&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
A Message
from the
Director
Welcome to the
inaugural edition of the
Environmental Justice
Quarterly. With each
issue, we hope to bring
you timely updates from
the environmental justice
newsfront.
The Fall 2002 issue
also commemorates the
10th anniversary of the
Office of Environmental
Justice. The articles in
this issue offer a glimpse
of our many milestones.
As we continue to
promote and coordinate
the integration of
environmental justice
into all policies,
programs, and activities,
we will strive to make
each ounce of progress
newsworthy.
Remember, we are all
soujourners on the road
of environmental justice,
to ensure the equal
enforcement of
environmental laws to
protect all communities.
Barry E. Hill
In This Issue
We Are 10 1
IWG Projects 1
EJ Basic Training 2
Program Perspective:
Air & Radiation 2
Regional Corner:
EPA Region 9 3
ECO Intern Program 3
Small Grants Program.... 3
Upcoming NEJAC
Meeting on P2 4
ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE Quarterly
=http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice>
Fall 2002
We Are 10!
EPA Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of the Office of Environmental Justice
The year was 1992, and EPA had just
issued a report from the Environmental
Equity Workgroup. Grassroots organiza-
tions were looking for opportunities to
engage with the Agency to address
the disproportionate and
adverse impacts of environ-
mental pollution on some
communities around the
country. EPA's federal
counterparts, as well as
state, local, and tribal
governments were looking
for direction on issues that
seemed too complex to
define.
By year's end, the
Agency had established a new
office, the Office of Environmental
Equity (later renamed as the Office of
Environmental Justice, OEJ). It was a small
office with a big mandate.
OEJ's humble and rather obscure
beginnings have been eclipsed by its visible
presence today, punctuated by several
milestones along the way. Ten years ago,
there was no such thing as EJ coordinators,
NEJAC, EJ Small Grants, Interagency
Working Group and revitalization projects,
ECO internships, comprehensive EJ
Action Plans, and many other
activities which have become
synonymous with the Office
of Environmental Justice.
To accomplish its
many initiatives, OEJ has
become adept at leveraging
scarce resources. It has
made an impact throughout
the Agency and beyond. Yet
r more work lies ahead as the
Agency kicks into high gear to
implement the Administrator's
directive-to integrate environmental
justice into all EPA policies, programs
and activities.
OEJ has redefined itself and the very
notion of environmental justice. Its mission is
clear and ongoing: in a nutshell, environmen-
tal justice is for all communities.
IWG Revitalization Projects Draw Nat'l Recognition
The Interagency Working Group on
Environmental Justice (IWG) embarked on the
first round of national demonstration projects
in 2000. In just two years, these 15 projects
have met with significant achievements:
• Established working relationships of more
than 150 organizations and 11 federal
agencies;
• Secured commitments of more than $15
million in public and private funding to
address issues ranging from children's
health to economic revitalization;
• Augmented brownfields redevelopment
initiatives to fully meet quality-of-life and
economic development needs in diverse
communities;
• Used alternative dispute resolution and
consensus building to address cases of
conflict or potential conflict; and
• Identified key elements of a systematic
model for holistic, integrated, and collabo-
rative problem-solving.
Recognition of these accomplishments
have come in many ways. For example, the
Ford Foundation recently honored Harold
Mitchell with the Leadership for a Changing
World award. Mitchell is director of ReGenesis,
(Continued on next page)
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(Continued from page 1)
a community-based organization at the heart of the commu-
nity cleanup and revitalization project in the Arkwright and
Forest Park neighborhoods of Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Mitchell also received the EPA 2002 National Citizen's
Excellence in Community Involvement Award. Upon receiv-
ing the Ford Foundation award, Mitchell said, "Our group went
through a very in-depth investigation and received positive
comments from both friends and foes."
As a result of these projects, a multi-stakeholder collabo-
rative model is emerging to address environmental justice. An
EPA report on these projects, EnvironmentalJustice Collabora-
tive Model: A Framework to Ensure Local Problem-Solving, is
now available (www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice).
Also, the International City/County Management Association
(ICMA) convened a national forum last year called, "Collabora-
tive Models to Achieve Environmental Justice," to examine
these projects.
In Fall 2002, the IWG solicited nominations for a second
round of demonstration projects, also referred to as "Environ-
mental Justice Revitalization Projects." The goal of this
second round is to develop a fully mature, multi-stakeholder
collaborative model to address the multiple environmental,
health, economic and social concerns of communities
suffering from environmental injustice.
EJ101: Basic Training Starts with
the Fundamentals
The Fundamentals of Environmental Justice Workshop
explores the origins of the Environmental Justice movement,
perceptions and definitions of environmental justice, laws
pertaining to environmental justice, and provides an overview
of Geographic Information Systems ("CIS"), and other
analytical tools to help understand, integrate and address
environmental justice issues.
The goals of the workshop are simple: to identify and
address environmental justice issues. Participants learn to
effectively engage in productive dialogue around the issues of
environmental justice and promote constructive and collabora-
tive problem-solving techniques. Equally important is the goal to
integrate aspects of environmental justice into the participants'
work on a daily basis. These training sessions are a means to
consistently integrate environmental justice into environmental
programs.
The workshop is a product of the Environmental Justice
Training Collaborative (EJTC) which began in 1998 when EPA's
western regions responded to the growing need for better
understanding of environmental justice. In the early stages,
members developed a basic curriculum and worked with other
partners to identify training needs and plan train-the-trainer
events. More than 100 partners including federal, state,
academia, tribal, industry, and community groups have formed
an electronic listservto stay connected on training matters.
To date, the workshop has trained over 1,500 people
across the country with participants from federal, state and local
governments, and grassroots organizations, business and
academia. The EJTC received an EPA bronze medal in 2002
for its outstanding work to help integrate environmental justice
into the daily operations at EPA and across the country.
2
Program Perspective:
Office of Air & Radiation (OAR)
Since the early 1990s, OAR programs have
contributed to advancements in public health to
reduce emissions of criteria pollutants and air toxics;
address climate change; require cleaner vehicles and
cleaner fuels; and improve indoor air quality to benefit
all citizens.
Through interactions with the NEJAC's Air and
Water Subcommittee as well as grassroots organiza-
tions, OAR has learned the importance of developing
more straightforward approaches to dealing with com-
munities on toxics issues.
Also, many
communities are
concerned about
diesel emissions, bus
and truck idling, and
emissions trading
programs. As a result,
OAR is working
toward addressing the
perceptions and
concerns of many of
these communities.
OAR will con-
tinue to make im-
provements in air
quality to ensure
continued public
health protection.
OAR is pursuing
initiatives related to
reducing diesel-related emissions, enhancing the
diesel retrofit program, reducing mercury emissions,
reducing emissions from power plants, identifying
toxic "hotspots," and developing and supporting
voluntary programs to reduce emissions.
Many staff are also involved in the Environmental
Justice Training Collaborative to develop training for
permit writers, technical assistance for tribal govern-
ments, and training for citizens on new source review
and Title V permitting.
OAR's ongoing commitment to environmental
justice means decreasing the burden of risks to ALL
communities by improving air quality. OAR's Environ-
mental Justice Action Plan has five specific goals: (1)
improve air quality and protect public health in all
communities; (2) familiarize and build awareness of
environmental justice issues as they relate of OAR's
mission and regulatory authority; (3) ensure that
environmental justice is a significant consideration in
strategic and operational planning efforts; (4) provide
additional tools and guidance for OAR staff working
on environmental justice issues; and (5) develop
stronger partnerships with environmental justice
communities, tribes, state and local agencies, indus-
try, and environmental organizations.
Environmental Justice Quarterly - Fall 2002
Photo courtesy of OAR
Research Triangle Park
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Small Grants Give Communities a Big Boost
Each year, hundreds of applicants eagerly await the
Environmental Justice Small Grants process. Since 1994, the
program has provided financial assistance to community-
based/grassroots organizations and tribal governments
working on local solutions to local environmental problems.
Funds can be used to develop a new activity or substan-
tially improve the quality of existing programs have a direct
impact on affected communities. All awards will be made as
grants not to exceed one year.
From a pilot program with a $500,000 budget and a
$10,000 limit per award, it has grown to $1.3 million in fiscal
year 2002, with awards of $20,000 each. To date, the pro-
gram has awarded approximately $16.4 million to 973 grant
recipients. Small Grant projects continue to address an
array of environmental and human health issues such as
childhood asthma, farm worker pesticide protection, fish
consumption, indoor air quality, drinking water contamina-
Regional Corner: EPA Region 9
The EPA Region 9 Pacific Southwest Office
serves Arizona, California, Nevada, Hawaii, and the
Pacific Trust Territories. This region is also home to
approximately 139 Indian Tribes. Its key environ-
mental justice goals include the integration of envi-
ronmental justice at all levels of government, commu-
nity empowerment through grants, training and
education, and State capacity building for environ-
mental justice implementation.
Region 9 carries out its Environmental Justice
program through multi-agency focused activities in
communities that may bear a disproportionate environ-
mental impact; community outreach and environmental
education efforts; grant funds for environmental projects
conducted by communities; technical support for, and
facilitation of, environmental issues raised by communi-
ties; and support for the development of State legislation
and State and local agency policies and programs.
Recently, the Regional office participated in lead
poison prevention activities in East Palo Alto, California.
This outreach effort resulted in increased calls to the
county's lead program, surveys at a local health clinic,
and free lead testing and outreach to hundreds of
children at the Back-To-School Resource Carnival.
Also, the Ma'at Youth Academy in Richmond,
California leveraged an EPA's Environmental Justice
small grant to obtain seed money from the California
Endowment. They secured the technical assistance of
two physicians to design a fish consumption survey
which was conducted at the Richmond Marina and San
Pablo Reservoir. High school students were trained and
collected environmental samples. As a result, a public
health advisory was issued to caution individuals about
the danger of methlymercury in fish caught from the San
Francisco Bay.
For more information on Region 9's Environmental
Justice Program, contact Rachel Loftin, Team Leader at
(415) 972-3795 or .
Environmental Justice Quarterly - Fall 2002
tion and lead prevention. The types of projects include
research, education and outreach. The program has
included an added focus in fish consumption, water quality
and innovative technologies for pollution prevention.
For additional information, the publication Emerging
Tools for Local Problem Solving, 1st and 2nd Edition, highlight
more than 100 successful and creative grants working on
local solutions and solving local environmental problems.
The Application Guidance for the 2003 Small Grant
Program is now available on OEJ's website in English and
Spanish. The application period opened October 1 and ends
at midnight December 18, 2002. To be eligible, applications
must be postmarked by midnight.
Do You... ECO?
The Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) has been
working with EPA to foster environmental opportunities ever
since the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) opened its
doors back in 1992. Students receive practical experience
working in fields such as science, engineering, law, computer
science, political analysis, and more. To date, over $36 million
has been invested in this program called "Furthering Environ-
mental Careers," which has given more than 2,200 students
opportunities for on-the-job training and community involvement.
By nurturing these students, OEJ also hopes to ingrain the
concept of environmental justice in the next generation of
environmental professionals.
This program is now ubiquitous in EPA, and just about
every office has had an ECO intern. OEJ further maintains
its commitment by hiring at least two interns for the immedi-
ate office and provides additional funds for three interns to
work in each of EPA's 10 Regional offices. To learn more
about the program, visit .
The success of the EPA/ECO partnership has spawned
another program with a direct benefit to communities. In
2000, OEJ launched its Community Intern Program, allowing
students to assist community organizations on environmental
issues. In turn, more than 60 students have gained working
experience at the grassroots level. OEJ is eager to provide
funding for 40 internships in Summer 2003.
In October 2002, EPA was on hand to help ECO
celebrate its 30th anniversary of environmental leadership at
the 2002 Career Fair in Boston, MA. These annual fairs are
prime opportunities for recruiting potential ECO associates.
ECO also touts a Diversity Conference each year to
engage schools and potential employers in the importance of
diversity and encourages minorities to consider careers in
environmental fields. This will help ensure a competitive,
highly skilled, and diverse workforce in the future.
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Upcoming NEJAC Meeting on P2
Three years ago the National
Environmental Justice Advisory
Council (NEJAC) shifted the focus of
its national meetings on broad public
policy issues with the goal of provid-
ing effective advice and cogent
recommendations to EPA.
Since 1999, the NEJAC has
focused on the following issues: the
permitting process, community-based
health research models, federal
agency environmental justice imple-
mentation, and fish consumption and
water quality standards. According to
the Chairperson, Peggy Shepard,
"The NEJAC hopes that the prepara-
tion and submission of issue focused
recommendations will increase the
likelihood of positive and timely action
by the EPA."
This year is no different as the
NEJAC is poised to examine the issue
of pollution prevention (P2) in the
upcoming meeting in Baltimore, Mary-
land on December 9-12, 2002. The
NEJAC will focus on several approaches
such as source reduction, waste minimi-
zation, sustainable development, and
other innovative approaches to system-
atically reduce, eliminate, and/or prevent
pollution.
Delivering salient advice and
recommendations to the Agency on
any given public policy issue requires
the NEJAC's Executive Committee to
convene a diverse, multi-stakeholder
workgroup devoted to examining a
specific policy issue and deliberating
with the NEJAC on that issue. At the
upcoming meeting, Wilma Subra, Co-
Chair of the NEJAC Pollution Preven-
tion Workgroup, says she "would like
to establish a program that will result
in environmental justice communities
living in cleaner environments as a
result of full implementation of pollu-
tion prevention programs throughout
such communities."
NEJAC National Meeting
December 9-12, 2002
"Pollution Prevention and
Environmental Justice"
Baltimore Marriott
Inner Harbor Hotel
110 South Eutaw Street
Baltimore, Maryland
(410)962-0202
For more information, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/
environmentaljustice/nejac/index.html
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