&EPA
190B12019
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategy
FY 2012 Action Plan Annual Progress Report
strategy 2: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
Work to reduce and prevent harmful exposures and health risks to children and underserved, disproportionately
impacted low-income, minority, and tribal communities, and support community efforts to build healthy,
sustainable green neighborhoods.
Executive Summary
In January 2010, Administrator Jackson made Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for
Environmental Justice one of EPA's key priorities. This priority challenges EPA to address the needs of communities that
are under-represented in environmental decision making and overburdened by environmental pollution. In FY 2012,
EPA took important steps to: (1) promote Environmental Justice (EJ) and Children's Health (CH) in the National Program
Managers' (NPM) Guidance process; (2) incorporate EJ and CH into rulemaking; (3) replicate and expand best practices
from EPA's multi-media community-based programs; (4) develop a common EJ screening platform; and, (5) work with
states, tribes, and territories using the Healthy Schools Initiative. In addition, EPA is continuing to implement Plan EJ
2014 (http://www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/plan-ei/). This Cross-Cutting Fundamental Strategy contains Plan EJ
2014 commitments to maintain a focus on this work. Some of the most significant FY 2012 Agency accomplishments
demonstrating how EPA works for EJ and CH and their challenges are noted below.
Accomplishment Highlights:
S NPMs included CH and Plan EJ 2014 commitments and EJ program initiatives in the FY 2013 NPM guidance
operational measures that capture actions relevant to advancing EJ and CH.
S EPA completed an assessment of 47 promising practices from Regional implementation of community-based
programs from which EPA senior management developed eight recommendations for aligning and harmonizing
future Agency community-based work. Each EPA Region has identified a community in which to pilot these
recommendations in FY 2013, with the intent to improve EPA's support and maximize results in communities.
S EPA's Region 1 led the development of the concept of EJ and Permitting Regional Implementation Plans under the
Plan EJ 2014 Permitting Initiative. The purpose of the plans is to establish a process for prioritizing enhanced public
involvement opportunities for EPA-issued permits that a Region finds may disproportionately impact overburdened
communities. Region 1 will pilot its plan in FY 2013 to serve as a model for other Regions. Additionally, the Office of
Air and Radiation, Office of General Counsel, and Region 1 drafted and released for public comment an EJ and
Permitting "Good Practices" document.
S EPA developed the EJSCREEN tool that is now available to every EPA employee via an internal Agency GeoPlatform.
This tool will increase consistency in the data and methods used for environmental-justice screening and generate
cost savings across the Agency.
S The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention launched the School Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
program. The launch coordinated EPA intramural and extramural components and integrated efforts across the
country to protect schools and school children from the hazards carried by pests. The program also integrated IPM
efforts across the federal government, including the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services
(Centers for Disease Control).
FY 2012 Annual Progress Report: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
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•S The Office of Children's Health Protection (OCHP) participated in 32 regulatory workgroups, contributing to many of
the most important actions for protecting children's health, including the mercury air toxics rule and development of
the proposed rule for perchlorate.
•S Through grants awarded to Alabama and Tennessee in 2011 as part of the School Chemical Cleanout Campaign
program, Region 4 safely removed over 6,200 pounds of chemicals from 20 schools, protecting approximately
15,000 children from harm and trained over 650 teachers on green and microscale chemistry to implement
measures for safer chemical management in schools. Region 8 developed and printed over 11,000 booklets for
distribution nationally on "Sensible Steps to Healthier School Environments." The booklets provide information to
address some of the most common environmental health concerns in schools and identify low-cost or no-cost
measures, programs, and resources available to help prevent, reduce, or resolve each of the highlighted
environmental health concerns.
Challenges:
•S The Agency did not develop new FY 2014 annual budget measures for EJ and CH due to budget uncertainties. The
Agency will rely on commitments in NPM Guidance documents to plan for and track EJ and CH program activities.
•S Efforts to establish implementation plans for OCHP and lead Regional Schools Coordinators as part of the Clean
Green and Healthy Schools initiative were delayed due to funding constraints.
FY 2012 Annual Progress Report: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
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FY 2012 Performance Summary
Strategy 2: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
FY 2012 Action Plan Activity
1. The Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP), Office of
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), Office of
Solid Waste and Emergency Response (OSWER), and Office
of Water (OW) will establish and maintain annual
performance expectations for EJ and CH and report annual
progress through the following (Supports Principle 2):
• FY2013 NPM Guidance Process: Each of the five
National Program Managers (NPMs) will work with the
Regions and Strategy Champions to include, in their
Draft FY 2013 NPM Guidance, qualitative expectations
for both HQand Regions for incorporating EJ and CH
into program initiatives/program activities, and/or
annual commitments (i.e., Annual Commitment
System [ACS] measures) with numeric targets.
Quantitative annual commitments will address actions
that promote EJ/CH or would address
environmental/health conditions of overburdened
communities/children (February 2012).
• FY 2014 Annual Planning and Budget Process: Each of
the five offices will work with the Regions and EJ/CH
Strategy Champions to develop EJ and CH annual
performance measures (with targets) for inclusion in
the FY 2014 budget submission. These measures will
characterize EJ/CH actions to be taken, or characterize
environmental or health conditions of overburdened
communities/children (September 2012).
2. Incorporating Environmental Justice and Children's
Health into Rulemaking: Develop and implement guidance
to support continuing consideration of EJ and CH in
rulemakings (Supports Principle 1).
• EPA will develop the first draft of EJ in Rulemaking
Technical Guidance (August 30, 2012).
• EPA will consult with the Children's Health Protection
Advisory Committee on opportunities and methods to
consistently incorporate children's health in
rulemaking actions regarding specified Priority
Chemical Hazards for children's health (by September
30, 2012).
Status/Explanation
>^ = Activity Complete
•/
No new budget measures were developed given the
uncertainty of the budget environment.
•/
•/
Engaged the Children's Health Protection Advisory
Committee in providing cross-cutting input on priority
actions to protect children's health, including EPA
rulemaking actions on lead poisoning prevention,
indoor environments, and particulate matter ambient
air quality standards.
Y 2012 Annual Progress Report: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
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FY 2012 Performance Summary
Strategy 2: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
FY 2012 Action Plan Activity
• The Office of Children's Health Protection (OCHP) will
create a plan to implement cross-Agency coordination
on established list of Priority Chemical Hazards for
children's health. This plan will identify chemicals that
would benefit from enhanced coordination, outline
coordination needs, and establish workgroups as
necessary (by June 30, 2012).
3. Replicate and expand use of best practices from EPA's
multi-media community-based programs to improve their
efficiency and effectiveness for reducing environmental
risks and promoting healthy, sustainable, and livable
communities, especially among underserved and
overburdened populations. This will improve EPA's
collective understanding of how to harmonize EPA's
programs to strengthen the way EPA supports
communities through its grant and technical assistance
programs. (OSWER and the Office of Policy (OP) will co-
lead with assistance from Region 1, Region 5, and OECA)
(Supports Principles 5 and 6).
• By June 2012, conduct an Agency-wide assessment of
best practices and lessons learned from Regional
implementation of community-based programs (e.g.,
Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE),
Environmental Justice Showcase Communities,
Partnership for Sustainable Communities, Brownfields
and Area-Wide Planning Projects, Urban Waters).
Senior Agency managers will then review the
assessment and produce recommendations for future
community program development by August 2012.
• By September 2012, identify one underserved and
overburdened community in each Region, where EPA
and other federal agency efforts and resources exist,
to apply the senior management recommendations.
Using the CARE program infrastructure and other
tools, align Agency resources and leverage
partnerships with public and private sector entities to
encourage greater investments and strengthen our
ability to produce environmental and public health
benefits.
4. Information Development: Develop a common
screening platform and tools to enhance EJ analysis and
decision making by releasing a working prototype of
EJSCREEN tool by April 2012 (Supports Principle 4).
Status/Explanation
>^ = Activity Complete
While no formal plan was finalized, OCHP continues
to manage cross-Agency coordination as needed.
•/
•/
Each Region identified a location or geographic region
in which to apply suggested recommendations in
2013 for improving community-based work.
Y 2012 Annual Progress Report: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
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FY 2012 Performance Summary
Strategy 2: Working for Environmental Justice and Children's Health
FY 2012 Action Plan Activity
• Develop a common mapping platform and tools to
enhance EJ analysis and decision making by releasing a
working prototype of EJSCREEN tool by April 2012.
5. Each NPM will identify at least one program or activity
as part of Plan EJ 2014, where it will focus existing
activities to maximize environmental and human health
benefits for disproportionately burdened communities
(Supports Principle 2).
• By December 2011, NPMs will identify at least one
program activity based on populations served, EJ goals
advanced, and other criteria.
• By February 2012, NPMs will provide guidance in FY
2013 NPM Guidance regarding EJ program activities.
• By June 2012, NPMs will develop plans for tailoring
program activities to maximize environmental and/or
public health benefits for overburdened communities
and report on these benefits in a qualitative and
quantitative manner.
6. Work with states, tribes, and territories, using the
Children's Healthy Communities: Clean, Green, and
Healthy Schools Initiative approach to improve children's
environmental health in school settings by providing
outreach and technical assistance to states, tribes, and
school districts (Supports Principle 5).
• Headquarters offices (OCHP, OAR, OSCPP, and OSWER)
will coordinate with Regions in the development and
implementation of Agency efforts to create healthier
school facilities and learning environments (by January
31,2012).
• EPA will establish implementation plans for OCHP and
lead Regional Schools Coordinators to provide focused
outreach and technical assistance to states, tribes, and
territories to increase adoption of EPA's guidelines and
programmatic school environmental health tools (by
February 29, 2012).
Status/Explanation
>^ = Activity Complete
•/
The Agency transition period began on 10/2/12.
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