UNITED STATES
        DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
       ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
     IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
j ;
                  _
          OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
              MARCH 24, 1995

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       TABLE OF  CONTENTS


A.  INTRODUCTION	«	PAGES 1-3

B.  USDA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY	PAGES 4-5
C.  PROGRAM INITIATIVES WITHIN USDA
   RELATED TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

   APPENDIX A	• • • PAGES 6"14

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                               INTRODUCTION


Purpose

Executive Order 12898 (February 11, 1994) requires ..                  huSDA
agency-wide strategy for addressing environmental  injustices. The goal of the USDA
ESnmental Justice Strategy is to make a positive difference in the lives °f people. To
Ss end  USDA is committed to integrating the best education,  research and technical
practices across USDA agencies into programs  that meet the needs of its customers m
mTnority and low-income communities.  USDA is committed  to continuing  to  work
cooperatively with Federal, State and local Government and with the private sector to
improve the underlying conditions which put people at nsk, and assisting children, youth and
families across the nation in striving for a better life.

Background

The U S Department of Agriculture was established by Congress  in 1862 "to acquire and
diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with
agriculture  ... and to procure, propagate, and distribute  among the people  new and
valuable seeds and plants."  USDA touches the lives of 260 million .Americans each day as
well as billions of people around the world. Some of USDA's daily activities include:

       (1) Helping American fanners and ranchers;
       (2)  Improving the quality  of  life in rural America, including access to water,
       electricity  and telephone service;
       (3) Managing national forests;
       (4) Protecting soil and water;
       (5) Preventing spread or introduction of foreign plant and  animal diseases;
       (6) Increasing agricultural exports;
       (7) Facilitating  the marketing of American agricultural products;
       (8) Feeding hungry people, and ensuring that nutritious meals are provided for 25
       million school children each day;
       (9) Conducting research and education to improve agricultural practices and nutrition
       and  health of consumers; and
       (10) Improving food safety.

 USDA programs and activities are administered in seven key areas:

       4    Natural Resources and Environment;
       4    Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services;
       4    Rural Economic and Community Development;
       4    Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services;
       4    Food Safety;
        4    Research, Education and Economics; and

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      4     Marketing and Regulatory Programs.

What Environmental Justice Means to USDA

U.S. agriculture is the most productive in the worldUS. c^umersfh/ve/CC"4te°/J^
variety of safe, nutritious food at affordable prices. The production of food and fiber affects
IhT natural environment through practices such as cultivation of soil, the application of
water for irrigation, the use of fertilizer and pesticides, and the rearing of livestock.

USDA has contributed greatly to the success of American agriculture. While continuing to
buiS upo^SrLcSseJuSDA must also ensure that its  programs do  not cause
disproportionate negative direct and indirect impacts on the lives of low-income  and
S^^ At USDA, environmental justice has a variety of potential implications for
the way it conducts its business, including:

        4    The  education of producers about the use of pesticides and fertilizer in crop
             production and their potential effect on human health and the environment.

        4    The  location and management of  federal  research facilities, grain storage
             sites, inventory lands, hazardous waste sites, and underground storage tanks.

        4    The administration of technical assistance and loan and grant programs to
             socially  disadvantaged customers.

        4    The provision of food programs and nutrition education for pregnant
             women, children, and families in low-income communities.

        4    The carrying out of nutrition research on the needs and food intake of diverse
             ethnic populations.

        4    The delivery of extension education programs in Spanish and other
             languages, and

        4    The collection of statistics and demographics of minority farmers and
             minority-owned farming operations, including American Indian farmers and
              ranchers.
 USDA's Implementation Strategy

 USDA's implementation  strategy  reflects  the work of  a task force  composed of
 representatives of USDA agencies, including the Office of Civil Rights Enforcement
 (OCRE). It  also  reflects  USDA's  strong  commitment  to  identify  and  address
 disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs,

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policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations, as required by President
Clinton's Executive Order 12898. This strategy is a dynamic process which will evolve as
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 aTminTtrative systems that are consistent with and supportive  of overall government
 reinvention and reform initiatives.

 The USDA strategy is designed so that environmental justice principles and initiatives are
 incorporated into Departmental programs, policies, planning, public participation processes,
 enforcement, and rulemaking.  USDA will pursue these principles as they relate^ -hea th
 research, training, data collection, analysis, interagency coordination, the development  of
 model projects,  and in broader public participation through public comment, planning,
 outreach, communication, partnerships, sharing of information, education, and training.

 Taking maximum advantage of these opportunities, USDA's proposed strategy recognizes
 the diversity of Departmental programs, constituents,  and stakeholders at all organizational
 levels. The strategy is designed to be effective, cost-efficient, and flexible. It will also evolve
 in coordination with the new USDA organizational structure.
  Secretary of Agriculture
  Date:

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          UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
                 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY


USDA's Environmental Justice Strategy is focused on incorporating environmental
justice objectives and principles into existing programs, policies, and systems. This
approach will ensure that these principles and objectives will be a part of the day-to-day
activities of USDA operations.  By integrating environmental justice into Departmental
programs rather than creating new and costly programs and systems, USDA will
effectively and efficiently meet the principles and objectives of environmental justice.

The following are the specific steps that USDA will take to implement its Environmental
Justice Strategy.  USDA anticipates that this strategy will evolve and include additional
steps as it is implemented.

1.     Issue a Departmental Regulation Establishing USDA's Environmental Justice
       Strategy.

       A Departmental Regulation will be issued by the Secretary which will state the
       importance of environmental justice and explain USDA's objectives and principles
       in implementing its strategy. The regulation will direct Departmental agencies
       and offices to incorporate the Department's strategy into existing programs,
       policies and systems.  Some of the actions that USDA's agencies and offices will
       be required to consider are expanded upon in Step 2 of USDA's Environmental
       Justice Strategy.

2.     Incorporate Environmental Justice Principles and Objectives Into All Relevant
       USDA Programs, Policies and Systems.

       The USDA operates a wide variety of programs related  to environmental justice,
       as the examples in Appendix A  illustrate.  Under the Department's
       Environmental Justice Strategy,  the principles and objectives of environmental
       justice, as contained in Executive Order 12898, will be incorporated into these and
       other relevant programs, policies and systems.  In addition to the steps described
       below and the programs discussed in Appendix A, the Department anticipates
       that, as the strategy is implemented, other Departmental activities will be
       identified that should also incorporate the environmental justice principles and
       objectives.

       To accomplish this step in the Department's strategy, the following actions will be
       taken where appropriate and  necessary:

             A) Identify Departmental programs, policies, and systems that should
             incorporate environmental justice principles and objectives;

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            B) Revise applicable Departmental and agency regulations to incorporate
            environmental justice principles and objectives;

            C) Revise applicable Departmental and agency program management plans
            to incorporate environmental justice principles and objectives;

            D) Assign official responsibilities and accountability for achieving
            environmental justice goals by revising, where necessary:  (1) delegations of
            authorities (2) organizational charts, mission statements, and formal
            functional statements and (3) official position descriptions and performance
            standards, for affected employees and agencies; and

            E) Identify resources necessary to develop and implement the strategy in
            Departmental programs, policies, and systems.


3.     Ensure  Effective Implementation of USDA's Environmental Justice Strategy.

      To ensure the effective incorporation of environmental justice principles and
      objectives into Departmental programs, policies, and systems, the following actions
      will be taken where appropriate and necessary:

            A) Develop  an inventory or database consisting  of community, professional,
            and technical resources to assist agencies in developing effective
            environmental justice activities, including establishing a bibliographic
            index at the  National Agricultural Library;

            B) Identify interagency responsibilities for areas with environmental justice
            implications and work cooperatively within the Department as well as with
             other Federal  department's and agencies, and state, tribal, and local units
             of government.

             C) Seek assistance, services and products from 1890 Land-Grant colleges
             and universities as well as other educational institutions to support USDA
             environmental justice  activities;

             D) Develop formal management methodologies and establish performance
             measures consistent with the Government Performance and Results Act
             (GPRA) for environmental justice activities; and

             E) Incorporate environmental justice principles and objectives into
             periodic reviews, assessments and evaluations of program activities.

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                                 APPENDIX A

         PROGRAM INITIATIVES WITHIN USDA RELATED TO
                        ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

The following are examples of current USDA programs, policies, planning, public
P^nic^Senforcemem, and rulemaking activities ^^°^°^^
within USDA, according to the four categories as identified in Executive Order 12898.

1     Promote enforcement of all health and environmental statutes in
areas with minority populations and low-income populations.

USDA complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to ensure that all programs
^SSSJSwS Federal financial assistance from USDA do not directly, or through
LtraauaTor other arrangements, use criteria, methods, or practices that discnmmate
on the basis of race, colorfor national origin.  In addition, USDA regulations prohibn
domination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, disabilities, age or national ongm
in programs and activities which USDA agencies make benefits available directly to the
public.  The Department conducts the following activities:

National program reviews to identify and eliminate discrimination in program delivery.
 4     Data collection on program participation rates of socially disadvantaged
       producers.                                        ,        ._,
 4     Assessments of changes to food assistance programs to determine if barriers
       prevent diverse groups from participation.                             .
 4     Agreements entered  into by USDA agencies include standard clauses designed to
       prevent discrimination.                                   .
 4     Facility pollution prevention plans first evaluate collection, maintenance, and
       analysis of information of the race, national origin, income level, and other
       information for areas surrounding Federal facilities where the facilities are
       expected to have a substantial environmental, human health, or economic effects
       on surrounding populations.
 4     Compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ensures
       consideration and  analysis of the effects of natural resource decisions on the
       human environment.  USDA policy and procedures for NEPA compliance require
       that effects on population sectors be considered.
 4     Members of peer panels convened for reviewing and ranking competitive research
       grant proposals are selected based  upon their training and experience in relevant
       scientific fields and the need to maintain a balanced membership (e.g., assure that
       the views of minorities and women are represented).

 USDA's enforcement of human health and environmental laws include memoranda of
 understanding and intergovernmental agreements with Indian tribes, educational
 institutions, State  agencies,  and Federal agencies such as Environmental Protection
 Agency (EPA), Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Defense (DOD),
 Department of Energy (DOE), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Food and Drug

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Administration (FDA). Examples include:

•     Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
      the Tennessee Valley Authority to establish a source of techioical assistance for
      environmental cleanup on property held in USDA inventory.
4     Interagency agreement with the Bureau of the Census to conduct a nationally
      representative survey of the U.S. population as a supplement to the Current
      Population Survey.  The survey will measure,  for  all income groups, the extent of
      hunger and food insecurity in the United States. USDA will use the information
      to improve the design of nutrition assistance programs for low-income Americans.
4    Cooperative agreement with the University of New Mexico to conduct a "Limited
      Resource Farmer and National Resource Inventory Special Study".  Data will be
      used to more accurately define "limited resource farmer" and to investigate
      reasons for their lack of participation in USDA programs.
4    Interagency agreement with HHS to  create a rural health information clearing
      house, designed to collect and disseminate information on niral health issues,
      research findings related to rural health, and  innovative approaches to the
      deliver)' of rural health care services, financing, and the health status of rural
      Americans and American Indians.
4    Cooperative agreement with an 1890 institution to evaluate the effectiveness of
      intervention methods to improve the quality and well-being of the rural elderly in
      the South.
4    Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DOE to study options for the
      environmental cleanup and rehabilitation of former commodity (grain)  storage
      sites, which became Contaminated through repeated applications of pesticides and
      other chemical treatments.
4    Cooperative agreements with state agencies - including health departments ~ to
      participate in pest eradication efforts, which involve evaluation and
      communication of health risks due to pesticide application.
4     Cooperative agreements with individual U.S. tribal organizations, tribal
       enterprises, and the established inter-tribal organizations to conduct export
      promotion activities for tribal agricultural products, which include range fed beef,
       buffalo meat, and seafood products from the reservations.
4     MOU with six American Indian tribes for work on Indian lands and cooperative
       agreements with 26 towns and cities for providing technical assistance on animal
       damage control.
4     Providing funds to the National Coalition to  Restore Urban Waterways to train
       members of the Minority Environmental Association in six cities.
4     Supporting a project with the Minority Environmental Association in Cleveland to
       test water quality in minority and poor communities.
4     Provide support to a minority and rural housing area in No;rth Carolina for
       installation of a clean water supply.

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2. Ensure greater public participation

USDA has a long tradition of conducting effective outreach and education efforts
focusing on minority populations at national, regional, state and local levels, including

l°1890aCoUeges!' Land Grant Universities, and other historically Black colleges and
universities (HBCUs),
- the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities,
- Intertribal National University and other Tribal Nations
- support for Employee Resource Groups (African American, Hispanic, Asian Pacific),
and
- constituent groups and USDA county and advisory committees.

USDA uses a variety of processes and mechanisms to receive public input:
 4     Conservation Review Groups  (including USDA, other government and
       stakeholder representatives) at the local, county, state, and national levels review
       conservation policies.                                     .     .
 4     Public comments are solicited through the rulemaking process in national
       hearings, and suggestions are considered in the design and implementation of new
       or revised program and rulemaking activities.
 4     As  required  by the Government Performance  and Results Act of 1993, USDA
       collects information from the public, producers, and other program participants
       through customer service surveys and interviews.  This information is  used  to
       measure  customer satisfaction with USDA programs and implementation and to
       revise or re-engineer existing policies, rules, regulations, procedures, and business
       processes on an as needed basis.
 4     USDA agencies have specific programs and procedures in place to comply with
       the requirements under National Environmental Policy  Act (NEPA) for public
       participation in agency decisionmaking.  The NEPA process alerts the public of
       the likely environmental (including health and safety) effects of proposed agency
       programs before they are approved and implemented. The NEPA environmental
       impact statements and environmental assessments are made available to the
       public in a variety of ways - local newspaper announcement, published in  foreign
       languages, and Telecommunication Device for the Deaf (TDD).
 4     USDA has a tradition of direct, frequent communication in forums and with
       established,  formal committees of stakeholders.
 4     Development of ecosystem management policies affecting national forests involves
       grassroots participation by communities and industries.  Because ecosystems cross
       boundaries,  USDA's Forest Service cooperates with other landowners on a
       voluntary basis and is working with rural communities to develop local natural
       resource-based economies that support sustainable ecosystems.
  4    Advisory boards provide input into USDA's research planning and program
       development, including issues related to environmental justice. In FY 1994,
       USDA had  sixty-eight federal advisory committees. Thirty-eight committees are
       required by statute and  twenty-one are authorized by statute.  A wide variety of
       stakeholders participate in advisory committees providing an ongoing source of
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      public input on USDA programs.                             .         __
4     The Cooperative State Research, Extension, and Education Service (CSREES)
      receives public input through program committees at the state and local levels and
      from other agencies at the state and national level.
4     USDA's  integrated pest management (IPM) strategies provide for state and local
      involvement in priority setting for research, education, and regulatory controls.

USDA also places heavy emphasis on outreach activities to help ensure public
participation in planning and rulemaking processes as well as program delivery:
4     The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program provides services to over
      100,000 American Indian women, infants and preschool children through States
      and thirty-three American Indian Tribal Organizations which provide WIC
      services within their tribal areas.  In April 1992, approximately 60 percent of all
      American Indian infants in the U.S. participated  in the WIC Program.
4     USDA participates in government-wide programs to increase the participation of
      small and disadvantaged businesses (including minority and women-owned firms)
      in contracting and procurement programs.
4     USDA uses PASS (Procurement Automated Source System), a computerized
      directory of over 196,000 small businesses, and other sources to identify potential
      minority and women-owned firms for participation in USDA loan programs.
4     USDA administers an Outreach and Assistance Program for Socially
      Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers by establishing goals for program
      participation rates on a State-by-State and county-by-county basis.
4     USDA's Agricultural Conservation Program provides for cost sharing (up to 50
      percent of the average cost of performing practices) for  low-income farmers and
      ranchers who want to improve their conservation practices.
4     Local program officials meet regularly with public and private officials on issues
      such as community development, housing, and farm activities in rural areas and
      how to target USDA programs to targeted populations.
4     Through the Extension Service:
       -- Indian Reservation Agents programs are located at 28 tribal reservations, which
      work with youth and adults in home economics,  human  nutrition, resource
       development, and agriculture.
       « The Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program delivers information
       through educational programs for low-income citizens to improve their diet and
       nutrition.
       ~ The 1890 Land Grant Institutions, the Hispanic Americain Colleges and
       Universities, and many others in the Land Grant System have programs that
       target small  and low-income farm producers to provide them with the expertise to
       become sustainable enterprises.
       - Worker protection programs in Spanish and other languages have been
       developed to train migrant and resident farm workers.
       - Special efforts have been made to reach non-English speaking minorities
       through publications and multi-media programs in several languages in the areas
       in which they are needed.
 4     USDA technology transfer programs give special emphasis to disadvantaged
       groups.  Approximately 55 percent of USDA patent licenses and 53 percent of

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      currently active Cooperative Research and Development Agreements are with
      small, minority-owned, female-owned, or rural area businesses.
4     The 1890 Capacity Building Grants Program strengthens the 1890 Land Grant
      institutions in agricultural research and related activities. USDA is initiating a
      parallel program to strengthen universities that traditionally support Hispanic
      communities and plans to launch a third parallel program to support Tribal

4     USDASestablished a National Center for Diversity located at Kentucky State
      University which provides training and education that will enhance diversity and
      pluralism within the Cooperative Extension System.  The Center maintains a
      resource database, conducts surveys and provides training and consulting to the
      Extension Service stakeholders throughout the country.
4    USDA operates consolidated county suboffices at the Tribal headquarters in each
      county having a reservation within its borders.
4    USDA responds to research needs of industrial and field workers,  such as
      byssinosis avoidance through cotton dust control, grain dust reduction, and safe
      pesticide application technology.                                      u
4    USDA conducts research to describe the degradation of pesticides and other
       chemicals, thereby contributing to safe handling procedures.  Since many farm
      workers who handle pesticides are minorities, well-designed safe handling
      procedures better ensure worker safety.
4     USDA has established Centers of Excellence at 1890 Institutions to provide a
       USDA presence on campus and enhance the ability of the institution to deliver
      programs.  A National Scholars Program provides scholarships and employment
       opportunities for college students at the 1890 Land  Grant Institutions.  The
       Summer Intern Program provides employment opportunities for high school
      juniors and seniors to increase minority participation in agriculture, forestry, home
       economics, and related fields.
4     National Agricultural Statistics Service, in collaboration with USDA Forest
       Service, has also provided  funding for an annual "Dream Warrior" Math and
       Science Camp sponsored by the Indian Resource Development Program to teach
       American  Indian high  school students the importance  of math and science in
       many different careers, including those dealing with agriculture.

Detailed examples include:

USDA sponsored four regional hunger forums during 1994 where program participants,
fanners, state case workers and advocates described the benefits  and frustrations of the
Food Stamp Program and other programs. USDA held a series of national minority
 round tables to examine nutrition issues affecting minority populations and to discuss the
implementation of Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.

 Consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act, USDA Animal and Plant Health
 Inspection Service (APHIS) considers the affected public in its Mediterranean fruit fly
 (Medfly) Cooperative Eradication Program.  The program has'included  the use of
 chemical controls in suburban, urban, or rural areas.  APHIS establishes telephone
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hotlines, staffed with English and non-English speaking personnel (depending upon the
demographics) to handle inquiries about the program.  Residents and businesses are
notified of control activities through a multi-lingual communications effort including
door-to-door contact, local newspapers,  and radio announcements.  Fields are also
posted to notify farm workers.   Chemically sensitive individuals are given special
consideration.  Some States maintain registries of chemically sensitive individuals, and
through these registries, APHIS can provide notice to registrants who could be  affected
by its activities.

Three USDA agencies - the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service, Forest Service, and Natural Resources Conservation Service are working
together in the Urban Resources Partnership.  These agencies are collaborating with
other federal agencies and state and local governments, and public and private
organizations to provide grants and technical assistance to minority and low-income
urban communities. The program's goal is to accomplish urban ecosystem conservation
through locally driven initiatives with grass roots support. To date, $6 million has been
allocated to 8  cities to assist urban residents.

The 1995  Urban Earth Day will be co-sponsored by Natural Resources Conservation
Services and the Minority Environmental Association.  Urban Earth Day is the first
Earth Day festival organized to highlight and education about the environmental issues
affecting people of color and the poor.

3.  Improve  research and data collection relating to  the health of and
environment of minority populations and low-income populations

A large proportion of USDA resources are devoted to research on production
agriculture,  economics, and nutrition. USDA has  accomplished significant research
related to environmental justice, as the following examples illustrate. USDA research
underway or partially  completed includes:

4     Natural Resources Conservation Services has a cooperative agreement with
       Tuskegee University to conduct a study and provide guidelines and
       recommendations for implementation of the environmental justice policy.
4     A study of minority and women  producers in Southern states (to be  completed in
       FY 1995) that will review ~ (1) their participation rates in Agency programs; (2)
       their average base acreage and yields; and  (3) their rates of election to  the
       County Committees.  The results will be compared to  the rates for other
       producers to determine any disparities and to target potential corrective actions.
4     Various studies on telecommunications and its impact on rural America.
4     A scientific evaluation of Women, Infants, and Children nutrition risk criteria by
       the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, Food and  Nutrition
       Board.  The final report is due in September 1995.
4     USDA initiatives under the President's Plan for the Pacific Northwest include
    -   studies on the effects of the plan on population sectors that include minorities,
       low-income, and American Indians. Those studies include: the East-Side  Study,
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Pac-Fish, Columbia River Basin Assessment.
The Economic Research Service (ERS) programs include data collection and
analysis on chemical use in agriculture and safety measures farm operators should
provide workers who are engaged in chemical application activities.
USDA's ERS studies the differences in exposure to chemical toxins between
metro and nonmetro areas, and the link of toxins to employment opportunities in
metro versus nonmetro areas.                              .  .
Scientific research is being conducted  on body growth and nutrition of white,
Hispanic and African American babies.  Agricultural Research Service has
pioneered in the research area of body fat distribution among various ethnic
populations.  Information on the nutrient/gene relationships in diverse
populations will enable USDA to better form nutrient recommendations for
individuals and groups.
The USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in partnership with five research
universities in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas began the Lower Mississippi
Delta Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative  to apply state-of-the-art nutrition
research tools to solve nutrition problems within the  Delta and to contribute to
the future health and well-being of the citizens of the region.
USDA county offices maintain a confidential automated file containing
information on the race, sex, and ethnicity of participation rates for Title VI
 compliance purposes and for other reporting requirements, including the biennial
report to Congress required by Section 2501 of the Food, Agriculture,
 Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7  USC 2279).
Property Environmental Tracking System (PETS) is a database  system used to
track the agencies' properties where hazardous waste investigation have been
 conducted or underground storage tanks have been found. Other information
includes the disposition of the property.
 USDA Rural Utilities Service (RUS) collects racial/ethnic data on its recipients
 annually.  The data show the racial make-up of the borrowers' service area by
providing information on both the "served" and "unserved" residences.
 Information is used to identify compliance review  sites.
 The  USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and the USDA
Agriculture Marketing Service develops and maintains an agricultural chemical
 use database
 used in the Pesticides Data Program. The database  provides statistically reliable
 state-level information on pesticides and fertilizers used on most food crops and
 field crops in the major producing states. This information is shared and available
 to the public.
 The USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) has many data sets on the
 environment; pesticide use in agriculture; land, water, and conservation; rural
 population and demography; and  rural economics as well as the modeling and
 geographic information system tools needed to use these data sets to address
 environmental issues in agriculture and rural America.
 CSREES in partnership with Honda A & M University is completing a database
 of minority and women scientists  to facilitate  cultural diversity  of scientific
 activities, such as peer review panels, program review teams  and advisory
 committees.

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•     School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study, 1993
•     Evaluation of the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, Final
      Report, 1990
4     National WIC Evaluation, 1986
•     Food Stamp Program Participant Characteristic Studies
4     WIC Participant and Program Characteristics Studies: 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992
4     Review of WIC Nutritional Risk Criteria, 1991
4     Estimates of Persons Income Eligible for WIC in 1989: National and State
      Tables; County Tables                                                 .
4     Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and the Natural Resource Conservation Service,
      1994
•4     Socially Disadvantaged Clientele of the Soil Conservation Service: A Market
      Research Report, 1994                                         .
4     Identification of the Limited Resource Farmers Through the Utilization of the
      National Resource Inventory Data and Incentives for the Limited Resource
      Farmers to Adopt NRCS Programs, April 1994
4     Rural Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development, Q'B93-38, 1993
4     Rural Industrialization, QB94-30,  1994
4     Rural Youth  Employment, RICPS 30, 1993
4     Health Care in Rural America, QB94-08, 1994
4     Native American Health Care,  QB93-40, 1993
4     Rural America's Elderly, QB93-36, 1993
4     Hazardous and Toxic Waste Management, QB93-59, 1993
4     Information Access in Rural America, QB94-39, 1994
4     Native American Natural Resource Management, QB-39, 1993
4     Population Migration in Rural  America, QB93-35, 1993
4     Poverty in Rural America, QB94-01
4     Retirement Communities, RICPS 23, 1993
4     Alternatives to Waste Disposal, RICPS 14, 1992
4     Crime in Rural America, QB94-09, 1994
4     Rural Education QB92-15,  1992

4.  Identify differential patterns  of consumption of natural resources among
minority populations and low-income populations.

4    CSRES collects, maintains and analyzes information on the consumption pattern
      of populations who principally  rely on fish and wildlife for subsistence. This
      information is communicated to the public regarding health risks of consumption
      patterns, e.g., University of Alaska educational programs for native Alaskans. The
      State Cooperative Extension Service publishes guidelines reiflecting the latest
      scientific information available concerning methods of evaluating human risks, if^
      any, associated with the consumption of pollutant-bearing fish or wildlife.  Fact
      sheets and bulletins are disseminated through the Extension service delivery
      system to appropriate target populations.
4    USDA's NASS and the Intertribal Agricultural Council established  a formal
       agreement and funding to conduct a pilot agricultural statistics survey in   the


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summer of 1994 for all tribes and reservations in the State of Montana. The
major data needs are number, size, and type of farm; crop area estimates; cattle,
sheep, and horse inventories. In  summary, this study identifies management
solutions to the deficiencies in the agricultural statistics profile of Americans
Indian. Substantial new management, attention, action, and resource allocation to
improve the agricultural statistics profile for American Indian farms and ranches

USDATcommitted to establish and promote environmental justice goals relevant
to minority and low-income populations affected by all agency programs.  County
committee approvals of individual applications for program participation have the
most potential for disproportionate adverse effects on minority and tow-income
populations. Over 40,000 of these decisions are made on an annual basis by the
more than 2,800 Consolidated Farm Services Agency county  offices and
committees. USDA recently established procedures to assure minority
representation on the county committee in any county in which the percentage of
minority producers is five percent or more.  In such counties (or communities),
when a representative of a minority group has not been officially appointed to the
 committee, the committee is required to appoint a "minority advisor" to represent,
 the views of the minority population in the county or community.
 A USDA Forest Service National Resource Book on American Indian and Alaska
 Native relations working draft, which will be released in April, 1995, will provide
 guidance for the Agency in working with American Indian Tribes regarding their
 special governmental status, culture, treaty or other statutory interests and rights
 and is expected to expand development of cooperative relationships so that Tribes
 have an opportunity to be included in the USDA Forest Service cooperative and
 resource forestry programs.                                        j
 USDA's Limited Resource Fanners' Initiative encourages socially disadvantaged
 individuals to enter and continue farming. In 1994, approximately $3 million was
 allocated to the 1890 institutions to provide training to small fanners to do a
 better job of management and to understand what USDA services are available
 and how to take advantage of these services.
 USDA is conducting small farmer town hall meetings to address marketing,
 customer service, risk management strategies, and technical  and financial
 PQcicf 2T1C6
 USDA is currently working to establish an Incubator Farm Initiative which would
 allow for the training of young aspiring farmers and would review policy
 documents for the purpose of identifying language that present barriers to
 program participation by small farmers.
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