EPA 200-D-95-001
January 1995
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Draft
Environmental
Justice Strategy
for
Executive Order 12898
JANUARY 1995
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 2
MISSION AREAS ,-.
HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH , .7
DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND STAKEHOLDER ACCESS TO PUBLIC
INFORMATION 9
ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE ".. 12
PARTNERSHIPS, OUTREACH, AND COMMUNICATION WITH
STAKEHOLDERS., 15
NATIVE AMERICAN, INDIGENOUS, AND TRIBAL PROGRAMS .18
INTEGRATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE 21
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MODEL PROJECTS 25
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONTACT LISTING 33
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EPA'S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY
Over the past 25 years, our nation has made significant progress in protecting
public health and our environment but much remains to be done. Millions of
Americans still breathe unhealthy air. Many cannot take for granted the safety of their
drinking water. Over forty percent of our rivers, lakes, and streams are not clean
enough for fishing or swimming. Toxic waste sites inhibit economic growth in
thousands of communities.
Our goal is to ensure that:
* No segment of the population, regardless of race, color, national origin, or
income, as a result of EPA's policies, programs, and activities, suffers
disproportionately from adverse human health or environmental effects, and all
people live in clean and sustainable communities.
4 Those who must live with environmental decisions -- community residents,
environmental groups, State, Tribal and local governments, businesses -- must
have every opportunity for public participation in the making of those decisions.
An informed and involved local community is a necessary and integral part of
the process to protect the environment.
EPA believes that protecting public health and our environment means the health
of our air, our land, and our water, the health of our families, the health of our
communities, and the health of our economy. EPA is committed to working with the
American people to find common-sense, cost-effective solutions for environmental
problems solutions that work for real people in real communities. .
President Clinton's Executive Order directs all Federal agencies to develop an
implementation strategy. EPA's strategic plan for the next five years calls for
integrating environmental justice into all that we do. The attached draft strategy spells
out how EPA will work toward the goal of incorporating environmental justice into the
fabric of the Agency. Areas for action include the following: integration of the
principles into all we collectively do; initiatives related to health and research; public
access to information,- enforcement of and compliance with environmental laws; and
partnerships with communities, State, Tribal and local governments, business, and
environmental organizations.
I look forward to prompting EPA's efforts to ensure that all Americans have
safe, healthy communities to live in.
Carol M. Browner
EPA Draff Environmental Justice Strategy
January 1995
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY'S ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
STRATEGIC PLAN
INTRODUCTION
EPA was established in 1970 in response to growing concerns about the problems and
the difficulties in protecting the public health and improving environmental conditions in our
country. These concerns included unhealthy air, polluted rivers, unsafe drinking water,
endangered species, and waste disposal. Over the past almost-quarter century, environmental
quality in our nation has been improved, in some cases, dramatically. However, various case
studies and reports over the years have clearly indicated that some Americans shoulder a
disproportionate share of the burdens of pollution. An EPA report, "Environmental Equity:
Reducing Risk in All Communities," issued in June 1992, found:
V Clear differences among racial groups in terms of disease and death rates
(although there is a general lack of data on environmental health effects by race
and income);
> Minority populations and low-income populations experience higher than
average exposures to selected air pollutants, hazardous waste facilities,
contaminated fish, and farm pesticides in the workplace;
* Data are not routinely collected on health risks posed by multiple industrial
facilities, cumulative and synergistic effects, or multiple pathways of exposure;
and,
+ Native Americans have a unique relationship to the Federal government, with
distinct environmental concerns, and Tribes generally do not have a regulatory
infrastructure that meets EPA standards, trained personnel, and resources
necessary to protect Tribal environments and public health.
Our economy will not remain healthy for long if we continue to degrade our natural
capital and allow any of our people to become ill from pollution. EPA, and this
Administration, believe that all Americans are important to the future of our nation and
deserve to be protected from pollution, regardless of race or economic circumstance.
Environmental justice is not limited to specific programs, such as the permitting and
siting of facilities and protection of farm workers, but extends to cross-cutting processes such
as public input in decision-making. The Agency will continue to move toward integrating
programs that will help in efforts which can address the unique problems confronting low-
income communities and minority communities.
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Introduction
EPA cannot tackle this challenge alone. It is vital that the wealth of accumulated
knowledge from communities, scientists, State, Tribal, and local governments, industrial
facilities, and EPA's diverse workforce guides the Agency in these changing times. Early
involvement and strong partnerships make good common sense and will result in sound public
health and environmental policy. By bringing people to the table representing all sides of an
issue, EPA will identify common ground, bridge old differences, and find new solutions.
HISTORICAL SUMMARY
Early in her tenure, EPA Administrator Carol Browner made the pursuit of
environmental justice one of the Agency's highest priorities. It is important to give credit to
the efforts of grassroots groups, civil rights organizations, and Tribal and indigenous peoples'
organizations in highlighting these issues. EPA recognizes the importance of these and other
stakeholders in the development and implementation of its Environmental Justice Strategy.
On April 22, 1993, President Clinton's Earth Day address directed EPA to work with
the Department of Justice "...to begin an interagency review of Federal, State and local
regulations and enforcement that affect communities of color and low-income communities
with the goal of formulating an aggressive investigation of the inequalities in exposure to
environmental hazards."
As part of the National Performance Review (NPR) efforts to reinvent government, the
Administrator formed a team of EPA employees to focus on EPA's mission, including
environmental justice and the barriers that impede the fulfillment of the mission. EPA's
Environmental Justice Team of the NPR found that despite some progress in recognizing
environmental justice as a critical issue, the Agency was still falling short. The Team found
that many of the Agency's efforts were disjointed and that the Agency lacked effective
processes to ensure accountability and to ensure that environmental justice is incorporated and
sustained in the daily work of EPA in all aspects of its programs and activities.
On February 11, 1994, President Clinton issued Executive Order 12898, "Federal
Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income
Populations," and an accompanying Presidential memorandum, to focus Federal attention on
the environmental and human health conditions of minority communities and low-income
communities. The Executive Order directed Federal agencies to develop an Environmental
Justice Strategy by February 11, 1995, that identifies and addresses disproportionately high
exposure and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs, policies, and
activities on minority populations and low-income populations.
EPA has taken a leadership role in helping Federal agencies implement the Executive
Order and in efforts to tackle the unique problems confronting minority populations and low-
income populations. Administrator Browner chairs the Interagency Working Group on
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Introduction
Environmental Justice _(IWG) established under the Executive Order. In addition, EPA chairs
the IWG's Subcommittee on Policy and Coordination made up of the chairs of the eight IWG
task forces. EPA co-chairs two of the task forces and has representatives on each task force.
The Office of Environmental Justice (created in 1992 and originally called the Office of
Environmental Equity) coordinates the Agency efforts to develop and implement
environmental justice initiatives. As an agency whose primary mission involves protecting
public health and the environment, EPA has much to offer its sister agencies.
DEVELOPMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY
The Vision: The intent of the draft strategy is to ensure the integration of
environmental justice into the Agency's programs, policies, and activities consistent with the
Executive Order. As the Administrator said when the President issued the environmental
justice Executive Order:
"We will develop strategies to bring justice to Americans who are suffering
disproportionately... We will develop strategies to ensure that low-income and
minority communities have access to information about their environment-and that
they have an opportunity to participate in shaping the government policies that affect
their health and environment."
The Process: Since the NPR report and the issuance of the Executive Order, a number
of steps were undertaken by the Agency:
+ EPA established the Environmental Justice Steering Committee and Policy
Workgroup, to develop, help implement, and monitor EPA's environmental
justice activities. The Steering Committee acts as a senior management "board
of directors" to guide environmental justice at EPA. The Policy Workgroup,
made up of senior level staff, develops, implements, and reviews environmental
justice policy. In addition, 'each Office and Region has established
Environmental Justice Coordinators. These three groups are assisted by the
Office of Environmental Justice.
+ On April 11, 1994, EPA formed the National Environmental Justice Advisory
Council (NEJAC) which is comprised of 23 representatives from academia,
business and industry, State, Tribal, and local governments, environmental
organizations, community groups, and non-governmental organizations. The
NEJAC provides advice to the Agency on matters related to environmental
justice. - -
+ The EPA National Goals Project has held a series of public meetings around the
country to identify major environmental priorities, including environmental
justice issues. Environmental justice concerns are integrated into EPA's process .
of identifying national environmental goals.
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Introduction
The Steering Committee and Policy Workgroup have been developing an environmental
justice strategy for the last year. The first step was the Environmental Justice Action Plan
developed in response to the recommendations of the National Performance Review. The
Action Plan was incorporated into the Agency's draft outline of the Environmental Justice
Strategy produced pursuant to the Executive Order. Administrator Browner established
environmental justice as one of EPA's seven guiding principles and included the outline in the
Agency's five-year strategic plan, "The New Generation of Environmental Protection."
Expanding on the draft outline, Offices and Regions contributed to this strategy. The
draft strategy incorporates the Agency's work with the Interagency Working Group on
Environmental Justice, its task forces, and with other agencies. This document was produced
with the hard work and expertise not only of those within the government, but, more
importantly, with the support of a broad range of individuals who care about these issues.
The early documents leading up to the development of this strategy were developed
with involvement of diverse people and groups working together. No process would be
appropriate without up-front involvement of our communities and stakeholders. For example,
the NEJAC and its four subcommittees have been actively involved in the strategy
development process by reviewing and commenting on EPA's Environmental Justice Action
Plan and EPA's draft outline. EPA will ask NEJAC and other stakeholders to assist us in
reviewing our strategy's options for actions. In reviewing the options for actions, we want
them to tell us what major actions should be of the highest priority, what actions are missing,
and then help us map out a path to meet our objectives.
The draft strategy uses the term "minority" rather than "people of color" in order to be
consistent with the Executive Order, but EPA is mindful and supportive of many communities
desire to use "people of color." In addition, low-income transcends the color barrier to
. include non-minority populations. Also, the draft strategy uses the terms "populations," which
appears in the Executive Order, and "communities," which appears in the accompanying
Presidential memorandum, interchangeably. The draft strategy is respectful of the unique
relationship EPA has with Tribal governments and the special issues involving Native and
Indigenous people.
The draft strategy is designed to address areas identified by the Steering Committee and
the Policy Workgroup which directly relate to the Executive Order. EPA has programs and
activities that complement and support environmental justice goals which are not included in
the scope of this strategy. The draft strategy describes environmental justice efforts in six
cross-cutting mission areas:
+ Health and Environmental.Research
4 Data Collection, Analysis, and Stakeholder Access to Information
* Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
* .Partnerships, Outreach, and Communication with Stakeholders
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January 1995
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Introduction
+ Native American, Indigenous, and Tribal Programs
f Integration of Environmental Justice into all Agency's Activities
Additionally, a number of model projects are highlighted, and included in a separate section.
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Health and Environmental Research
HEALTH AND ENVIRO3NMENTAL RESEARCH
In coordination with other Federal agencies, EPA will design the environmental and
human health research needed to support its environmental justice programs.
IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
An important aspect to advancing environmental justice in minority populations and
low-income populations is the need to evaluate the risks that toxic exposure poses to human
health. Minority and low-income populations may bear a greater burden and higher frequency
of these exposures and, consequently, may have a higher risk or increased susceptibility to .
cancer, respiratory diseases, reproductive, immunologic, neurologic, and other health effects.
One goal of environmental justice research is to improve the scientific basis for informed
decision-making.
OBJECTIVES FOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
1) Sound Science: EPA will ensure that the Agency's environmental policies are based
on sound science and significantly address and incorporate environmental justice and
socioeconomic concerns into its research and related activities.
Opfinns fnr Actions
* EPA will work with the scientific community, the affected community,
business, industry and other stakeholders to improve health assessments and risk
assessments and incorporate environmental justice and socioeconomic issues into
its policies and guidance.
* EPA will evaluate the current state of knowledge in exposure and cumulative
risk fields, and then identify data gaps and research needs.
+ EPA will assess, as appropriate, major pollution sources of high environmental
risks in targeted minority communities and low-income communities, and
provide pollution prevention research into risk reduction from those sources.
4 EPA will support environmental justice research through (1) financial support to
academic centers or organizations whose mission is to examine environmental
justice issues, (2) competitive grants to specific researchers examining
environmental justice questions, (3) sponsorship of symposia and conferences
aimed at advancing environmental justice scholarship, and/or (4) exchange
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Health and Environmental Research
programs between EPA and non-governmental groups with a shared research
agenda.
2) Expanded Research Capacity: EPA will expand its capability to conduct research in
areas where it can make the greatest contribution to environmental justice including
human exposure, cumulative risk, risk reduction, and pollution prevention.
Qph'nn.<; fnr Ar.h'nn.s;
+ EPA will address exposure in at least three main areas: methods development,
monitoring data, and model development. The Office of Research and
Development (ORD) will continue developing the Natural Human Exposure
Assessment Survey (NHEXAS) to generate a human exposure database to
include relevant geographic and demographic questions.
+ EPA will assess and compare the environmental and human health risks borne
by populations identified by race, national origin, or income. EPA, in
conjunction with other agencies, is developing standards for demographic data
and data access. Many Regions are conducting Geographic Information System
(GIS) analyses to test methods of identifying areas of potential concern. EPA is
analyzing population demographics and Federal facilities to assess populations at
risk and potential disproportionate impact to surrounding communities.
3) Research Partnerships: EPA will enhance partnerships with the affected public, the
scientific community," and other agencies to broaden perspectives and efforts in
understanding and addressing environmental justice health research issues.
Options fnr Actions;
* EPA will expand interagency and intergovernmental partnerships to ensure a
coordinated research strategy and the ability to target cross-disciplinary projects
in communities "at risk".
+ EPA will support multi-stakeholder conferences, workshops, and programs to
focus on national environmental health research needs.
* EPA will provide minority populations and low-income populations the
opportunity to comment on the development and design of research strategies
developed under the Order.
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Data Collection, Analysis, and Access
DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND
STAKEHOLDER ACCESS TO PUBLIC INFORMATION
EPA's mission of protecting public health and the environment depends on
individuals within and outside of the Federal government having access to good data
to make informed decisions.
IMPORTANCE OF DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND ACCESS
The Agency must manage its information resources more strategically to support
comprehensive approaches, such as community-based and common sense initiatives.
Integrated information will help the Agency and our stakeholders better understand
environmental issues and make decisions that will protect public health and the environment.
A sound information resource management foundation is vital to the Agency in its ability to
provide objective, reliable, integrated, and understandable information.
Effective use of existing databases and the development of new national databases will
help the Agency target areas of greatest concern. Studying and monitoring these areas will
help identify risks from which all stakeholders in the area, including the affected communities,
can help devise a mutually agreeable solution for all parties.
The Agency has recently developed a comprehensive Information Resources
Management Strategic Plan. The objectives and actions below are consistent with and support
this plan. .
OBJECTIVES FOR DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS, AND ACCESS
1) Public Access: EPA will work to provide our stakeholders easy access to standardized
and integrated environmental information.
Options fnr Ar.tinns!
* EPA will develop policies which will promote the use of key identifiers to
integrate and share environmental data.
* EPA will continue to make strategic investments in systems which will assist the
Agency in examining complex data sets focused on minority populations and
low-income populations. ,
* EPA will continue efforts to make data and information accessible to
stakeholders. EPA will continue coordination with interagency efforts to ensure
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Data Collection, Analysis, and Access
data system compatibility with developing information technology access points
(from the local library to the Information Superhighway).
2) Addressing Data Gaps: EPA will identify gaps in the data inventory and work to
address these gaps.
Opfinns for Ar.Hnn.s:
* EPA will conduct an inventory of the Agency's major data systems to identify ^
uses, limitations, and gaps,
/
* EPA will examine its databases to determine major facilities, particularly
Federal facilities or sites, that could pose a substantial human health or
environmental threat.
* EPA will identify data requirements, including data needed for risk assessments
and management decisions.
* EPA will identify acceptable methods of analysis for geographical information
to address environmental justice. -
* EPA will increase the accuracy of its locational data for major sites of potential
toxic releases and environmental quality morjitoring points.
4 EPA will examine the data obtained from environmental quality monitors placed
in minority and low-income communities.
3) Data Reporting: EPA will work to improve data collection quality and reduce the
burden on providers of information.
Options fnr Actions-
* EPA will create effective reporting mechanisms to minimize cumbersome or
duplicative reporting requirements.
* EPA will use electronic methods to receive data from providers in order to
improve accuracy and reduce burden.
+ EPA will assist small businesses by using innovative technologies to convert
hard'copy reports.
4) Data Integration and Analysis: EPA will integrate the information resource
management process linking environmental priorities, data needs, and the Agency's
budget process. The Agency will use its data and that of others to do environmental
justice analysis.
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Data Collection, Analysis, and Access
Options for
4 EPA will use information to establish environmental priorities, identify goals
and environmental indicators, and manage results. EPA will gather and analyze
data as needed to evaluate environmental risks and trends, particularly as they
affect minority populations and low-income populations.
4 . EPA will routinely collect, analyze, and disseminate environmental and health
data. That data will compare environmental and human health risks to
populations identified by race, national origin or income.
4 EPA will work with the Interagency Working Group Task Force on Data to
coordinate data collection and to avoid duplication of efforts.
4 EPA will standardize databases and definitions relevant to the analysis of
environmental justice.
4 EPA will maintain a strong executive-level information resource management
steering committee who will oversee, sponsor, and review the Agency's IRM
program.
. 4 EPA will establish mechanisms so that sound, integrated data is accessible to the
EPA workforce, its partners, and stakeholders: These include disseminating
and providing access to EPA information to educate and empower its partners
and the public; providing EPA employees means to access the information and
technical resources needed to perform their duties; and effectively collecting and
managing the information that the Agency and its partners require in order to
manage for environmental results.
4 EPA will continue efforts to integrate Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) and cross-
link multiple data systems to support specific Agency programs.
4 EPA will use Geographical Information Systems (CIS) to identify minority
communities and low-income communities which lack monitors. Overlays may
include the existing monitoring network and a demographic profile. EPA will
provide this information to EPA personnel responsible for permit oversight, air
modeling, and risk modeling.
4 EPA will use hazardous waste information on facilities to track environmental
justice issues. .
i
4 EPA will collect and analyze water-related data in rural areas dependent upon
small water systems. The data will identify minority communities and low-
income communities, and Tribal and.indigenous peoples who rely on
grouhdwater as a drinking water source.1 This data will support efforts to assure
the protection of this critical resource.
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Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE ASSURANCE
EPA will include a focus on environmental justice issues in its enforcement initiatives
and through compliance analysis and targeted data analysis of communities exposed
to multiple environmental risks. EPA will implement Title VI. EPA will consider
environmental justice issues through the review of and comments on other Federal
agencies' proposals and actions under the National Environmental Policy Act and
Section 309 of the Clean Air Act.
IMPORTANCE OF ENFORCEMENT AND COiMPLIANCE ASSURANCE
The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) manages the Agency's
recently consolidated civil and criminal enforcement activities as well as its complementary
compliance assistance efforts. Strong and effective enforcement of environmental laws is
fundamental to virtually every mission of EPA. In response to the provisions of the Order, the
Agency is developing practical strategies and initiatives to ensure the full integration of
environmental justice considerations into all enforcement and compliance activities, and into
the review of Federal agency activities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
and Section 309 of the Clean Air Act.
The Presidential memorandum issued with the Order emphasizes that Title VI-of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 provides an opportunity for Federal agencies to address
environmental hazards in minority communities and low-income communities. Enforcement
of the basic non-discrimination provisions in Federally-financed programs, and the activities of
the Office of Civil Rights, directly support EPA's environmental justice objectives.
OBJECTIVES FOR ENFORCEMENT AND COMPLIANCE
1) Strategic Enforcement of Environmental Statutes: EPA will incorporate
environmental justice concerns into its program for ensuring compliance with Federal
environmental requirements. The Agency will review and revise as needed significant
policy and guidance documents to address environmental justice issues. A major
feature of this approach will be to ensure that EPA's enforcement and compliance
assurance activities will include a focus on communities and populations which suffer
from disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects. EPA
will use, as appropriate, the full range of tools available to it to correct noncompliance
in targeted communities.
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Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
Options fnr Actions'
* EPA will include in its enforcement efforts identification of communities and
populations, such as low-income urban and rural populations which suffer from
disproportionate high and adverse human health or environmental effects, that
can be targeted for potential enforcement and compliance assurance activities.
EPA's targeting efforts will use the.most current demographic information
(using Geographic Information System mapping techniques), Toxics Release
Inventory data, media specific and multi-media data, community reports, and
relevant health statistics. Where violations' are discovered, the Agency will
fashion an appropriate enforcement response.
t EPA will customize its enforcement and compliance assurance program for
targeted communities to reflect the needs of the community and the particular
compliance problems in that community. EPA will also use technical support
and assistance as a supplement to traditional enforcement where that is most
appropriate. . .
* EPA will actively encourage the use of creative approaches to settlement of
enforcement actions, particularly where violations have been identified in
communities disproportionately impacted by environmental problems
(traditionally, many enforcement actions have been resolved by assessing cash
penalties and imposing "end of pipe" solutions). Specifically, Regions will be
encouraged to obtain settlements which promote pollution prevention, remedy
environmental damage, and collect adequate monetary fines. The goal of the
projects will be to reduce long-term exposures within the community.
* EPA will work with minority institutions and other local environmental justice -
. groups to develop an educational program that provides targeted communities
with information on environmental protection, such as statutory .and regulatory
matters; citizen rights under Federal and State environmental statutes; whistle-
blower protection for employees; the interpretation of data on performance
available to the public; and the regulator's role in ensuring compliance.
f EPA will review its existing policy and guidance which informs enforcement
and compliance activities to ensure that it adequately considers/ addresses
environmental justice concerns. Examples of policy/guidance which will be
reviewed include penalty policies, inspection strategies, and the Supplemental
: Environmental Projects (SEP) policy. EPA will also assess existing practices to
determine whether new policies are needed to address effectively environmental
justice issues. ' .
2) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Clean Air Act (CAA) Section 309
Responsibilities: Under the authority of Sec. 309 of the CAA, EPA will routinely
review the environmental effects of major federal actions significantly affecting the
quality of the human environment. EPA reviewers will focus on the spatial distribution
of human health, social, and economic effects to ensure that agency decisionmakers are
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Enforcement.and Compliance Assurance
. aware of the extent to which those impacts fall disproportionately on low-income and
minority communities. .
Options for Action1;'
* EPA will aid Federal reviewers in the' use of guidance to aid reviewers of
Federal actions as it relates to carrying out its responsibilities under NEPA and
CAA section 309.
+ EPA will consider holding workshops and seminars with Section 309 reviewers
and NEPA coordinators to further explore environmental justice impact analysis
methods.
3) Title VI Compliance: EPA will develop a strategy to improve its implementation of
Title VI requirements. EPA will review the need for guidance and oversight for EPA
authorized State and local programs.
Options for Actions;
4 EPA will work with the Department of Justice to develop case referral guidance
for Title VI cases.
.* EPA will develop training materials on environmental justice and Title VI.
* EPA will develop training materials on Title VI compliance reviews.
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Partnerships, Outreach, and Communication
PARTNERSHIPS, OUTREACH, AND COMMUNICATION WITH
STAKEHOLDERS
EPA will promote partnerships, outreach, and communication with affected
communities, community organizations, other non-profit organizations, Federal,
Tribal, State, and local governments, environmental organizations, academic
institutions, and business and industry.
IMPORTANCE OF PARTNERSHIPS, OUTREACH, AND COMMUNICATION
Environmental justice issues are multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary.
Stakeholders must work together to further the nation's goal toward ensuring the protection of
public health and the environment. There is a need to bring together stakeholders with similar
interests to communicate concerns, coordinate activities, build critical literature, develop
hypotheses, formulate problem statements and address the issues. Because industrial facilities
have the first responsibility for considering environmental justice matters, EPA will build upon
the leadership many industry trade associations have demonstrated in seeking to understand
environmental justice concerns and integrate these concerns into their planning, assessment,
and activities. EPA will work closely with these organizations -- in cooperation with our state
and local governmental regulatory partners and with leaders of the environmental justice
community to develop clear standards and expectations for the non-discriminatory
distribution of environmental burdens and benefits under the principles of the Executive Order.
By working with the private sector to develop an appropriate framework for consideration of
environmental justice issues, our nation can more effectively leverage the impact of
government actions in this area than by merely waiting until environmental justice concerns
arise in the enforcement context. A comprehensive approach to identifying and addressing
environmental justice concerns requires the early involvement of communities affected by
environmental pollution. Additionally, approaches to effectively address environmental justice
issues require the partnership and pooling of expertise, the leveraging of resources, and
effective coordination.
One of EPA's tasks under this principle will be to help its partners and stakeholders
carry out their responsibilities by working together to define respective roles. EPA will listen,
be responsive and work to develop and implement more innovative, effective and efficient
approaches to environmental protection and sustainable development for all communities.
OBJECTIVES FOR PARTNERSHIPS, OUTREACH, AND COMMUNICATION
1) Partnership and Coordination: EPA will enhance partnerships and coordination with
stakeholders (affected communities; community organizations; non-profit organizations;
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Partnerships, Outreach, and Communication
- Federal, Tribal, State, and local-governments; environmental organizations, academic
institutions; and business and industry) to ensure their active participation and
providing input early in environmental decision-making.
Options for Actions:
* EPA will use the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council as a vehicle
for obtaining stakeholder input.
4 EPA will work to obtain input from stakeholders, particularly the affected
public, early in the decision-making process.
4 EPA will foster partnerships with other Federal agencies to continue a shared
government commitment to environmental justice.
* In particular, EPA will endeavor to develop jointly with State and local
governments clear expectations as to the requirements of Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 for carrying out Federally authorized permitting programs
under the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act. These requirements should include obligations for data
collection and evaluation of potential discriminatory effects, including
cumulative effects, in making permitting decisions as part of their Federally
authorized program activities and annual reporting requirements on such
permitting activities. EPA will also work with these partners in developing
guidance for the non-discriminatory distribution of benefits, under other Federal
statutes with significant State and Federal roles, such as the Safe Drinking
Water Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and
Liability Act (Superfund).
2) Technical Assistance: EPA will examine its current technical assistance programs for
low-income communities and minority communities.
Option fnr Ar.rinn- .
4 EPA will administer grant programs and technical assistance to partners
particularly small business, community-based organizations, and Tribes, so that
they can better address local environmental problems.
3) Communication, Education and Outreach: EPA will improve communication,
education and outreach on environmental justice issues among all stakeholders,
promoting multi-lingual, user-friendly, innovative efforts to exchange information and
experience with affected stakeholders.
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Partnerships, Outreach, and Communication
Options for Arrinns;
* Ensure that documents, notices, and hearings related to human health or the
environment are concise, understandable, in non-technical language, jargon-free
and readily accessible to the public.
4 Expand mailing lists to include environmental justice organizations, non-profit
organizations including schools, civic associations and churches where
appropriate.
4 Identify a network of translators who will assist in conducting public meetings
to be held in centrally located community-based facilities.
4 Whenever possible and appropriate, publish public notices for EPA public
meetings in local and minority-oriented newspapers, and in language indigenous
to the area. .
4) Training: EPA will foster shared Federal, Tribal, State, and local government
commitment to achieve environmental justice goals through training and other
coordinated activities.
QpHnn fnr Ar.tinn-
4 EPA will provide training assistance to other Federal agencies and State, Tribal,
and local officials on environmental justice issues as requested.
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Native American, Indigenous, and Tribal Programs
NATIVE AMERICAN, INDIGENOUS, AND TRIBAL
PROGRAMS
EPA will work with Tribes, indigenous constituents, the Tribal Operations Committee
and the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council to integrate the subsistence
and Native American provisions of the Order on environmental justice into EPA's
regulations, policies, programs and activities.
IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS
Environmental concerns differ throughout Indian Country, ranging from access to safe
drinking water to remediation of hazardous waste. Furthermore, Tribal environmental priorities
are affected by the Tribe's traditional cultural and religious relationship to the ecosystems in which
they live, including subsistence on fish, game, and wild vegetation. For these reasons, Native
Americans are often exposed to different types, degrees, and causes of environmental risks.
Tribal environmental justice advocates have raised a range of environmental concerns,
including comprehensive Tribal environmental program development, environmental effects on
urban Native Americans and Native Hawaiians and the participation of Native American
grassroots advocates in environmental protection. However, while environmental justice has
brought renewed attention to the environmental concerns of Native Americans, it is not meant to
replace the more than two hundred years of Federal Indian law and policies. The Federal-Tribal
relationship, as defined in the United States Constitution, treaties, statutes, and federal court
decisions, sets forth a framework of rights and responsibilities to be carried out by the Federal
government and the Tribes. Therefore, while environmental justice includes issues regarding
Native American grassroots participation and disproportionate effects on indigenous communities,
it is not intended to supersede Tribal sovereignty, treaty rights, the Federal trust responsibility or
the government-to-government relationship. Rather it should support these tenets of Federal
Indian law by encouraging the development of Federal-Tribal environmental programs
comparable in protection to Federal-State environmental programs.
OBJECTIVES FOR NATIVE AMERICAN PROGRAMS
1) Tribal Environmental Programs: EPA will work with other Federal agencies and Tribes
to develop comprehensive tribal environmental programs which address disproportionately
high and adverse human health or environmental effects in Indian country.
EPA Draft Environmental Justice Strategy
January 1995 18
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4
Native American, Indigenous, and Tribal Programs
Options for Actions:
4 EPA will work with the tribes to develop comprehensive Tribal - EPA
Environmental Agreements to address program delegations, direct implementation,
and other activities to effectively protect Tribal health and environments.
4 EPA will provide outreach, education, training, technical and financial assistance
to support the implementation of environmental programs, including activities to
address disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental
effects.
EPA will identify and work to promote funding, statutory, and regulatory
flexibility to assist Tribes in addressing environmental justice issues.
4 EPA will integrate Tribal environmental issues, including concerns regarding
differential consumption patterns and cultural, religious and/or traditional uses of
natural resources, where appropriate, into EPA's regulations, guidance, policies,
programs, implementation of statutes and other activities.
2) Native American Participation: EPA will ensure the participation of interested or
affected Tribal members, organizations or other Native American and indigenous
. constituents in EPA decisions and/or activities that may affect the public health or
environment of their community.
Options for Actions:
4 EPA will provide outreach, education, and training to affected Native American
and indigenous constituents, including affected urban Native American
communities, Native Hawaiians, and non-Federally recognized Tribes.
4 Offices and Regions will work with the Tribes to encourage public participation as
part of their Tribal environmental programs and help facilitate, where necessary,
public discussions on Tribal environmental protection.
4 ' EPA will work to improve education and training opportunities and partnerships
with Tribal colleges.
3) Interagency Coordination: EPA will take the lead to ensure coordination and
cooperation between EPA and other Federal agencies to address cross-cutting Tribal
environmental issues.
EPA Draft Environmental Justice Strategy
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Native American, Indigenous, and Tribal Pro grams
Options for Actions:
+ EPA will promote active participation by the Agency on Tribal issues and on
relevant interagency committees and initiatives.
+ Each Office and Region will work to improve interagency cooperation and actions
for addressing tribal environmental justice issues.
EPA Draft Environmental Justice Strategy
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Integrate Environmental Justice
INTEGRATE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
EPA will make environmental justice a part of all of its programs, policies, and
activities.
IMPORTANCE OF INTEGRATION
EPA was established to protect and preserve public health and the vitality of our
environment. However, our efforts to do so have fallen short of this goal in some of our nation's
minority communities and low-income communities. The integration of environmental justice into
EPA's programs, policies, and activities will help ensure that all populations share the benefits of
environmental protection and sustainable communities.
To establish a solid foundation where everyone enjoys a healthy environment, EPA will
integrate environmental justice tenets into the Agency's policies, programs, and daily activities as
well as the short- and long-term budget and planning processes. The Agency already has a large
network of committed employees working on environmental justice issues. However, there is still
much work to be done to give our whole workforce the tools needed to properly address the
challenges the Agency will face as it works toward achieving environmental justice. EPA will
need to provide guidance, to educate our employees on environmental justice issues, and to
provide incentives and accountability. In addition, lEP A must make use of the essential experience
and expertise of stakeholders and those outside of EPA working on these issues.
OBJECTIVES FOR INTEGRATION
1) Environmental Justice Strategy: EPA will develop and implement its Environmental
Justice Strategy in accordance with the mandates and milestones contained in President
Clinton's Executive Order 12898 of February 11, 1994, "Federal Actions to Address
Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations," and the
guidance of the Interagency Work Group (IWG) on Environmental Justice established
under the Order.
Options for Actions:
+ EPA will continue to provide advice, guidance, and administrative support to the
IWG.
4 EPA will meet the'deadlines of the Executive Order.
2) Comprehensive Review: EPA will review its legislation, regulations, programs, policies,
and guidance for revisions as appropriate to address environmental justice concerns.
EPA Draft Environmental Justice Strategy
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Integrate Environmental Justice
Options for Actions:
* Each Office and Region will provide the Steering Committee with a complete
review of its current regulations, policies, guidance, and practices to identify and
develop a strategy or action plan to address environmental justice concerns. The
strategy or action plan should include:-
- A list of cross-cutting functions better dealt with on an Agency- wide basis;
- Prioritized action items. and deadlines;
- Measures of progress; and,
- Those who will be accountable for implementation.
While the review is being completed, each Office and Region will continue on-going work
on regulations, policies, guidance, and practices which have been identified as requiring
changes to integrate environmental justice concerns.
Each Office and Region will provide the Steering Committee with a brief list of the
ongoing changes. The list should include:
- Prioritized action items and deadlines;
- Measures of progress; and,
- Those who will be accountable for implementation.
+ For those cross-cutting functions identified and not already being addressed, the
Steering Committee will:
- Establish a cross-Agency work group to develop options on how to best
incorporate environmental justice into the cross-cutting function; and,
- Review options, select and implement the most efficient and effective method.
+ EPA will work to ensure that environmental justice is considered in future
legislation.
i EPA will develop guidance on non-discrimination responsibilities of the Agency.
+ EPA will complete its Regulatory Impact Analysis Guidance. This will provide the
Agency guidance on how to incorporate environmental justice into its regulatory
development process.
f A cross-Agency work group on grants and environmental justice will examine
options for incorporating environmental justice into EPA's grant programs to
adequately reach minority populations and low-income populations and make
recommendations to the Steering Committee on implementation.
4 EPA will continue to ensure that environmental justice issues are linked with EPA
community-based initiatives and pollution prevention.
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Integrate Environmental Justice
3) Stakeholder Input: EPA Offices and Regions will continue to establish working
relationships with key stakeholders in order to further develop, implement, and coordinate
program-specific strategies. .
Option for Action:
4 Each Office and Region will include mechanisms for stakeholder and community
input in the development of their environmental justice strategy implementation
plans. .
4) Education: EPA will develop internal communication and training to educate Agency
employees about environmental justice.
Options for Actions:
> EPA Offices and Regions will expand their environmental justice training plans in
order to ensure that EPA employees have a better understanding of what
environmental justice is, how it relates to their work, and what opportunities are
. available to address environmental justice issues. The training will be tailored to
the needs of the Office or Region. Training kits might include: generic information
on environmental justice, examples of model initiatives and projects, and public
participation guidelines.
, 4 EPA will sponsor environmental justice seminars or workshops to focus on media-
specific environmental justice activities and case examples.
5) Management Accountability: EPA will strengthen management accountability for '
environmental justice activities.
Options for Actions:
+ EPA will reorganize to strengthen leadership and management of environmental
justice activities in the Agency.
4 EPA will develop a system for monitoring and evaluating program improvements
resulting from the integration of environmental justice.
4 Each Office or Region will develop a feedback mechanism for tracking
implementation of environmental justice policy across the Office or Region,
focusing on both major environmental justice projects and on routine
implementation of the policy by staff.
EPA Draft Environmental Justice Strategy
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Integrate Environmental Justice
INTEGRATION WITH OTHER EPA PRINCIPLES AND APPROACHES
The environmental justice strategy is well-integrated into the fabric of many of the
Agency's-principles and initiatives which the Agency considers fundamental to its operation and
mission. In fact, one of the seven guiding principles established in the Agency's strategic plan,
"The New Generation of Environmental Protection," is environmental justice.
Environmental justice linkages are apparent in a number of these efforts. For example,
involving the affected communities in the fashioning of strategies to promote a healthy
environment and a sustainable economy ("community-based" ecosystem protection) encourages
community involvement in the protection of public health and improving environmental conditions
in the nation's communities. Additionally, partnering with communities with minority populations
and low-income populations which may. be suffering from disproportionately high and adverse
human health or environmental effects should be a cornerstone of pollution prevention efforts
(with a traditional focus on such issues as waste minimization and "green" technology). Another
innovative partnering approach is exemplified in the primary role played by States and Tribal
governments in the operation of regulatory and enforcement programs. EPA recognizes the
crucial jmplementation role of these State and Tribal partners, and will work to incorporate
environmental justice into these efforts.
Furthermore, NPR activities underway provide a foundation for addressing institutional
environmental justice issues in a more coordinated fashion. One example is the reorganization of
the Agency's enforcement functions along media lines (e.g., air, water, waste, pesticides). In
addition, this office has included innovative compliance methods beyond traditional enforcement
measures in cross-cutting areas such as multi-media enforcement, geographic initiatives and
industrial sectors.
Lastly, the Agency has developed an overarching approach, "common sense," focused on
establishing simple principles and procedures for conducting the Agency's business. The common
sense initiative, involves managing pollution control more effectively by dealing with multi-media
and multi-chemical exposures. The key to successful implementation of this Environmental
Justice Strategy will be seamless integration of environmental justice concepts into all of the
Agency's efforts which impact human health and the environment.
EPA Draft Environmental Justice Strategy
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Model Projects
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE MODEL PROJECTS
INTRODUCTION
Many EPA Offices and Regions have distinguished themselves in this area by creating
model projects that reflect a "re-invented" way of doing business. The following are samples of
these projects. For a complete list of projects, please contact the Office of Environmental Justice.
BROWNFIELDS ECONOMIC REDEVELOPMENT PILOTS
EPA has launched an activity to fund demonstration projects that will not only clean up
abandoned industrial lands for redevelopment but assist in jobs and vitality of communities. These
funds are to be used to pull together community groups, investors, lenders, developers, and other
affected parties to address the issue of cleaning up sites and returning them to appropriate,
productive use. The Brownfield Pilots will serve as living laboratories to explore the ways in
which clean-up for redevelopment might work, providing a series of models for States and
localities struggling with such efforts. Findings and experience from these pilots will serve as a
foundation for a national EPA strategy to stimulate economic redevelopment through
environmental cleanup. The strategy will provide guidance on successful processes for cleaning
up and returning contaminated, abandoned industrial Brownfields to productive use.
Each pilot will produce a strategy for assessment and cleanup of environmental
contamination. By the completion of each pilot, recipient communities will have identified
resources for cleanup and redevelopment of sites, and secured agreements to proceed with the
public and private parties involved.
Under a cooperative agreement with EPA, the Institute for Responsible Management is
working with States, counties, cities, and a number of public and private entities and jurisdictions,
to help them share the various innovative methods being used to approach the economic
redevelopment of blighted Brownfields.
SOUTHEAST CHICAGO ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE
Southeast Chicago is a mosaic of predominately poor or working class, African-American,
Hispanic, and white neighborhoods. It is an area of high structural unemployment and multiple
environmental problems, including a concentration of disposal sites, countless urban Brownfields,
and heavy industries. Located within Southeast Chicago is Altgeld Gardens, a public housing
community for thousands of low-income African-Americans. Altgeld Gardens was built over 40
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Model Projects
years ago on top of an abandoned landfill and is surrounded by eleven separate polluting facilities-
-landfills, incinerators, oil refineries, a paint factory, a steel mill, a sewage treatment plant, a
chemical plant, a scrap metal yard, a lagoon, a sludge drying bed, and a freeway. This community
has one of the highest concentrations of severe environmental problems and concerns in the
country.
EPA Region 5 developed the Southeast Chicago Urban Environmental Initiative Action
Plan, a framework to improve the environmental conditions of the community. This unique
partnership hopes to bring together representatives of the government, industry, community, and
environmental groups. Agencies and actions targeted include:
t The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is conducting
health assessments of the Southeast Chicago community;
+ The Department of Housing and Urban Development is developing residential
lead-based paint removal projects and other environmental improvements; and,
+ EPA, Chicago's Department of Environment, and the Illinois Environmental
Protection Agency are working together to ensure tougher enforcement and
compliance of existing environmental regulations.
MISSISSIPPI DELTA PROJECT
The Mississippi Delta area has a high concentration of transportation routes, heavy and
petrochemical industries, waste sites, and other facilities. Environmental justice organizations
have complained that many of these facilities are sited close to minority communities and that
these communities are disproportionately exposed to environmental pollution. An interagency
steering committee comprised of ATSDR, the Center of Disease Control (CDC), Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), EPA, and the State Health and Environmental
departments is working to address these issues.
The goal of this interagency project is to reduce environmental hazards and to prevent
them from adversely affecting minority and low-income populations residing in the highly
industrialized areas along the Mississippi River. This project covers 219 counties in seven States
(Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee), affecting more
than 8.3 million people. The project intends to: (1) identify the key environmental hazards that
may affect high risk communities; (2) evaluate the public health impact on high exposure
populations; (3) increase health care delivery services in the region, including capacity of State
and local health departments to address public health associated to environmental exposures; and
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Model Projects
(4) engage Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other academic institutions
to help increase environmental awareness in these communities.
This project represents the largest, geographic-specific public health initiative ever
attempted to study the association between hazardous environmental exposure and health .effects
in minority communities and low-income communities.
NEW MEXICO AND TEXAS COLONIAS BORDER PROJECTS
Colonias are Hispanic rural neighborhoods and unincorporated subdivisions in or near
cities in Texas and New Mexico along the U.S.-Mexico border. Between Texas and New Mexico
there are about 1,200 colonias with an estimated population of 300,000 people. Colonias are
characterized by substandard housing, inadequate plumbing and sewage disposal systems, and
inadequate access to clean water. The common thread is the potential and immediate health
threat due to inadequate or lack of safe potable water and sewage disposal.
Under recent grants from New Mexico and Texas, nine facility plans and four construction
design plans are nearing completion for the thirteen new waste water collection and treatment
systems to serve colonias in New Mexico. This grant program, administered by the New Mexico
Environment Department, is made possible through a $10 million grant by EPA Region 6.
The Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission has awarded fifteen grants
totaling 51.02 million to provide waste water collection and treatment systems in Texas Colonias.
These projects will affect 64,000 colonias residents. Additional facility plans are being prepared
for six colonias which have received grants for innovative/alternative methods of waste water
collection and treatment. These six projects are designed to identify low cost methods of waste
water treatment for colonia application.
TARGETED PENNSYLVANIA RISK AND ENFORCEMENT PROJECTS
The City of Chester has among the highest concentration of industrial facilities in
Pennsylvania. Chester hosts a number of waste processing plants and two oil refineries. All solid
waste from Delaware County is incinerated in Chester and at least 85% of raw sewage and
associated sludge is treated there. A large infectious medical waste facility was also recently sited
in Chester. Many of the plants are located in close proximity to low-income, minority residential
neighborhoods. In fact, a clustering of waste treatment facilities have been permitted within 100
feet of over 200 Chester homes.
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Model Projects
Chester residents are concerned about the health effects of living and working amid toxic
substances and complain of frequent illness. Of cities in the State, Chester has the highest infant
mortality rate, the lowest birth rate, and among the highest death rate due to certain malignant
tumors.
In response to the Chester community concerns, EPA Region 3 has committed to a major
initiative involving two studies addressing environmental regulatory and pollutant impact/risk
exposure issues. The first was a 30-day study of EPA's legal authority for existing and proposed
facilities in the Chester area. As a result of the 30-Day Study, the Region has targeted
enforcement actions and just recently issued field citations to a number of underground storage
tanks located in Chester and the nearby area of Marcus Hook. Other targeted enforcement--
related activities are proceeding in air toxics reduction and compliance, innovative settlements for
toxic emissions violators, and multi-media compliance reviews.
In addition, an 180-day study, conducted by a team of toxicologists working with State
and local officials is assessing all available environmental media and human exposure pathways.
Work products will be displayed through a Regional Geographic Information System overlaying
industrial facilities data, NPL sites and small quantity waste generators, and air emissions data.
BALTIMORE URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE
The Baltimore Urban Environmental Initiative (URI) is an interagency activity being
conducted by Region 3 in cooperation with the City of Baltimore and the Maryland Department
of the Environment. The URI is designed to identify and rank areas of disproportionate risk in
Baltimore City for purposes of implementing risk reduction, pollution prevention, public
awareness, and other appropriate environmental activities to minimize risks. The Baltimore URI
has both short- and long-term tracks. The short-term efforts address issues of immediate concern
as well as initial data collection, data analyses, and project planning. The long-term effects will be
expanded in areas that warrant continued action.
A project development and problem identification report for the URI will describe the data
gathering and risk identification and characterization efforts in support of the overall Initiative.
Data has been gathered from a number of existing environmental and demographics-based
databases in order to identify and evaluate human health and ecological threats for purposes of
targeting risk reduction/prevention activities. Quantitative and qualitative risk assessment
methods have been applied and displayed through the use of a Geographic Information System.
The short-term efforts, based upon preliminary risk analyses, applied the knowledge and
experience of an ihteragency team to jointly target areas of environmental concern that could
benefit from immediate action. The six areas of concern identified were: 1) lead; 2) hazardous
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Model Projects
materials incident; 3) fish consumption/toxics in the Harbor; 4) air toxics; 5) ground-level ozone;
and 6) indoor air and radon. Individual action teams were formed to address each issue. These
teams were responsible for developing action agendas to address the overall goals of risk
reduction, pollution prevention, and outreach and education, for each risk
area.
LEAD ABATEMENT TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE
INNER CITY COMMUNITY
EPA, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the city of Boston, and Roxbury Community
College, joined by local community groups, have undertaken a pilot project to train unemployed
workers in a minority community to remove harmful lead paint from homes and bridges, and
provide specialized training so that minority contractors can gain access to State and city lead
paint abatement contracts. Eighty-five percent of Boston's 230,000 public housing units contain
lead-based paint and less than 2% have been abated to date. The current workforce of 21
minority contracting firms is limited; this project closes the gap between trained workers and
contract workers.
Boston's Office of Public Facilities received a S3.5 million grant from the U.S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to do lead abatement of 400,000 housing units.
Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency will invest S2.5 million to de-lead 2,000 housing units in .
Boston. In addition, this pilot project will also build the management capacity of struggling
minority firms to support bonding, insurance, and equipment expenditures necessary to compete
on large lead abatement contracts.
COMMUNITY CHEMICAL EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND PREVENTION
OUTREACH AND TRAINING
Kellog, Idaho is one of the communities within the Bunker Hill Superfund site boundaries.
Once a mining/smelting industry town, the area now faces a multi-million dollar cleanup effort.
This primarily blue collar community must also confront a 25% unemployment rate. Citizens
were concerned that despite an increase in local employment opportunities, jobs are not being
filled locally. Contractors were encouraged by EPA to hire locally, but most local'individuals had
not completed the 40-hour Health and Safety Training required for employment at cleanup sites.
The Region 10 Superfund Site Response Section is piloting a program which conducts
Hazardous Waste Health and Safety Training for communities with nearby cleanup sites. In 1993
and 1994, Region 10's training targeted communities with high unemployment rates, with the goal
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Model Projects
of aiding the local workers' eligibility for employment by cleanup contractors at nearby Superfund
sites. For example, 90 people in Kellog, Idaho, were trained and certified, making them eligible
for employment at the nearby Bunker Hill Superfund Site. The project's success was in
addressing the unemployment rate and in providing local education and awareness training.
Training was also conducted for the Makah tribe at Neah Bay, the Coeur d'Alene tribe,
and for Galena, Alaska (an Alaska Native Village). Operational level emergency response training
was conducted in Fairbanks, Alaska for the Tanana Chiefs Council. Future training efforts will
include Tok, Alaska and other communities that request training as a method for becoming
integrated into nearby clean-up efforts.
WATER PROJECTS FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES
EPA's Office of Water, in partnership with the Office of Environmental Justice, is
sponsoring a series of 14 projects around the country to address the pressing water and
wastewater needs of underserved rural minority communities. EPA is working with the Rural
Community Assistance Program (RCAP), who is responsible for the actual implementation of the
projects. The overall goal of the effort is to demonstrate effective approaches for providing
essential water and wastewater services to selected African American, Native American, and
Hispanic communities.
Each project will last approximately one year. During this period, RCAP field office have
taken various steps to address the specific needs of these communities. Some of the services
provided by RCAP include training and education on properly operating and maintaining
alternative wastewater and water treatment systems, identifying affordable treatment options for
these communities, and helping communities access affordable sources of funding. This initiative
targets underserved, rural and Native American communities.
PARTNERS IN PROTECTION PILOT PROGRAM
This environmental justice pilot was initiated by the EPA's Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance and Region 6 to assist low-income and minority populations in becoming
involved in environmental decisions concerning their communities. The pilot will provide more
opportunities for public participation in the Agency's activities along the
Mississippi River between the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, known as the Louisiana
Industrial Corridor.
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Model Projects
Specifically, the pilot involves three components: 1) an education program for affected
minority and low-income communities on citizens' rights, regulatory processes, pollution
prevention, and use of compliance data; 2) specific opportunities for community involvement in
permitting processes; and 3) an.enforcement outreach program aimed at empowering community
residents with knowledge about the Agency's enforcement program.
Integrated activities include but are not limited to the State environmental agency, the
regulated community, grassroots communities and their leaders, minority academic institutions,
and other State agencies. '
LOUISIANA ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRAM
Louisiana.is one of the first States to set up a formal environmental justice program to
address its wide-ranging environmental issues. The Louisiana Department of Environmental
Quality (LDEQ) implemented an Environmental Justice Program under a grant from EPA Region
6. Fact finding public hearings are being used to serve as a forum for discussion and resolution of
local environmental justice issues. The Department hired a full-time coordinator to establish
Environmental Justice Advisory panels comprised of community and industry representatives.
In the first year of the program, the State hosted public meetings and built the foundation
of an environmental justice program within the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
A follow-up grant was given to LDEQ to continue the environmental justice work with formation
of community advisory boards in key pilot parishes around the State. Region 6 is also creating a
Partners in Protection program to further empower and educate citizens along the Louisiana
Industrial Corridor.
OPEN AIRWAYS FOR SCHOOLS
According to recent statistics from the American Lung Association (ALA), asthma deaths
in urban minority children have increased 30% over a ten-year period. While the reasons for this
increase are many, indoor air pollutants are among the leading factors. To address this problem,
the Office of Air and Radiation in partnership with the American Lung Association and Zeta Phi.
Beta (a national minority sorority) have launched a model school-based asthma health education
program for children with asthma, their parents and teachers. .
The program, called Open Airways for Schools, focuses on developing asthma
management skills for students, helping parents and teachers create more supportive environments
for asthmatic children and developing activities to reduce indoor pollutants. This partnership
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Model Projects
between EPA, ALA, and a national minority sorority will impact millions of urban, poor
households with asthmatic children.
MASTER HOME ENVIRONMENTALIST PROGRAM
Region 10, in conjunction with the City of Seattle and the YMCA, has established a
Master Home Environmental Program which is designed to reduce exposures from toxic materials
and pollutants in the home. The focus is on indoor pollutants including lead, contaminated soil,
toxics, in-house dust, hazardous household chemicals and pollutants from smoke and tobacco
products. A group of Seattle Health Department nurses are working with low-income families in
the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program to provide them with information on home
toxics and lead. The program targets communities with higher populations of minority and low-
income residents and relies on volunteers, many from the targeted communities. Volunteers who
successfully complete the training present this information to community groups and
organizations, and assist people in implementing a survey of pollution problems in their homes.
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Environmental Justice Contacts
FArVTRnNMENTAT.JTTSTTrF.
TJSF.PA -
OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
Dr. Clarice E. Gaylord
401 M Street, SW
Room 27 10 -MS 3 103
Washington, DC 20460
800/962-6215, 202/260-6357
OFFICE OF AIR
Will Wilson; 202/260-5574
OFFICE OF PREVENTION, PESTICIDES &
TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Shantrel Brown; 202/260-6906
OFFICE OF REGIONAL OPERATIONS &
STATE/LOCAL RELATIONS
Janice Berry-Chen; 202/260-3870
OFFICE OF COMMUNICATION,
EDUCATION AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS
Doretta Reaves; 202/260-3534
OFFICE OF WATER
Ginny Kibler; 202/260-3722
OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT
Lawrence Martin; .202/260-7667
OFFICE OF GENERAL COUNCIL
MaryO'Lone: 202/260-5313
OFFICE OF POLICY, PLANNING AND
EVALUATION
Darlene Cockfield; 202/260-4907
OFFICE OF ENFORCEMENT
Sherry Milan; 202/260-9807
OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS
Rodney Cash; 202/260-4582
OFFICE OF SOLID WASTE AND
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
GregMertz; 202/260-5714
TJSF.PA -
USEPA, REGION 1
James Younger; 617/565-3427
John F. Kennedy Federal Bldg.
One Congress Street
Boston, MA 02203
USEPA, REGION 2
Connie Simon; 212/264-2301
Jacob K. Javits Federal Building
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278
USEPA, REGION 3
Dominique Luckenhoff;
841 Chestnut Building
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215/597-6529
USEPA, REGION 4
Vivian Malone-Jones; 404/347-4294
345 Courtland Street, NE
Atlanta, GA 30365
USEPA, REGION 5
Gina Rosario; 312/353-4716
Waste Management Division (HM7J)
77 West Jackson Blvd.
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
USEPA, REGION 6
Lynda Carroll; 214/655-6500
First Interstate Bank, at Front PI.
1445 Ross Ave., 12th Floor, Suite 1200
Dallas, TX 75202-2733
USEPA, REGION 7
Rupert Thomas; 913/551-7282
726 Minnesota Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101
USEPA, REGION 8
Mel McCottry; 303/293-1645
999 18th Street. Suite 500
Denver, CO 80202-2405
USEPA, REGION 9
Lori Lewis; 415/744-1561 .
75 Hawthorne Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
USEPA, REGION 10
Joyce Crosson-Kelly
Planning and Evaluation Branch
1200 Sixth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101
Phone: 206/553-4029
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