United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
9th edition december
ejnews 1
office update 4
ej highlightsgrants 6
hq activities 7
contacts & web resources.... ....8
environmental
A Newsletter from the EPA New England Environmental Justice Council
DEWS
EPA New England Revitalizes
the Mystic River Watershed
A summit held this year in Boston, MA to address
the challenges facing the Mystic River encour-
aged federal, state and local leaders to join
together with non profit groups and environmen-
tal advocates to address the future of this historic
river. The 150 participants at the April gathering
organized into four groups to address issues relat-
ing to flooding, industrial contamination, storm-
water, and land use.
Also in April, EPA New
England gave the Mystic
watershed a grade of
"D" for water quality
in 2007. The river, one
of New England's great
urban rivers, had only
met bacterial stan-
dards for swimming 52
percent of the time and
for boating 67 percent
of the time.
The scenic Boston, MA skyline
and the Mystic River
The Mystic River, which
flows from the Mystic Lakes in Winchester and
Arlington through Medford, Somerville, Everett,
Charlestown and Chelsea to Boston Harbor, was
at the center of early economic activity during
colonial settlement. Today, the river and its
watershed suffer from poor water quality caused
by a history of industrial and residential activity.
The Mystic River Summit was meant to gener-
ate ideas, develop goals, and create a strategy
to restore this watershed. Participants attended
workgroups on flooding; industrial contaminants;
bacteria and stormwater; or changing land use
and its impacts, otherwise known as "Reconnect
People to the River."
The group discussing the issue of flooding as
it relates to water quality focused on opportuni-
ties for greater communication and collaboration
among state, federal and municipal officials.
They also discussed better channel mainte-
nance, regional coordination, and updating land
use policies as ways to reduce flooding.
Participants in the session on industrial contami-
nants developed a
list of priorities and
important recreational
locations in the upper
and lower water-
sheds. The group
identified a number
of sites with plans to
develop preliminary
pilot revitalization
projects. Since the
summit, EPA and the
Mystic River Water-
shed Association have
collected more than
500 samples from
the watershed that will be used to identify and
eliminate pollution sources to the river and its
tributaries.
One of the biggest outcomes of the bacteria and
stormwater group discussion was the recom-
mendation to incorporate a science committee
into EPA's Mystic River initiative. Through this
committee, scientists will meet once or twice
a year to share research and information about
water quality in the watershed. This committee is
planning a meeting for early in 2009. The group
also recommended actions to reduce inflow from
Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs) and Combined
Sewer Overflows (CSOs), to increase monitoring
through increased funding and support for moni-
toring, and to reduce and eliminate stormwater
and illicit connections in the watershed.
The group focusing on land use and reconnect-
ing people to the river identified several areas
where action is needed in the watershed. The
group determined that access and redevelop-
ment are needed in designated port areas; that
state and federal permits and regulations should
be better enforced; that bike paths, multiuse
paths, and walkways in the watershed should be
added and connected; that all new development
and redevelopment should be environmentally
responsible; and that public access to the river
remains important. This group recommended
public education campaigns for many of these
issues as well as for subsistence fishing, for
which there is a watershed-wide advisory.
There are many obstacles to overcome to improve
water quality and revitalize the Mystic River
watershed. EPA New England has been coordi-
nating its initiative to build on the momentum
from the summit with federal and state partners
and local watershed stakeholders.
For more information about the Mystic
River Watershed summit or EPA's Mystic
River Watershed Initiative please visit
www.epa.gov/ne/mysticriver/.
Engaging Our State Partners
EPA New England is working to strengthen part-
nerships with the states, which are important
because the states can address environmental
justice issues in multiple communities in ways
beyond the reach of the federal government. As
a result, EPA New England held a New England
All States Environmental Justice Meeting Oct.
28 at the Regional Lab located in Chelmsford.
The objective of the meeting was to build on
the good work that is taking place in the New
England states, to enhance communication
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between EPA New England and its state part-
ners and to begin planning for future collabora-
tion. Each state snared its story on integrating
environmental justice.
The agenda included a presentation from Charles
Lee, director of the EPA Office of Environmen-
tal Justice, who shared historical lessons from
EPA environmental justice integration efforts.
Historical lessons include building commu-
nity capacity, ensuring
meaningful involve-
ment, clarifying legal
authorities, defin-
ing disproportionate
impacts, fostering
collaborative prob-
lem solving, using a
consistent approach
to identify areas of EJ
concern, incorporating
EJ into EPA's planning
and budgeting, and
conducting program
reviews. Lee described
these lessons as mile-
stones or guideposts
for other agencies
working to build their
environmental justice
programs.
Jarrett Barrios, presi-
dent of the Blue Cross
Blue Shield Founda-
tion of Mass., was
the keynote speaker
and spoke about the
profound connec-
tion between health
impacts and environ-
mental burdens. He urged EPA and the states to
build strong partnerships with health organiza-
tions.
Robert Varney, regional administrator of EPA
New England, stressed the importance of regu-
lar communication, enhanced collaboration and
the sharing of best practices in order to learn
from one another.
To enhance EPA-state communications on envi-
ronmental justice, participants agreed with EPA's
recommendation to establish quarterly confer-
ence calls, creating a regular forum for sharing
information. In addition, EPA will work with the
2008 All States EJ meeting
states to plan a meeting with the regional state
Environmental Commissioners in 2009.
The Way Home Inc. Making a
Difference in Manchester, NH
The Way Home Inc., a non-profit in Manchester,
NH whose mission is to help lower income fami-
lies find affordable housing, has helped more
than 15,000 house-
holds since 1988. The
Way Home's vision is
inspired by founder
and Executive Director,
Mary Sliney, who has
a passion for social
justice, environmental
issues and prevent-
ing homelessness.
Through The Way
Home, Sliney encour-
ages low income indi-
Natalie Martin, Mary Sliney, Sharon Wells,
Regina Letares, Kwabena Kyei-Aboagye,
Mike Castagna, Steve Chase and Nick Cordelia
viduals to assist other
low income individu-
als with finding and
keeping housing.
Their first program,
which set up a fund
to help people pay
security deposits so
they can rent decent
housing, succeeded
because it linked
the loans to apart-
ment inspections for
housing safety and a
counseling program
that teaches skills and
promotes justice in
the landlord/tenant relationship. The Way Home
has written contracts for nearly 4,500 security
deposits and rental guarantees, totaling over $2
million. Their housing advocates work with
families at risk of homelessness. Housing safety
issues are identified and addressed by special-
ized Healthy Home Services, which works with
landlords, tenants and public health officials
to help them alleviate environmental hazards,
particularly those affecting children's health.
The Way Home's Healthy Home Services
grew out of a project, funded by EPA in 1995,
to empower a group of low income tenants in
Manchester to work with the Manchester Health
Department to build a grassroots Lead Poison-
ing Prevention campaign. This project taught
several low income moms how to clean lead
dust. They then set up a HEPA Vac lending
program to help other low income parents
clean up lead dust. From 1996 to 2000, they
expanded their efforts with additional EPA
Environmental Justice Small Grant projects
and Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Healthy Homes funding to include in-home
education, tenant/landlord communications
around lead poisoning prevention, and special-
ized lead dust reduction cleaning. In 1999, they
became certified as lead abatement workers
and as a Licensed Lead Abatement Contractor.
These low income women provided leadership
for Manchester's selection as an EPA Child
Health Champion community in 1998.
From 1998 to 2000, Healthy Home Services'
peer education was a major component of the
EPA's Child Health Champion pilot in Manches-
ter and was nominated in 1999 as a HUD Best
Practice. Funding for this effort continued from
2000 to 2004 through an agreement between
EPA and the City of Manchester. These EPA EJ
and Child Health Champion projects enabled
The Way Home to design a plan that brought the
city of Manchester a HUD Lead Hazard Control
grant of $895,000 in 2002 and a $1.8 million
HUD Lead Hazard Reduction Demonstration
Grant in 2006.
The Way Home uses a partnership-based
empowerment model in which peer educators
assist clients to take steps toward achieving the
goal of healthy housing. Their 2008-09 Healthy
Home Services program helps to make housing
safe by:
Inspecting housing for code violations,
lead paint and other health hazards
Helping tenants work with property
owners and city officials to make
housing safe
Providing peer support and resources to
protect children from in-home hazards
Providing emergency relocation and/or
temporary remediation of in-home
hazards
Developing and managing lead/rehab
resources to help property owners
Helping property owners design and put
in place lead paint hazard reduction plans
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Training owners, realtors, contractors
and renters about Lead Disclosure &
Safe Practices
Their work includes the Healthy Home Housing
Advocacy Project whose purpose is to involve
Manchester residents in improving the health of
low income and minority families through effec-
tive use of local housing codes to reduce envi-
ronmental hazards in rental housing. This work,
funded by EJ Small Grant Projects, includes:
Analyzing strengths and weaknesses of
housing codes related to identification
and remediation of environmental
health hazards
Training low income tenants and
community groups to use healthy home
assessment forms and landlord
communication tools
Tracking outcomes from more effective
use of current housing codes to leverage
hazard remediation action by landlords
Meeting with stakeholders to review
outcomes and propose recommendations
to city officials
On September 26, 2008, The Way Home hosted
members of EPA's Office of Civil Right and Urban
Affairs for an environmental justice tour. The tour
was led by Mary Sliney and Natalie Martin, a
Healthy Home coordinator. Sliney and Martin
also spoke at an Environmental Justice Lunch
and Learn on Octo-
ber 29, 2008 at EPA
New England. Their
presentation gave EPA .
New England employ-
ees a chance to learn
about environmen-
tal justice concerns
facing communities in
New England and also
to understand how
EPA New England is
working with its community partners to increase
the quality of life for all.
Environmental Justice at the
2008 Brownfields Conference
EPA's 2008 Brownfields Conference held on May
5 to 7,2008 in Detroit, Michigan integrated envi-
ronmental justice into its curriculum with three
EJ-focused sessions, including:
2008 Environmental Justice Caucus;
R-E-S-P-E-C-T Stakeholder Involvement
and Environmental Justice Communication;
and
Building Capacity for Brownfield
Redevelopment in Community-Based
Organizations: A Model Technical
Assistance Program.
The 2008 Environmental Justice Caucus focused
on green jobs and public health. Its target audi-
ence was community activists, hazardous waste
material workers, and other environmental
professionals. The agenda included two panels
"Integrating Green Jobs and Sustainability Initia-
tives within Environmental Justice Context" and
"Addressing Risk and Improving Public Health
through Brownfields Redevelopment."
Speakers on the "Integrating Green Jobs" panel
included Donele Wilkins, Detroiters Working for
Environmental Justice; Sharon Beard, National
Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS); Patrick Brown, Office of Applied Innova-
tions, Inc.; and Brian Johnston, JobTrain/Center
for Construction Research and Training.
The panel "Addressing Risks and Improving
Public Health Brownfields Redevelopment"
included Dr. Vincent Nathan, the City of Detroit;
Ann Carroll, EPA's Office of Brownfields & Land
Revitalization; and Dr.
' Laurel Berman, EPA
: Regions.
Ann Carroll said
"brownfields redevel-
i opment is an opportu-
: nity to not only improve
; public health and the
environment by remov-
; ing contamination but
also to invite wider
community participa-
tion, involve communities and public health
agencies, and shape redevelopment to improve
public health." She said this could be done by:
Increasing opportunities for physical
exercise and access to green space while
improving stormwater management;
Adding a full service grocery store or
community garden to improve access to
healthy and affordable food;
The 2008 Environmental Justice
Caucus focused on green jobs and
public health. Its target audience
was community activists, hazard-
ous waste material workers, and
other environmental professionals.
Ensuring new built environments reflect the
needs of all ages - play spaces for children
and ADA-compliant parks and public
spaces; and
Expanding health care access through
including a health or dental clinic in a
mixed use redevelopment to increase
access to health care services.
An educational session titled "R-E-S-P-E-C-T:
Stakeholder Involvement and Environmental
Justice Communication" was aimed at promot-
ing meaningful involvement in redevelopment
projects. Stakeholders are organizations and
individuals with an interest in how a brownfields
site is redeveloped. Featured speakers includ-
ed Sabine Martin of the Center for Hazardous
Substance Research at Kansas State University;
Olivia Hough of Springfield, MA; Allen Gill of
Pittsburgh, PA; Sam Stephens of Cincinnati,
OH; Andrew Savagian of the Wl Department of
Natural Resources; Michele Oertel from the Indi-
ana Brownfields Program, and Andrew Bracker
of Kansas City, KS. Highlights from the session
included:
Support from stakeholders is crucial for a
project;
Increased stakeholder involvement can
avoid potential obstacles;
Stakeholder involvement proves decisions
were not made in a vacuum;
A collaborative spirit is important; and
Public/private partnerships can make more
effective use of resources and skills.
The purpose of the program on "Building Capac-
ity for Brownfield Redevelopment in Community-
Based Organizations: A Model Technical Assis-
tance Program" was to increase Brownfields
programmatic and technical capacity for commu-
nity-based organizations applying for EPA funds
in urban and low-income areas. The speakers on
the panel included Judy Shaw of the National
Center for Neighborhood & Brownfields Redevel-
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opment; Karen Lowrie of the National Center for
Neighborhood and Brownfields Redevelopment;
Laura Solitare of the Texas Southern University;
Seth Dorrell from the Southwest Community
Development Corp.; Donna M Henry from the
Southwest Community Development Corpora-
tion; and Jeffrey Crum of the NJ Community
Development Corporation.
According to speakers, community-based orga-
nizations face obstacles to developing Brown-
fields including institutional capacity, grant
requirements, regulatory landscape and technical
issues. These organizations can be helped by:
Empowering communities to better
understand issues
Creating a network of technical professionals
Explaining the remediation process
Communicating possible financing
resources
Helping community organizations to band
together and organize
Please visit www.brownfields2008.org/en/
index.aspx for more information on
the 2008 Brownfields Conference.
The 2009 Brownfields Conference will he
held November 16 to 18,2009 in
New Orleans, LA.
office uplite
Putting Science to Work for
Environmental Justice at the EPA
New England Regional Laboratory
In May 2004, EPA New England co-sponsored
with EPA's Office of Research and Develop-
ment (ORD) and the Boston University School
of Public Health a first-of-its-kind conference
to focus on environmental justice science
and research. The conference, called Science
to Action: Community-based Participatory
Research and Cumulative Risk Analysis as
Tools to Advance Environmental Justice in
Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities,
brought community activists and environmen-
tal scientists together to discuss the scientific
support needed on a range of environmental
issues facing disadvantaged communities.
Employees from EPA's New England Regional
Laboratory were listening and have responded
to the conference by supporting communities
with their analytical and field capabilities. Over
the last few years, the laboratory, also known
as the Office of Environmental Measurement
and Evaluation (OEME), has devoted significant
resources to assist environmental investigations
in environmental justice areas.
Some of these efforts in environmental justice
areas are simply an extension of the type
of support the laboratory has provided EPA
New England's environmental programs for
many years. As the region's air, water, waste
and enforcement programs have shifted their
attention to communities heavily burdened by
pollution, so the laboratory's work has shifted.
Consequently, in recent years, the laboratory's
employees have worked with the states to
establish fine particulate matter monitors in
urban neighborhoods, conducted sampling and
bacteria analyses of such urban rivers as the
Mystic and the Charles, provided quality assur-
ance assistance to grantees cleaning up brown-
field sites, and analyzed many thousands of soil
samples from hazardous waste sites in hard-hit
communities.
In addition to this day-to-day work, the regional
laboratory has taken its environmental justice
efforts several steps further by teaming up with
communities to conduct research and imple-
ment projects specifically designed to address
problems plaguing disadvantaged neighbor-
hoods. This article describes a few of these
efforts: field and chemistry support of the Lead
Safe Yard project, internationally-recognized
research on toxic metals in herbal medicines
typically marketed to South Asian immigrants,
development of a first-in-the-nation loan equip-
ment program for volunteer water monitoring
organizations, support of efforts to ensure the
soil in urban community gardens is safe to
grow vegetables, and support of tribal efforts to
monitor ecosystem impacts of pollution. These
projects put science to work for environmental
justice communities striving to build healthy
and safe neighborhoods.
Lead Safe Yards:
The regional laboratory got its feet wet working
on environmental justice issues by conducting
sampling and analysis of residential soil in the
Boston-based Lead Safe Yard program. Between
1998 and 2002, nearly 100 house lots in North
Dorchester and Roxbury received lead-safe
yard improvements. Improvements included
removing contaminated soil and adding mulch
to raise the level of the ground on which chil-
dren play; adding compost to garden plots from
which previously contaminated soil had been
removed; improving bare soil areas with lawns,
mulch, and stepping stone paths; and creat-
ing gravel driveways. Employees for the EPA
regional laboratory were intimately involved
in the project, collecting and analyzing soil
samples to help determine those methods
which most effectively eliminated likely expo-
sures of children playing in the yard.
Water Monitoring
Equipment Loan Program:
In an effort to empower communities with the
monitoring information necessary to tackle local
water quality pollution, EPA New England's
laboratory developed the nation's first water
monitoring equipment loan program. Under this
program, EPA New England loans to community
volunteer organizations equipment used in moni-
toring water flow, dissolved oxygen, pH, temper-
ature, plankton, macroinvertebrate and habitat
monitoring, and GPS locations. The resulting
data allows volunteers and partnering agencies
to identify water quality problems, develop strat-
egies to address those problems, and measure
the success of those strategies.
Since 2006, the laboratory has held three rounds
of solicitations for equipment loans and has
provided 47 loans of equipment to organiza-
tions around New England. While loans are not
limited to organizations in environmental justice
communities, the laboratory has actively sought
the participation of groups in urban areas. In
2007, the region announced the second round of
loans at the Urban Rivers Conference and targeted
loan requests involving urban rivers. In 2008, the
region prioritized loans related to stormwater and
beach issues. As a result, many of the loans have
gone to groups working in urban communities.
The loan equipment program marshalls the valu-
able resource of volunteers to fill water quality data
gaps, allowing communities to protect the rivers,
streams and ponds in their communities.
Contamination in Community Gardens:
Since 2004, the regional laboratory has worked
with academics and community organizations
to identify chemical hazards in inner city
community vegetable gardens. In one particu-
larly notable effort, the laboratory provided
analytical support for a project proposed by
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community groups and Boston University
to map the spatial distribution of polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and toxic
metals (arsenic, chromium, and copper)
that have leached from timbers used in the
gardens. This information on spatial distribu-
tion of contaminants allows the development
of replicable strategies for the removal and
replacement of contaminated soils in gardens
with such timbers. The work of EPA's chem-
ists to support this project was recognized in
an award given by the Boston Natural Areas
Network.
Currently, the regional laboratory is working
with EPA's Urban Environment Program, the
City of Waterbury, Brass City Harvest and the
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
to characterize metals contamination at a
future community gardens site in Waterbury's
Fulton Park. The results of soil sampling and
analysis with a field portable x-ray floures-
cence spectrometer will be used to develop a
no cost/low cost mitigation strategy that will
allow urban farmers to grow vegetables at the
site next season.
Ecosystem Monitoring
in Indian Country:
The regional laboratory has also worked
closely with the New England tribes to ensure
that they have the monitoring equipment and
skills to protect their environment. The labora-
tory is particularly proud of the New England
tribes' robust air monitoring program, devel-
oped with the assistance of the laboratory's
air monitoring team and unmatched anywhere
else in the country. The Wampanoags, Penob-
scot, Passamaquoddy and Micmac tribes are
all now operating air monitors, which serve
to provide tribal members (and the general
public) real-time air quality information and
provide valuable information on the long-
term air quality impacts to tribal ecosystems.
"A vital first step to building a
robust and sustainable EJ program
is to institutionalize a systematic
and holistic approach to integrat-
ing environmental justice consid-
erations in all of EPA."
Charles Lee, Director
EPA's Office of Environmental Justice
These tribes operate, in all, four ground-level
ozone monitors, one continuous fine particu-
late monitor, one sulfur dioxide (S02) trace
level monitor, one nitrogen dioxide (N02) trace
level monitor, one carbon monoxide (CO) trace
level monitor, one C02 monitor, three IMPROVE
haze monitors, two atmospheric deposition
samplers, one mercury deposition monitor, and
one "hazecam."
The regional laboratory has also been heavily
engaged in supporting a significant research
project looking at the levels of contaminants
(e.g., mercury, dioxin) in foods commonly
hunted, gathered, and eaten by members of the
Penobscot Nation (e.g., moose lives, snapping
turtles, fish, and fiddlehead ferns). The results
of this research may yield important answers to
questions about the exposure to contaminants
tribal members face when engaging in suste-
nance fishing and traditional cultural prac-
tices. Laboratory staff has dedicated significant
support, in the form of quality assurance assis-
tance, fish processing, and hundreds of hours in
the field, to this groundbreaking study.
Director of EPA's Office
of Environmental Justice
Visits EPA NE
In order for Environmental Justice Program
to continue the momentum it has behind it,
EPA must continue to integrate EJ into all
of its programs, poll-
cies and activity, ;
according to Charles i
Lee, Director of the ;
Office of Environmen- i
tal Justice. Lee made \
his remarks during a ' »
visit on October 29, ;
2008 to
England.
EPA New
Lee told staffers his goal
in visiting the regional
office was to build on
the improved commu-
nication between OEJ
and the New England office and to gather informa-
tion for thinking about future goals and initiatives.
A vital first step to building a robust and
sustainable EJ program is to institutionalize a
Charles Lee presenting at EPA New England's
EJ Lunch & Learn Series
systematic and holistic approach to integrating
environmental justice considerations in all of
EPA, he said. Integrating EJ will take significant
work, he noted, and will not be successful with-
out the support and involvement of all parts of j
the Agency.
He also identified OEJ's proposed priorities for;
2009 which include: :
Integrate EJ to achieve results in
disproportionately burdened communities. ;
Build a science foundation for evidence- :
based EJ program and regulatory development.
Foster innovative approaches to building
healthy and sustainable communities for all ;
people
Enhance EJ program cohesiveness
EPA New England Raises
Environmental Justice Awareness
About 75 interns, new employees and long-time;
EPA employees attended two Environmental
Justice (EJ) Trainings held July 8 and 9 by EPA;
New England. i
Each session consisted of one day of classroom
instruction and a half-day tour of a potential EJ
area of concern. EPA New England has trained 96
percent of its staff in environmental justice and;
has served as model for other EPA regions.
The training was aimed;
at raising awareness '
about EJ and provid-
ing EPA employees:
with tools and skills for
integrating EJ into their
daily work. The course
curriculum included:
units titled Environ-;
mental Justice History;
Environmental Justice:
Defined; Federal Acts &;
Authorities; Operational I
Approaches to EJ; a
film on the ReGenesis;
Project in Spartanburg, SC that uses the EJ Collab-
orative Problem Solving Model; EJ Controversies &;
Issues, and Building Public Participation.
The last component of the EJ Awareness Training ;
was a site tour. Alternatives for Community and:
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Bllironmentll 9th edition I december
the Environment (ACE) guided a group through
Roxbury pointing out the Mass. Department of
Environmental Protection air monitoring site, a
brownfields site at an old electroplating compa-
ny, a former MBTA bus garage that has closed
down because of an anti-idling campaign, and
an abandoned vacant lot contaminated with
asbestos. The Chelsea Human Services Collab-
orative conducted a tour highlighting areas and
sites that have negatively impacted the commu-
nity, including a tannery and the state Depart-
ment of Public Works (DPW) salt pile. The tour
also included the successfully renovated Mill
Creek recreational/educational walkway.
Hammad Graham, an EPA graduate student
intern commented, "I believe that the video of
the community in South Carolina was the most
interesting portion of the EJ training. In my
opinion, environmental justice is about voices.
These voices range from informing others about
common problems that are occurring within their
community, to organizing an entity or group of
people to champion the mission of environmen-
tal justice for all."
Laura Poirer, another EPA intern stated: "I learned
a lot from the EnvironmentalJustice Training that
I went through. It opened my eyes to issues that
I thought were really interesting. I took with me
the knowledge of what "EJ" is and am now able
to recognize an EJ situation should I come
across one."
Training with our State Partners
Some 40 NH Department
tal Services (DES)
employees, including
senior management,
attended an environ-
mental justice training
November 6, 2008
organized by DES with
the EPA's Office of
Civil Rights and Urban
Affairs (OCRUA).
This training was part
of DES's effort to ;
enhance its focus on \
environmental justice. ;
In addition to provid-
ing EJ training, DES
will work to update its
Equity Policy.
of Environmen-
Michael Sullivan from RIDEH presents
at EJ Training in Providence, Rl
The training focused implementing environ-
mental justice in New Hampshire and included
a discussion about the history of environmen-
tal justice at DES. EPA provided information
on its approach to integrating environmental
justice into its programs, the Regional EJ
Mapping Tool, and the new State EJ Coopera-
tive Agreement.
In addition, OCRUA partnered with the Rl Depart-
ment of Environmental Management (DEM) to
conduct an EJ Awareness Training on May 15,
2008. Some 30 employees from Rl DEM learned
about making EJ a part of their daily work. DEM
employees also learned about EPA's efforts to
integrate EJ into its work and were given analyt-
ic tools and real world examples to implement
EJ in that state. In July, DEM developed a Draft
Guidance Policy for Considering Environmen-
tal Justice in the Review and Investigation and
Remediation of Contaminated Properties.
The draft policy was translated in many
languages and is available to the public
at OEM's website (www.dem.ri.gov/
envequity/index.htm)
ej highlights-grants
EPA and States Fund Nearly
$2.4 Million in Clean Diesel
Projects in New England
To improve air quality and protect public health,
EPA recently announced nearly $2.4 million in
funding for State Clean
Diesel programs. This
funding is part of the
$50 million that has
been made available
nationally in 2008
through the Diesel
Emissions Reduction
Program. New England
states received nearly
$1.6 million from
EPA, leveraging an
additional $780,000
in state funding.
1994 Environmental
States will use this
funding for several projects aimed at reducing
diesel emissions including: school bus retrofits
in Vermont and Connecticut; low-interest loans
to help truckers install idle reduction technolo-
gies in Maine; retrofitting airport equipment
in Rhode Island; transit bus retrofits in New
Hampshire, and retrofitting public works vehi-
cles in Massachusetts to highlight a few.
In addition, on March 17, EPA released the
2008 Northeast Diesel Collaborative Emis-
sions Reduction Request for Proposals, solic-
iting proposals from eligible entities in EPA
Regions 1 and 2 for projects that reduce harm-
ful diesel emissions from existing engines.
Proposals were due on June 12 and grant
awards will be announced this Winter 2009.
Diesel engines contribute significantly to air
pollution, especially in urban areas. The fine
particles in diesel exhaust pose serious health
risks, including aggravated asthma and other
respiratory symptoms. Children are especially
vulnerable to these effects. The Northeast has
some of the highest asthma rates in the nation,
including a childhood asthma rate above
10 percent in all six New England states.
The Northeast Diesel Collaborative (NEDC) is
a partnership of public and private organiza-
tions working to improve air quality by taking
action to reduce diesel pollution. The NEDC
was established in 2005 by EPA's Regions 1
and 2, the "Northeast States for Coordinated
Air Use Management" (NESCAUM) and the
states and territories of Connecticut, Maine,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Puerto
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands joined in 2007
and 2008 respectively.
For more information about the NEDC
visit www.northeastdiesel.org
For more information about the National
Clean Diesel Campaign visit www.epa.
gov/cleandiesel
Diesel engines contribute signifi-
cantly to air pollution, especially
in urban areas. The fine particles
in diesel exhaust pose serious
health risks, including aggravated
asthma and other respiratory
symptoms.
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9th edition 1 december
Community Action for
a Renewed Environment
(CARE) Grants
A $100,000 CARE grant was awarded to
Childhood Lead Action Project to identify and
rank environmental and public health risks in
Providence, Rl. The Childhood Lead Action Proj-
ect is serving as fiscal agent for the Environmental
Justice League of Rhode Island, an alliance of indi-
viduals and organizations working to promote envi-
ronmental justice in Rhode Island. The group will
be partnering with city and state agencies, health-
care organizations, hospitals, local businesses and
other community-based organizations.
The CARE grant program offers a way for a
community to organize and take action to reduce
toxic pollution in its local environment. Through
CARE, a community creates a partnership that
implements solutions to reduce releases of toxic
pollutants and minimize people's exposure to
them. EPA provides financial and technical assis-
tance to help CARE communities renew their envi-
ronments.
Groundwork Somerville Inc. was awarded a
$194,500 CARE grant for "Somerville Community
Design: Land Use Planning to Improve Human
Health & Our Local Environment." Groundwork
Somerville aims to engage residents in a commu-
nity vision process to affect land use planning
decisions over the next few years. This project
will focus on actively engaging residents, tradi-
tionally not given a voice in decision making, in
a community process to decide how to deal with
environmental risks identified through a previously
awarded CARE grant.
The organization will convene focus groups to
consider the priority of environmental issues iden-
tified in the East Somerville Initiative, including
lack of open space, environmental health, air qual-
ity, and soil contamination. Key technical experts
will provide information to community members.
To help residents make land-use decisions, other
key partners will share information on issues such
as equity, transit-oriented design, smart growth,
and community health indicators. The project will
culminate in a set of recommendations for land
use along the corridor.
The 2009 CARE Request for Proposals is
now available online at www.epa.gov/air/
grants_funding.ntml#0902
State EJ Cooperative
Agreement Initiative
In recent years, states have emerged as impor-
tant players in efforts to address environmental
justice. At least forty-two states and the District
of Columbia have adopted environmental justice
statutes, executive orders, or policies.1 These
states have been pioneering and resourceful in
their approaches. States can address EJ issues
in multiple communities in ways far beyond
the reach of the federal government. States are
often the most appropriate governmental entity to
identify opportunities for improving community
health, leveraging local resources, and providing
for activity across a wide geographic area.
To build on the ability to address the issues of
communities disproportionately exposed to envi-
ronmental harms and risks, EPA must work to
strengthen partnerships among states. Funding
their efforts can have a tremendous leveraging
effect and foster significant advances in policy
and practice. In 2009, EPA is offering a new State
EJ Cooperative Agreement Initiative that will fund
state activities that are robust, results oriented,
collaborative and can be linked to Regional EJ
Action Plan activities.
The initiative goals include:
Build state-EPA-community partnerships
to achieve environmental or public
health results in communities dispropor-
tionately burdened by environmental
harms and risks
Strengthen emerging state interest in
EJ by promoting national best practices
in achieving environmental or public
health results in disproportionately
burdened communities
Foster EPA-state dialogues on viable
strategies to integrate EJ in state decision-
making and secure state commitments to
achieve tangible environmental or public
health results in disproportionately burdened
communities
Assist regional efforts to leverage regional
and state resources to address environmental
or public health issues in disproportionately
burdened communities.
EJ Action Plans
EPA's Environmental Justice Action Plans
establish measurable commitments that
address the agency's national environ-
mental justice priorities. These priorities
create an agency-wide focus on matters
that environmental justice advocates and
others have identified as critical environ-
mental justice issues. In addition to the
national environmental justice priorities,
each region focuses on local needs and
priorities and employs strategies tailored to
local conditions.
EPA's EJ Action Plans can be found
at: www.epa.gov/compliance/
resources /reports /actionplans/ej/
index.html.
EPA will award five Cooperative Agreements
at $160,000 (no more than one per state and
region). EPA anticipates the release of the Request
for Applications in early 2009 for a 45-day period.
Selections will be made around May 2009.
1 See ABA, Environmental Justice for All: A Fifty
State Survey of Legislation, Policies and Causes
(3rd Ed, 2007), available at www.uchastings.
edu/site_files/plri/EJ2007.pdf
kq activities
EPA Administrator's
EJ Memorandum
On June 9, 2008, the EPA administrator signed
a memorandum recognizing the commitment and
hard work of EPA's Headquarter Program offices
and regions to ensure that EJ integration is at
the forefront of EPA's environmental protection
efforts.
Over the last three years, EPA has put in place a
process for EJ Program Reviews and integrated
EJ in the National Program Guidance and rule-
writing. In a memo called "Strengthening EPA's
Environmental Justice Program," the administrator
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ElViPOnmBlltll * 9th edition december
called upon the agency to begin conducting the
first round of EJ reviews in the coming fiscal year
2009. He also stated that all levels of the agency
"have a role in ensuring the successful integra-
tion of EJ considerations through a coherent and
cohesive EJ Program."
A day after the administrator signed the memo-
randum, he announced it at the National Envi-
ronmental Justice Advisory Council's meeting.
This gesture had significant meaning for the EJ
Program, particularly since the Council has been
a key supporter and partner in EPA's EJ integra-
tion efforts.
The memorandum can be found at:
www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/
policies/ej/admin-ej-strength-memo-
O60908.pdf.
Public Meeting of the National
Environmental Justice Advisory
Council
A public meeting of the National Environmental
Justice Advisory Council was held October 21 to
23,2008 in Atlanta, GA.
"Meeting Roundtables" to address specific
issues
"Public Dialogues" on Urban Revitalization
and Brownfields Redevelopment
To get up-to-date information about future
NEJAC meetings and other environmental
justice information, sign up for the EPA-EJ
Listservat: www.epa.gov/compliance/
resources/listserv.html.
EPA New England ej cnntacts
Sharon Wells
Acting Director, Office of
Civil Rights & Urban Affairs
617-918-1007
wells.sharon@epa.gov
Amy Braz
Environmental Justice Coordinator
617-918-1346
braz.amy@epa.gov
Michael Castagna
Environmental Justice Specialist
617-918-1033
castagna.michael@epa.gov
The agenda included panel discussions on EJ
Best Practices/Successes Forum, Differential
Impacts of Climate Change, Disproportion-
ate Factors; updates on the Goods Movement
Final Report, the EJ Screening Approaches Work
Group, and NEJAC Recommendations in Action: $1316 COIItflCtS
EPA's Brownfields Program; and finally dialogue
with the Assistant Administrator of the Office of
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
In addition, EPA announced 12 winners of its
first annual Environmental Justice Achievement
Awards. The awards were given to organizations
in the following categories: community-based
organizations, universities, and state and local
governments from nine states. More information
on these awards and the winners can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/
environmentaljustice/awards/.
Information about previous Council meetings is
available online at: http://www.epa.gov/compli-
ance/environmentaljustice/nejac/meetings.
html#october. Information available includes:
Meeting summaries, transcripts, and/or
reports from previous NEJAC meetings
Connecticut
Edith Pestana
Environmental Justice Administrator
Environmental Equity Program
CT Department of Environmental Protection
860-424-3044
Maine
Malcolm Burson
Office of the Commissioner
Maine Department of Environmental Protection
207-287-7755
Massachusetts
David Cash
Assistant Secretary for Policy
MA Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
617-626-1164
Phil Weinberg
MA Department of Environmental Protection
617-292-5972
New Hampshire
Michael Walls
Assistant Commissioner
NH Department of Environmental Services
603-271-8806
Rhode Island
Terry Gray, Rl DEM
Assistant Director/Air, Waste & Compliance
Rl Department of Environmental Management
401-222-4700 ext. 2422
Vermont
Justin Johnson
Deputy Commissioner
VT Department of Environmental Conservation
802-241-3808
uueb resnurces
EPA New England
Environmental Justice Program website
www.epa.gov/ne/steward/ejprog/index.html
National Office of Environmental Justice
www.epa.gov/compliance/
environmentaljustice/index.html
National Environmental Justice
Advisory Council
www.epa.gov/compliance/
environmentaljustice/nejac/index.html
National Office of Civil Rights
www.epa.gov/civilrights/aboutocr.htm
External links disclaimer
This newsletter provides links to non-EPA websites. These
links provide additional information that may be useful or
interesting and are being provided consistent with the
intended purpose of this newsletter. However, EPA cannot
attest to the accuracy of the information provided by linked
sites. Providing links to a non-EPA website does not consti-
tute an endorsement by EPA or any of its employees of the
sponsors of this site or the information or products presented
on the site.
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