially children.
EPA has coordinated its efforts with officials from the city's
Department of Environmental Services and the Monroe
County Department of Public Health. EPA has also held
meetings with business associations, Community Sector
Leaders, and the Center for Environmental Information.
As part of the initiative, EPA inspected 166 commercial,
industrial, educational, and hospital facilities to assess
compliance with regulations governing air pollution, solid
and hazardous waste, asbestos, pesticides, toxic waste
disposal, and chemical inventories. EPA also provided
information and guidance to assist facilities in complying
with federal regulations; provided $70,000 to the
Rochester City School District to remove more than 700
gallons of chemicals from science labs and other areas;
and awarded $1 million to Rochester to establish a revolv-
ing loan fund that would enable the city to clean up and
redevelop old industrial sites.
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OECA Launches EJSEAT Tool
The Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance (OECA) has
released the Environmental Justice
Smart Enforcement Assessment
Tool (EJSEAT) after two years of
careful development. EJSEAT helps
OECA implement Executive Order
12898 (Federal Actions to Address
Environmental Justice in Minority
Populations and Low-Income Pop-
ulations), which directs federal
agencies to identify and address
the disproportionately high and
adverse human health or environ-
mental risks that affect minority
and/or low income communities.
This new analytical tool is designed
to help OECA focus its compliance
assurance efforts and activities on
communities with significant envi-
ronmental and public health issues.
EJSEAT relies on a set of Environ-
mental Justice Indicators, which are
described in EPA's Toolkit for
Assessing Potential Allegations of
Environmental Injustice, that track
health, environmental, and compli-
ance factors, as well as social
demographic indicators. Using
these Environmental Justice Indica-
tors, EJSEAT identifies potential
disproportionately high and
adversely affected geographic
areas—areas with potential environ-
mental justice concerns—to assist
in making fair and efficient resource
deployment decisions.
Using EJSEAT, OECA and EPA's
ten Regional Offices will identify
environmental justice communities
and identify facilities located in
areas with environmental and
public health concerns. OECA and
the Regions will subsequently make
the appropriate enforcement and
compliance decisions and deploy
resources as necessary. Following
these actions, OECA and regional
staff will use demographic informa-
tion, such as race and income, to
analyze how those decisions and
the actions taken will affect minority
and/or low-income populations
within the identified area.
EJSEAT is available online at
. Inquiries regarding
EJSEAT should be directed
Nicholas Targ at 202-564-2515 or
targ.nicholas@epa.gov.
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