United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
8th edition July
content
ej news 1
office update 2
ej highlights—grants 4
hq activities 6
contacts & web resources... ....6
Sincerely,
oo
Robert W. Varney
Regional Administrator
EPA New England
ei nevus
letter from the
regional administrator
Dear EJ Stakeholders:
EPA New England is pleased to present
you with the EJ Newsletter. As you will see,
EPA maintains an ongoing commitment to
ensure environmental justice for all people,
regardless of race, color, national origin, or
income.
EPA New England reaffirmed this commit-
ment to environmental justice in the Octo-
ber 2001 EPA New England Regional
Policy on Environmental Justice. EPA New
England has made significant progress in
its efforts to address and respond to envi-
ronmental justice concerns by ensuring
that environmental justice is considered in
every aspect of our work. This is evident by
the establishment of a regional EJ Council,
which is charged with the responsibility
of institutionalizing environmental justice
considerations in the environmental deci-
sions the Agency makes, programs it
implements, and projects and initiatives it
undertakes.
Inside we hope you will find information
that is both inspiring and useful, as we
highlight some of our programs who are
taking a proactive approach to identifying
and addressing many of the environmen-
tal concerns that impact New England
citizens, as well as, current events taking
place throughout the Agency.
environmental
ii^DOWS
A Newsletter from the EPA New England Environmental Justice Council
sing Laws and Alternative Dispute
Resolution to Reach Environmental
Justice
UCommunities can tackle environmental
challenges in a variety of ways without
resorting to lawsuits. EPA New England and
its Environmental Justice Office held a work-
shop this fall on how to use federal environ-
mental laws to solve problems without litigation.
The workshop also trained participants from
New England grass-
roots organizations
on Alternative Dispute
Resolution (ADR),
a system that uses
neutral third parties to
address EJ problems in
a community.
Nearly 30 environmen-
tal justice commu-
nity organizations and
grassroots groups in
all six New England
states participated in
the workshop. This
varied group of participants was given:
• an environmental justice orientation
session where they shared experiences,
insights and goals for the training.
• a summary of ways to address pollution
problems without litigation.
• a focus on the three laws most relevant to
communities experiencing EJ problems:
Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.
detailed information about permitting
procedures.
an overview of alternative dispute
resolution tools available to address
environmental justice problems.
a discussion of barriers to effective
negotiation and methods to overcome
those barriers.
examples of successful efforts by
grassroots organizations to achieve
environmental justice in their communities.
Groups participating
said their communi-
ties face issues rang-
ing from air pollution,
transportation prob-
lems (e.g., diesel
buses, ozone, particu-
late matter), asthma
rates, water and land
pollution, and contam-
ination at landfills and
other sites.
Participants at training
in Mansfield, MA.
The training was
held by the Environ-
mental Law Institute,
an international research, policy and training
organization. Its partners included: the South-
west Network for Environmental and Economic
Justice, a network of more than 60 grassroots
environmental organizations in the southwestern
US; Connie Tucker, a consultant based in Atlan-
ta, GA, who helps connect community groups
with research and educational institutions; and
Michael Lewis of JAMS located in Washington,
DC, a mediator, teacher, trainer and consultant in
dispute systems design. Elissa Tonkin, EPA New
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environmental • 8th edition | june
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England regional ADR program director, was also
part of the training team
EPA New England's ADR Program is nation-
ally recognized as a leader in using this sort
of dispute resolution for environmental issues.
the environmental justice program at EPA New
England is increasingly using dispute resolution
as a way to help groups reach agreements over
issues related to environmental justice.
As a result of this training, EPA New England is
working more closely with both the ADR Program
and with EJ community organizations and grass-
roots groups who were at the meeting.
This workshop was part of a national effort to
give EJ training to staff throughout EPA. Months
before the workshop came to New England, the
regional EJ Office and ADR program worked with
trainers to adapt the workshop to address issues
relevant in this area and to bring New Englanders
onto the training team.
Conn. Environmental
Commissioner Describes
"No Child Left Inside" Program
Connecticut's "No Child Left Inside" initiative
was the subject of a lecture given recently at
EPA New England by Gina McCarthy, commis-
sioner of the Conn. Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP). McCarthy gave her talk as part
of the region's monthly Environmental Justice
Lunch and Learn series.
During her September visit, McCarthy gave some
40 attendees an overview of the effort underway
in Connecticut and New England to get more
families and children outdoors.
The presentation explored the challenges that
parks and environmental agencies confront, with
fewer and fewer people visiting recreational areas.
She also addressed the long-term consequences
of children staying indoors more. When children
spend less time outdoors, she said, there are
a number of results: more childhood obesity;
more related health problems; less interest in the
natural sciences, and an erosion of the future
generation of environmental stewards. In other
I words, a child who spends more time outside
enjoys nature more, exercises more and is more
likely to care for the environment as an adult.
McCarthy described Connecticut's efforts to
reverse these trends. The DEP in 2006 launched
the "No Child Left Inside" initiative to attract
more families and children to state parks,
forests and water-
ways. The center-
piece is the Great
Park Pursuit, which
takes families on
seven- to eight-week
adventures, similar to
the "Amazing Race"
and "Survivor" real-
ity series. In this
program, families
learn of opportuni-
ties awaiting them
at state parks and
forests
Wastewater treatment plant
in Hartford, CT
McCarthy noted that the No Child Left Inside
initiative also includes park passes for foster
families; park and forest interpreters; an urban
fishing program; environmental education; state
park passes at libraries and water safety classes.
The initiative is a model for states and recreation-
al organizations nationwide.
For more information, please visit
www.nochildleftinside. orgf
Environmental Justice Law Passed
in Connecticut
An environmental justice bill signed into law May
27 in Connecticut identifies new requirements
for major polluting facilities seeking permits in
low income communities. Proponents consider a
groundbreaking law, which marks critical prog-
ress on environmental justice in Connecticut. The
legislation was developed by the Conn. Coalition
for Environmental Justice, the Conn. Department
of Environmental Protection, elected officials and
other advocacy groups working together.
A public outreach portion of the law requires a
public meeting at least 60 days before the DEP or
Conn. Siting Agency decides to issue a permit.
In addition, the facility owners must negotiate
environmental benefits to offset the impacts of
the proposed facility with elected officials and
community members. The legislation applies
to projects in 25 towns identified as distressed
municipalities and 34 other neighborhoods
considered environmental justice communities.
The new law defines an environmental justice
community as a Census Block Group in which
30 percent of the population earn less than 200
percent of the federal
poverty level.
The facilities regu-
lated by the new law
are electric generating
facilities larger than 10
megawatts, sludge and
solid waste incinerators,
sewage treatment plants,
three types of solid waste
facilities (intermedi-
ate processing centers,
volume reduction facili-
ties and multi-town recy-
cling facilities), medical
waste incinerators and major sources of pollution
under the federal Clean Air Act.
The new law also limits the amount of asbestos
allowed near residences.
office update
Rl Grant Shows How Brownfields
Funds Promote Justice
In the City of Providence, Rl, contaminated
properties in two low-income and minor-
ity neighborhoods were redeveloped with help
from EPA brownfields awarded to two non-profit
organizations: the Steel Yard, a program of the
Woonasquatucket Valley Community Build, and
Rhode Island Family Life Center.
EPA awarded two Brownfields grants for
$200,000 each to the Steel Yard to clean up two
contaminated sites thatare part of theSteel Yard, a
former steel and iron factory on Sims Avenue
along the Woonasquatucket River. The property
will be redeveloped into green space and an
amphitheater for a market, the arts, community
meetings and environmental education.
The Rl Family Life Center, a non-profit that helps
ex-prisoners reintegrate into the community,
received $200,000 to clean contamination in
the vacant industrial building on a half acre
property located near three densely popu-
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lated neighborhoods with Hispanic populations
of at least 40 percent. The property contained
metals, inorganic materials, possibly PCBs
and an underground storage tank. EPA awarded
$128,000 to clean
hazardous substances
and $72,000 to clean
petroleum contamina-
tion.
Brownfields are proper-
ties with land and build-
ings that sit abandoned
and vacant, unused
because of the presence
or perceived presence of
contamination. Potential
developers are deterred
by the contamination,
and the surrounding
neighborhoods suffer.
Redeveloping these
properties, which tend to
be old commercial and
industrial areas, helps
reduce the damage to
the neighborhood, often
low-income and minor-
ity communities.
"EPA Brownfields
grants are an economic
engine, helping vitality
return to our commu-
nities, and this influx of new EPA funding will
speed up that process," said Robert W. Varney,
Regional Administrator of EPA New England.
"These funds will directly improve the quality of
life in these Rhode Island communities, where
citizens are working to redevelop and put to good
use abandoned, contaminated parcels."
For more information on EPA New England's
Brownfields program, please visit
www.epa.gov/region1/brownfields/index.htm
EPA New England Hosts a
Mystic River Summit
More than 150 federal, state and local officials
joined a group of non-profit organizations at the
Mystic River Watershed Summit and Annual
Report Card event held April 10 at EPA's Boston
office. The summit is part of EPA New England's
Welding demo at the Steelyard
Urban River Strategy and was designed to gener-
ate ideas, develop goals and map a strategy to
restore the Mystic River Watershed. It was an
important step toward EPA's long-term commit-
ment to improving
water quality.
"The Mystic River
has played an impor-
tant role in our local
history, and it's time
to give the watershed
the attention it needs
to thrive once again,"
said Robert W. Varney,
regional administrator
of EPA's New England
office. "It will take a lot
of hard work to restore
this river, but along
with our partners we
are committed to
making a cleaner and
healthier Mystic."
Regional Administrator Robert W. Varney
at Mystic River Summit
EPA New England
is working to form
partnerships with the
Mystic watershed
groups and commu-
nities to restore water
quality in the water-
shed. Revitalizing
the Mystic will be a
challenge, but advocates for the river believe
this collaborative approach will yield the great-
est results and represents the first step toward
reaching the common goal. Environmental
justice is an important consideration in EPA
New England's urban rivers strategy and played
a crucial role in the summit.
For more information on EPA New England's
Mystic Summit, please visit www.epa.gov/
regionl/mysticriver/summit.html
Indoor Air Quality
Tools for Schools Program
EPA's Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools
program, begun in 1995, helps schools maintain
a healthy environment. The program has given
hundreds of schools in New England easy-to-use
products and materials to help them put indoor
air quality management programs in place. The
Tools for Schools program is especially suited to
help schools located in communities with poten-
tial environmental justice concerns identify,
correct and prevent indoor air quality prob-
lems.
"Schools using the Tools for Schools' program
are seeing tangible reductions in asthma
episodes and I urge other schools to follow their
examples," said Robert W. Varney, regional
administrator of EPA's New England office.
Poor indoor air quality can hurt the comfort and
health of students and staff, which in turn can
affect student attendance and performance. In
addition, if schools do not respond promptly to
poor indoor air quality, students and staff are
at an increased risk of short-term health prob-
lems, such as fatigue and nausea, as well as
long-term problems like asthma.
EPA New England's Tools for Schools program
has made progress in all six New England
states, especially Connecticut, since the publi-
cation of the Tools for Schools kit in 1995.
EPA New England received funding in 2007
from EPA's Office of Radiation and Indoor Air
to showcase the training program put together
by the Conn. Department of Public Health for
other state health departments. This effort has
led other states to develop their own strategies
and training programs.
The program can significantly improve envi-
ronmental and public health in communities
exposed disproportionately to environmental
risks. For example, in Hartford, Conn, with
a population that is 38 percent Hispanic, 37
percent African American, and 22 percent non-
Hispanic Caucasian, public schools are located
in the poorest neighborhoods of one of the
poorest cities in the country. Data collected by
school nurses indicate the prevalence of asth-
ma and other respiratory illness among Hartford
children ranges from 6 to 22 percent within
public schools, (http://www.epa.gov/ne/eco/
uep/grants_uei.html). The number of asthma
incidents in Hartford has declined 21.2% in one
year, after Tools for Schools was implemented
in most schools.
In Waterford, Conn, the number of indoor air
quality health complaints in one elementary
school dropped 74 percent from 152 to 40 the
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year after the kit was used. In Hamden, Conn.,
absenteeism was cut by more than half from
484 days to 203 days in the year after the kit
was used in one elementary school.
In New Hampshire, more than 20 schools repre-
senting over 10,000 students and staff have
incorporated EPA's Tools for Schools to track
and improve indoor school environments. And
in Maine, the Indoor Air Quality Council's annu-
al conference will emphasize indoor air quality
in schools.
Since winning EPA's Tools for Schools Excel-
lence Award in 2003, Westborough School
District in Massachusetts has continued to
refine its program in response to suggestions
from staff. In the past two years, no staff, parent
or student has submitted a health problem relat-
ed to indoor air quality to a school nurse.
For more information on EPA's Tools for
Schools program, visit www.epa.gov/iaq/
schools/index.html.
Penobscot Nation Closer to
Realizing Sustenance Fishing
Rights within the Penobscot
Reservation
The Penobscot Indian Nation, which has lived
along the Penobscot River for nearly 10,000
years, is working to restore its river so it can
continue to fish for
food in these waters.
Tribal culture and spir-
ituality emphasize the
connection between
land and people. The
lower portion of the
Penobscot has seen
diminishing sea-run
fisheries in recent
years. Sea-run fish
swim from the ocean
to freshwater rivers to
reproduce. The Penob-
scot River, the second
largest river in the
Northeast, once had 11 species of sea-run fish,
including Atlantic salmon, American shad, river
herring and sturgeon. Migratory barriers, over-
fishing, poor water quality and habitat destruc-
tion generated by log drives and dams have
driven fish populations to all time lows. The
Penobscot River Restoration Project is working
to restore sea-run fish species and continue
energy production.
The project proposes to purchase and remove
two dams, Veazie and Great Works, and redesign
another, Howland Dam, to include a fish by-pass.
A fish by-pass helps fish move safely past dams
and other obstructions. These projects will increase
sustenance fishing for the Penobscot Nation.
The project is a partnership of the Penobscot
Nation, hydropower company PPL Corporation,
Maine Audubon, American Rivers, Atlantic Salmon
Federation, Natural Resources Council of Maine,
The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited and state
and federal agencies. A 2004 agreement with the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission outlines
the project's major objectives.
To achieve these objectives, the agreement
gives the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, the
non-profit established for the project, the option
to buy the three dams from PPL Corporation.
The agreement also gives PPL the chance to
increase power production at six existing dams
to recoup the lost power from the proposed proj-
ect. PPL also agreed to modernize and expand
fish passages at four more dams.
"Many of our tribal members are excited about
getting some fish back to the reservation," said
John Banks, Natural Resources Director for the
Penobscot Nation. "It's difficult to express the
importance of this
project in words. It's
sorta like when your
children get on the
school bus in the
morning, and you hope
for their safe return
after school. After the
salmon go out to sea
to mature, it's nice to
have them come back
home."
The Penobscot River
Restoration Project
will have a wide range
of benefits to fish and wildlife populations, water
quality and communities along the river. The
benefits extend to the whole ecosystem and the
Gulf of Maine. For example, nutrients derived from
sea-run fish will reach farther up river, and the
natural flushing of sediments will reach Penobscot
Bay, restoring a natural cycle to the river. The proj-
ect also will benefit sports fishermen. The restora-
tion of sea-run fisheries will increase tourism and
economic development through fishing.
The Penobscot River Restoration Project received
a $10 million commitment from Congress and
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion. This money, along with $10 million from a
private fundraising campaign, has moved the proj-
ect closer to completion. An additional $25 to $30
million is needed to pay for the whole project.
For more information please visit,
www.penobscotriver.org/ and
www.penobscotnation. org/
ej highlights-grants
Two Non-Profit Groups Awarded
$50,000 EPA Grants
The Committee for Boston Public Housing of
Boston and The Way Home, Inc., of Manchester,
N.H. received $50,000 grants through EPA's
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program.
The Committee for Boston Public Housing
will train residents at home on Integrated Pest
Management. The Committee for Boston Public
Housing was one of 20 community-based organi-
zations across the country that received $50,000
from EPA's Environmental Justice Small Grants
Program for projects in low-income communi-
ties on environmental and public health issues.
Integrated Pest Management focuses on using
safer methods to get rid of pests by reducing
and eliminating the number of pesticides used
in homes. The program's pesticide exchange will
replace commercial pesticides with Home Safe
kits. With input from residents, the program will
also create a public health campaign about the
dangers of pesticide use.
"Educating asthmatic public housing residents
about how the use of pesticides and insecticides
can trigger asthma symptoms will help people
to improve their indoor environment," said Mae
Bradley, executive director of the Committee for
Boston Public Housing.
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The Way Home, through a Healthy Housing Advo-
cacy Project, aims to educate the community and
help residents develop community and tenant
advocacy groups so they can participate in deci-
sions and policies that
affect their health. The
organization hopes to
heighten awareness
of lead poisoning and
its health effects and
causes; to increase the
community's ability to
identify, control, report
and clean environ-
mental hazards; and to
educate tenants on their
rights and responsibili-
ties in regards to safe
and affordable housing.
Presenting check to
partners at Viet-Aid
"Low income families are often afraid to speak up
about housing problems. The EPA grant for our
Healthy Housing Advocacy Project will help resi-
dents learn skills, and participate in a collabora-
tive process to make effective use of local hous-
ing codes, so their housing will be safer for their
children," said Mary Sliney, executive director of
The Way Home.
Funding under EPA's Environmental Justice
Small Grants Program is available to non-profit
organizations designated by the IRS or recog-
nized by the state, territory, commonwealth or
tribe in which it is located.
For more information: EPA environmental
justice grants (www.epa.gov/compliance/
environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.
html)
Vietnamese Non-Profit Awarded
$100,000 EPA Environmental
Justice Grant
The Vietnamese American Initiative for Develop-
ment (Viet-Aid) of Boston was one of 10 groups
across the country to receive a $100,000 EPA
grant to help improve the environment in low
income communities. This money was given
for the Healthy Floor Finishing Project through
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem-Solving Program.
To protect workers in the Boston area, many of
whom are Vietnamese, the project will develop
and distribute materials to business owners and
workers in Vietnamese that will include recom-
mended product substitutions, as well as, fire
prevention and basic
health and safety
information. Safer
chemicals can reduce
fire hazards and help
reduce exposure to
toxic chemicals. The
project will also devel-
op and distribute an
educational program in
Vietnamese for cable
television, radio and
newspapers. Several
hands-on training
sessions on how to
use safer alternatives
will also be scheduled.
"These grants are essential to ensuring that
communities who are more vulnerable to envi-
ronmental challenges have the resources to
promote environmental solutions in their own
neighborhood," said Robert W. Varney, regional
administrator of EPA's New England office.
Healthy Floor Finishing Partners include the
Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety
and Health, New Ecology Inc., University of
Massachusetts Lowell and the UMass Lowell
Department of Work Environment.
The Environmental Justice Collaborative Prob-
lem-Solving Program is available to all non-
profit organizations designated by the IRS or
recognized by the state, territory, commonwealth
or tribe in which it is located.
For more information on EPA's Collabora-
tive Problem-Solving Cooperative Agree-
ment program, please visit www.epa.gov/
compliance/environmentaljustice/grants/
ej-cps-grants.html)
Community Action for a Renewed
Environment (CARE) Grants to
Promote EJ
Health risks in Bridgeport, Conn, and Newport,
Rl will be assessed and addressed, thanks
to two grants given for about $100,000 each
"This is an open door of oppor-
tunity for the City of Newport;
we are excited to move forward
to improve the environmental
health issues that face us. The
grant will allow us to look at
a range of issues, identify the
top five health concerns and
take some definitive action."
—James Sattel, Southern Rhode Island
Area Health Education Center
through EPA New England's Community Action
fora Renewed Environment program. Both
grants will address environmental and public
health concerns on the local level, and both
cities will see tangible and sustainable benefits
from these funds.
The Connecticut Coalition for Environmental
Justice was awarded $99,962 from the CARE
program to assess risks from toxics and envi-
ronmental pollutants in Bridgeport, the largest
city in Connecticut. Bridgeport has one in five
residents living below the poverty line, double
the state average. The Connecticut Coalition will
also use the money to set priorities for pollu-
tion reduction and to develop a plan for action to
reduce residents' exposure to toxins.
The Rhode Island Area Health Education Center
received $100,000 to establish a community
coalition to identify, rankand prioritize risks posed
by environmental health issues in Newport. The
organization will also take the lead in developing
a plan to address these issues.
"[We] have developed a list of
over 30 environmental hazards
in Bridgeport that affect the
health of community residents,
especially children."
- Elizabeth Ratliff, CCEJ Board of
Directors and Bridgeport resident
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Despite its reputation as a community of wealth,
Newport has a poverty rate of 24 percent and an
old housing stock that is linked to its high rate
(7.8 percent) of childhood lead poisoning. In
addition, 42 percent of households report at least
one family member with asthma. The community
has also experienced poor air quality and numer-
ous beach closures (38 closures from 2004 to
2005) due to water quality issues.
For more information on EPA's Community
Action for a Renewed Environment, please
visit www.epa.gov/care/
tin activities
U.S. Senate Committee on
Environment and Public Works
Subcommittee on Superfund and
Environmental Health hearing
entitled, "Oversight of the EPA's
Environmental Justice Programs."
July 25, 2007
The Senate Environment and Public Works
Subcommittee on Superfund and Environ-
mental Health, chaired by Senator Hillary
Rodham Clinton (D-NY), held the first-ever
Senate hearing to provide oversight into EPA's
environmental justice programs. The hearing on
July 25, 2007 was held in light of recent reports
from the Government Accountability Office and
the Inspector General of the EPA that raised
concerns about EPA's commitment to environ-
mental justice.
Granta Nakayama, assistant administrator in
EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance, participated as a witness at the hear-
ing. Nakayma focused on EPA's environmental
justice accomplishments, what has been learned
from those accomplishments, and how EPA
plans to continue efforts to address environmen-
tal justice. Granta Nakayama'sfull testimony can
befoundatwww.epa.gov/compliance/resources/
policies/ej/index.html.
EPA New England ej cnntacts
Sharon Wells
Acting Director, Office of
Civil Rights & Urban Affairs
617-918-1007
wells.sharon@epa.gov
Amy Tuberson
Environmental Justice Coordinator
617-918-1346
tuberson.amy@epa.gov
Kwabena Kye-Aboagye
Environmental Justice Specialist
617-918-1609
kye-aboagye.kwabena@epa.gov
state cnntacts
Connecticut
Edith Pestana, CT DEP
Environmental Equity Program
860-424-3044
Maine
Malcolm Burson, ME DEP
207-287-8662
Massachusetts
David Cash, MA EOEEA
617-626-1164
New Hampshire
Michael Walls, NH DES
603-271-8806
Rhode Island
Terry Gray, Rl DEM
401-222-4700 ext. 2422
Vermont
Anne Whiteley, VTANR
802-241-3808
web resnurces
EPA New England
Environmental Justice Program website
http://www.epa.gov/region1/ej/index.html
National Office of Environmental Justice
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmental-
justice/index.html
National Environmental Justice
Advisory Council
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmental-
justice/nejac/index.html
National Office of Civil Rights
http://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 constitute an endorsement by EPA
or any of its employees of the sponsors of this site or the infor-
mation or products presented on the site.
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