Environmental Justice
Progress Report
vvEPA
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EPA-300-R-17-001
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Table of Contents
Preface 5
Direct Support 7
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement 7
Brownfields Grant Programs 8
Urban Waters Grant Program 8
Office of Air and Radiation Initiatives 9
Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) 10
EJ Integration 11
EJ 2020 Action Agenda 11
EJ 2020 Stakeholder Engagement Highlights: 11
Connecting Communities to EPA Rulemaking & EJ Tech Guidance trainings 12
Addressing Environmental Challenges Through Collaborative Projects 12
Sharing Data, Mapping, and Research Tools 13
EJSCREEN 13
EJ Research Road map 14
Integrating EJ Policy guidance into the National Drinking Water Action Plan 14
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council 14
Engagement and Partnerships 15
Collaborating Across the Federal Family 15
Making a Visible Difference in Communities 16
Goods Movement 17
Equitable Development 19
Launching Brownfields to Healthfields for Appalachia at the Central Appalachia Brownfields Summit 20
Moving Forward 21
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Preface
In 2016, EPA continued to actively pursue advancing
environmental justice and building on the progress towards
achieving better environmental outcomes and reducing
disparities in the nation's most overburdened communities.
EPA's Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 Annual Environmental Justice
(EJ) Progress Report highlights our efforts to address
environmental and public health issues and challenges
confronting the nation's minority, low-income, tribal and
indigenous populations.
EPA has made great strides towards upholding the
principles of environmental justice. This work has reached
new levels as environmental justice is now recognized as
a shared responsibility throughout the Agency. EPA has
dedicated staff committed to helping make our vulnerable,
environmentally burdened, and economically distressed
communities healthier, cleaner and more sustainable
places in which to live, work, play and learn.
This Progress Report contains information about EPA's
work in the following three areas:
Providing Direct Support;
Increasing EJ Integration; and
Building Engagement and Partnerships.
The activities outlined in this Progress Report reflects
EPA's decades of building the infrastructure for achieving
better environmental and health outcomes. Additionally,
these activities illustrate how the Agency continues to
collaborate with state, local and federal partners to focus
on meaningful engagement with our most vulnerable
populations, which we believe is a critical component of
catalyzing the revitalization of overburdened communities.
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Direct Support
The EPA provides direct support, through financial and
technical assistance, to low-income, minority and tribal
communities for the implementation of projects that
safeguard the environment and public health in direct
relation to EPA's statutory authorities. Resources are
allocated to improving the quality of the air, land and water
so that communities may live, work and play in healthier,
more sustainable environments.
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative
Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement
EPA's Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
(EJ CPS) Cooperative Agreement program provides
funding for non-profit and tribal organizations to partner
with stakeholders from across industry, government,
and academia to develop and implement solutions that
significantly address local environmental and/or public
health issues in America's low income and minority
communities. The EJ CPS Program assists recipients in
building collaborative partnerships by using the EPA's
Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving
Model as a required part of their projects.
In 2016, EJ CPS program funding totaled $1.2 million
and was awarded to 10 community-based organizations
supporting 2-year projects. The projects are positioned
to address a variety
of environmental
justice issues
through innovative
project activities
in areas such as:
green infrastructure,
stormwater
management, solid
waste removal, indoor
air pollution, and
subsistence fishing.
In one EJ CPS grant, El Centra de la Raza, a community
group based in Seattle, Washington, will receive up to
$120,000 over two years to support the "Beacon Hill
Environmental Health Collaboration" project to reduce
air and noise pollution through educational outreach,
engagement, and capacity building. Read more about that
project here. Another grantee, The Mary Queen of Viet
Nam Community Development Corporation, is utilizing the
EJ CPS program to implement stormwater management
and pollution reduction in the Bayou Michoud area.
Specifically, the group will create, design and implement a
demonstration riparian buffer, which can replicate pollution
reduction in the Gulf. Read more about that project here.
2016 EJCPS Funding
10
Community Based Organizations
2
Year Projects
1.2
Million
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DIRECT SUPPORT
Brownfields Grant Programs
Many communities are struggling to address blighted and
contaminated property. The Brownfields grant program
is one avenue to address urban and rural development
challenges in underserved communities. EPA's Brownfields
Program provides grants and technical assistance to
communities, states, tribes, and others to assess, safely
clean up and sustain ably reuse properties that may have
hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants present.
Cleaning up and reinvesting in brownfields protects human
health and the environment, reduces blight, and takes
development pressures off green spaces and working
lands.
In 2016, EPA awarded 218 Brownfields grants to 132
communities, which totaled $55.8 million. These funds
assisted communities and businesses in returning
economic stability to underserved and economically
distressed neighborhoods through the assessment
and cleanup of abandoned industrial and commercial
properties. EPA's grant awards supported both urban
and rural communities in their efforts to address their
brownfields concerns. More than sixty-nine percent of
the communities selected to receive an award were cities
and towns with populations of 100,000 or less. Thirty-
one percent of these recipients were very small rural
communities with populations of 10,000 or less.
557 Graduates
Since 2007
444 Graduates
with average starting wage of
$14.54/hour
2016 Brownfield Grants
218 Grants
+
132 Communities
$55.8 Million
EPA's environmental job training program has enabled
the City of Tacoma to provide training for environmental
jobs. Participants learn how to develop, maintain and
comply with stormwater management plans, and they
earn an erosion and sediment control lead certification,
which is often necessary to inspect stormwater permits
at construction sites. The program hosts a regular forum
where employers can speak with graduates about their
line of business and sometimes recruit graduates on the
spot for jobs as environmental technicians, environmental
laborers, hazardous material technicians, asbestos
inspectors and green construction laborers. They have
trained 557 graduates since2000 and 447 graduates have
obtained employment with an average starting hourly wage
of $14.54
Urban Waters Grant Program
EPA's Urban Waters Program makes environmental
justice a priority. The Urban Waters Program co-leads the
14-member Urban Waters Federal Partnership, reconnects
communities, particularly those that are overburdened
or economically distressed, with their waterways by
improving coordination among federal agencies and
collaborating with community-led revitalization efforts.
In 2016, the Partnership held a public National Training
Workshop with an entire track dedicated to training
on environmental justice and authentic community
engagement.
In 2016, EPA's Urban Waters Program awarded $1.3
million in Urban Waters Small Grants to 22 organizations
nationwide to help protect and restore waters, improve
water quality, and support community and economic
development in underserved communities. The Urban
Waters Program also supports the Five Star and
Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program, a public-
private partnership managed by the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). The Urban Waters Federal
Partnership co-leads this grant program and gives
priority to projects that advance water quality goals in
environmental justice communities. This emphasis on EJ
led NFWF to conduct its own study in 2016 to assess this
2016 Brownfield Grants
ฆ
ฆ
Population of 100,000 or less
Population of 10,000 or less
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DIRECT SUPPORT
grant program's reach and impact on EJ communities.
As a result, the NFWF has refined its outreach techniques
and committed to awarding at least 50% of grants to
communities with EJ concerns. In 2016, approximately
70% of all Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration
Grants were awarded to projects planned in underserved
communities.
The cases here show how the Urban Waters Program's
grant-making has driven capacity building and inclusion in
underserved, overburdened communities.
Atlanta, Georgia: Emerald Corridor Foundation is
partnering with residents to build a rain garden project in
Proctor Creek, a community with EJ concerns suffering
high unemployment and a decline in public health. The rain
garden partnership is in the initial planning phase where
organizers are building engagement strategies, conducting
outreach with neighbors in the watershed, and starting
conversations about data and site selection. The rain
garden will use native vegetation and drainage techniques
to restore habitat, support natural hydrology, and reduce
stormwater runoff flows. Local people will learn ways to be
land and water stewards while creating public amenities.
EPA's Urban Waters Program and Southern Company
support this project through a Five Star and Urban Waters
Restoration grant, a public private partnership that
leverages federal funding a one-dollar public to two dollars
private ratio.
The NFWF pledges at least
50%
of grants to EJ Communities.
In 2016 EJ Communities recieved
70%
of Five Star & Urban Water grants.
Rapid City, South Dakota: Working with nearby tribes
and in partnership with the Rural American Initiatives
Agency, the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
has received an Urban Waters Small Grant to provide
training on stormwater management practices and low-
impact development design practices. These trainings
will culminate in a community design charrette aimed
at creating a vision for development through Rural
America Initiatives. The green infrastructure, low-impact
2016 Urban Waters Small Grants
$1.3 Million
Restore Waters Improve Water Quality
Support Community & Economic Development
development, and stormwater management practices they
share will promote ways to protect urban water resources
in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Support to current and past grantees is made available
through the Urban Waters Learning Network. Funded by
EPA, in 2016 the Network launched a new online resource
portal with 24 stories, webinars, and guides available
to the public on environmental justice. The Network is a
community of grantees and practitioners that share on-
the-ground experiences to improve waterways and the
neighborhoods around them with the public. For example,
the Network's new site offers a webinar on "Engaging
Minority Audiences" and a guidebook on "Diversity and
Inclusiveness."
Office of Air and Radiation Initiatives
In FY2016, OAR used a variety of approaches to help
increase meaningful participation in air-related EPA
activities by communities disproportionately impacted
by environmental harms and risks, and to assist other
stakeholders in understanding disproportionately affected
communities. Typically, these activities were undertaken in
partnership with EPA regional offices, other federal, state
and local air agencies, industry, and/or community groups.
For example, the Office of Air Quality Planning and
Standards held conference calls and webinars for
communities and tribes to explain proposed regulations
such as the Refinery Rule, which includes requirements for
fence-line monitoring, and the Clean Power Plan. OAQPS
also hosted in-person training workshops in Camden,
NJ and Newport News, VA to equip those communities
with a basic understanding of air quality issues and the
permitting process under the Clean Air Act, better enabling
community members to participate meaningfully in public
comment periods on proposed permits and rules. OAR's
Office of Transportation and Air Quality awarded $20
million Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Grants in
FY 16 for seaport and goods movement projects for near-
port communities. Coupled with the funding, outreach was
provided to the seaport industry through the publishing
of 'The Draft Environmental Justice Primer for Ports: The
Good Neighbor Guide to Building Partnerships and Social
Equity with Communities." And the Office of Atmospheric
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DIRECT SUPPORT
Programs developed fact sheets summarizing points from
the "Climate and Health Assessment" released by the U.S.
Global Change and Research Program for eight different
populations shown to be disproportionately affected by
climate change impacts, including communities with
environmental justice concerns, indigenous populations,
and children.
Technical Assistance Services for
Communities (TASC)
EPA's national Technical Assistance Services for
Communities (TASC) program provides independent
assistance through an EPA contract to help communities
better understand the science, regulations and policies
of environmental issues and EPA actions. Under
the TASC contract, a contractor provides scientists,
engineers and other professionals to review and explain
information to communities. The services are determined
on a project-specific basis and provided at no cost to
communities. This assistance supports community efforts
to get more involved and work productively with EPA
to address environmental issues. TASC services can
include information assistance and expertise, community
education, information assistance needs evaluation and
plan development, and assistance to help community
members work together to participate effectively in
environmental decision-making. The TASC program
benefits communities by explaining technical findings and
answering community questions, helping them understand
complex environmental issues, and supporting their active
roles in protecting healthy communities and advancing
environmental protection. The TASC program can also
provide opportunities for environmental education, bring
diverse groups together and help them get more involved.
In FY2016, the EJ Technical Assistance Services
for Communities (TASC) program provided technical
assistance to approximately 10 communities. The
program provided the communities with the technical
expertise and information to address a variety of issues
and develop a variety of tools and solutions to their
environmental justice issues such as: Community-Based
Environmental Monitoring System in California; R5 Asthma
Summit; Capacity building for Near Port communities -
Ports 101 Primer in Seattle, Training Citizen Scientist in
Vermont, Communicating Climate Change in Brooklyn
New York; Helping Tribal Communities in Minnesota; and
Encouraging Recycling in Massachusetts. The technical
assistance also provided the technical expertise and
facilitation support to create collaborations and networks
between state and community stakeholders through the
R6 Multi-state EJ Summit and EJ Community Leadership
Academy.
These examples illustrate the range of approaches -
conference calls, training, publications, grants, etc. - OAR
used in FY2016 to help communities disproportionately
impacted by environmental harms and risks and to help
other stakeholders to understand impacted communities.
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8 Priority Areas in EJ 2020
# Rule Making # State & Local Governments
Permitting Federal Agencies
iff. Compliance & Enforcement Community-based Work
3^ Science Tribes & Indigenous People
Integration
EJ
The EPA actively seeks to incorporate the principles of
environmental justice at all levels of the Agency. In addition
to developing a strategic plan and directly supporting the
integration of environmental justice considerations with
other EPA and federal officials, the Agency has released
numerous tools and products to assist Agency staff,
partners in federal, state, local and tribal agencies, as well
as other stakeholders such as communities, business and
industry, academia, etc. to assist in the consideration and
incorporation of environmental justice into their practices
and processes.
EJ 2020 Action Agenda
In 2016, EPA released the EJ 2020 Action Agenda (EJ
2020), the Agency's strategic plan for environmental justice
for the years 2016 to 2020.
It is a roadmap for how EPA
can integrate environmental
justice into everything we do,
cultivate strong partnerships
to improve on-the-ground
results, and chart a path
forward for achieving better
environmental outcomes
and reduce disparities in the
nation's most overburdened
communities.
This strategic plan is intended to be a "living document"
that promotes government transparency, accountability,
and creates opportunities to strengthen stakeholder
engagement, enhance collaborations with partners,
and demonstrate meaningful progress. EJ 2020 builds
on the foundation established by EPA's previous
strategic plan, Plan EJ 2014, as well as decades
of significant environmental justice practice by the
Agency, communities, and other environmental justice
stakeholders.
EJ 2020 Stakeholder Engagement Highlights:
With input from every EPA program, region and
a variety of stakeholders, EJ 2020 contains
eight priority areas with strategies and actions
on rulemaking, permitting, compliance and
enforcement, science, states and local governments,
federal agencies, community-based work, and tribes
and indigenous peoples. It also includes efforts
This strategic plan is
intended to be a
"living document"
that promotes
government
accountability
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EJ I NT E RQ RAT I O N
and measures to demonstrate progress on four
significant national EJ challenges: lead disparities,
small and tribal drinking water systems, fine particle
air pollution, and exposure to hazardous waste sites.
EPA conducted two public comment periods on EJ
2020, receiving robust comments concerning a wide
range of issues. These comments helped refine the
Action Agenda and will continue to serve as a source
of stakeholder input as we implement EJ 2020.
Agency staff conducted over one hundred meetings
across the country, held four national webinars,
and conducted national tribal coordination and
consultation, along with outreach efforts with
indigenous peoples, so that stakeholders could have
additional opportunities to provide input and ask
questions on EJ 2020.
EJ 2020 engagement included dialogue with a broad
range of diverse stakeholders including federal, state,
tribal and city governments, local municipalities, business
and industry, regional planning groups, community
organizations, scientists and academic leaders. Many
prominent governmental partners and stakeholders
provided testimonial feedback on EJ 2020 to reflect
on our progress, identify challenges and explore future
opportunities to advance environmental justice to the next
level in The Promise of EJ 2020 video and "What people
are saying about EJ 2020."
Connecting Communities to EPA Rulemaking
& EJ Tech Guidance trainings
The Technical Guidance for Assessing Environmental
Justice in Regulatory Analysis (EJ Technical Guidance)
was released June2016, to help EPA analysts evaluate
potential environmental justice (EJ) concerns associated
with EPA regulatory actions. While the EJ Action
Development Process Guide issued in May 2015
(Guidance on Considering Environmental Justice During
the Development of an Action) provides direction on
when EJ should be considered during rulemaking, this
latest guidance provides direction on how to do so in an
analytical fashion. It directs analysts to assess whether
EJ concerns exist prior to the rulemaking and whether
such concerns are exacerbated or mitigated for in each
regulatory option under consideration. The EJ Technical
Guidance considers EPA's past experience in integrating
EJ into the rulemaking process, and underscores EPA's
ongoing commitment to ensuring the fair treatment and
meaningful involvement of all people with respect to
the development, implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
As part of the release, EPA offered two trainings on
the technical guidance in the form of public webinars.
Internally, EPA's national programs will conduct trainings
on the technical guidance as well. The Office of Air Quality
Planning and Standards (OAQPS) is the first program to
conduct a training on the new technical guidance. As part
of EJ2020, EPA is committed to ensuring the guidance is
widely available and is developing training and tracking
to ensure analysts have the tools needed to conduct EJ
analyses for rules.
Addressing Environmental Challenges
Through Collaborative Projects
Environmental justice has been pursued by vulnerable
communities, indigenous peoples and the international
community for many years, including in the context of
human rights and the environment. At various times,
the EPA has been asked to share our work, policies and
activities on environmental justice (EJ) with representatives
from various countries, as well as with representatives
of community-based non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) who are working to create EJ programs in their
countries. The U.S. State Department's Bureau of
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor leads U.S. efforts
to promote democracy, to advance labor rights globally
and to promote human rights. As the lead for domestic
environmental programs, the Agency is asked to help
coordinate the U.S. Government's response to the
environmental and public health concerns raised within the
context of international human rights treaty obligations.
Over the course of 2016, EPA:
Developed guidance for considering tribal
treaty rights during EPA tribal consultation in
February which led to a signed Memorandum of
Understanding on federal interagency coordination
and collaboration on tribal treaty rights in September.
Coordinated and participated in the "Environmental
Justice and Indigenous Peoples" side event at the
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, held at
the U.S. Mission in New York in May, so as to share
best practices and gain insight into other countries'
experiences.
Assisted with the coordination of, and participated
in, the U.S. Government's Universal Periodic
Review (on human rights) civil society consultation
on economic, cultural, social, indigenous and
environment issues, held in August, hosted by the
Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The consultation focused on access to safe drinking
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EJ I NT E RQ RAT I O N
water, indigenous issues, and work of the federal
interagency working group on environmental justice.
Created an EPA webpage on EPA's Role in
Promoting International Human Rights, Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, and Environmental Justice, in
August, to help inform the public of EPA's work in
these important areas.
At the request of the Korean Government and
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), reviewed and provided input
on the Environmental Performance Review (EPR) for
Korea in July - a review which included, for the first
time, a country's environmental justice (EJ) program.
Presented on EJ and engaged in dialogue with the
member countries and the Korean delegation during
an EPR meeting on the U.S. EJ program and U.S. EJ
experiences in November.
Coordinated and facilitated a training workshop
on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples, and federal interagency coordination on the
Declaration in December.
Sharing Data, Mapping, and
Research Tools
EPA has released updates to several mapping and data
tools and road maps to help advance the integration of
science to better understand cumulative exposure, risk,
and impact for all stakeholders working on environmental
justice issues. The following tools provide information,
strategies, models, databases, and analytical methods
to the public that will enhance analysis in support of
communities around the country.
EPA is focused on sharing
EJSCREEN
With Governmental Partners
To provide consistent tools and approaches
Affected Communities
To find a starting point for discussions
& The General Public
To educate about EJ Communities
EJSCREEN
In Spring 2016, EPA released the full public version of
EJSCREEN. This release represented a significant step
forward for EPA's efforts to integrate EJ considerations
into federal agency policies, programs, and initiatives.
EJSCREEN is a web-based mapping tool that provides
an easy way to look at a variety of environmental/
demographic data; and provides EPA with a nationally
consistent dataset and methodology to highlight places
that may be candidates for further review, analysis, or
outreach as the agency develops programs, policies, and
other activities to help overburdened communities. Prior
to this release, in Summer 2015, EPA publicly released the
'interim version' of EJSCREEN to educate, engage, and
collect feedback from stakeholders on the tool.
Since the public release, EJSCREEN has quickly grown
to have thousands of regular users from many different
sectors including community-based organizations,
academia, business/industry, and all levels of government.
During that time, EPA has worked with several local
governments, states, and other federal agencies to employ
the use of EJSCREEN to identify communities where they
can focus efforts to deliver support to communities that
need it most. EJSCREEN also plays an important role in
the implementation of the EJ 2020 Action Agenda as well
as other Agency work. Under the EJ 2020 Action Agenda,
EPA is specifically focused on sharing information and
training on EJSCREEN with:
Governmental partners, in order to provide federal,
state, tribal, and local governments with consistent
tools and approaches for considering environmental
justice in their work;
Affected communities, in order to provide screening
level information as a starting point for further
analysis and/or dialogue on potential issues
surrounding them; and the
General public, in order to further a basic
understanding of environmental justice through an
easy-to-use way to visualize environmental and
demographic data.
EPA has worked with partners and communities
to develop collaborative uses of the tool in order
to be more transparent about how we consider
environmental justice in our work, assist our
stakeholders in making informed decisions, and
create a common starting point for dialogue.
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EJ I NT E RQ RAT I O N
EJ Research Road map
EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD) has
committed to developing an Environmental Justice
Research Road map to describe and better understand
the interface between environmental justice and
science, and outlines opportunities that exist in the link
between environmental equity and technology. ORD
research related to environmental justice will strengthen
the scientific foundation for actions at the Agency,
Tribal, State, local, and community levels to address
environmental and health inequalities in overburdened
populations and communities across our country. The
Research Road map was reviewed by the ORD Board of
Scientific Counselors Executive Council. Their comments
were incorporated into a revised version of the EJ
Research Road map that was made public earlier this
year and is available here. In addition, ORD produced an
EJ Research Road map Annual Report, which is available
online here.
Integrating EJ Policy Guidance into the
National Drinking Water Action Plan
As part of its efforts to draft the National Drinking Water
Action Plan, the Office of Water convened a series
of community round tables to engage overburdened
communities and gather community perspectives about
how EPA can improve its implementation of the SDWA
that will ultimately benefit communities across the country.
In addition to a virtual meeting with national advocates,
roundtables were convened in environmental justice
communities in Visalia, California; Kansas City, Missouri;
Atlanta, Georgia; and Reading, Pennsylvania.
OEJ worked collaboratively to incorporate statutory based
considerations within the Agency's National Drinking Water
Action Plan, which is the Agency's national call to action,
urging all levels of government, utilities and other key
stakeholders to work together to address the challenges
the nation faces regarding aging infrastructure and limited
funding and management capacity. Also in a collaborative
effort between OEJ and the Office of Water, the Agency
presented a charge to the National Environmental Justice
Advisory Council to request advice and recommendations
on Environmental Justice and Water Infrastructure Finance
and Management.
OEJ's effort places emphasis on small, economically
distressed and environmentally overburdened
communities, degradation of sources of drinking water
within vulnerable communities, and subpopulations that
may be at greater risk from regulated or unregulated
contaminants than the general population.
National Environmental Justice Advisory
Council
The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
(NEJAC), a federal advisory committee, was established
September 30, 1993. The council provides advice and
recommendations on broad, cross-cutting issues related
to environmental justice from multiple or diverse group
of stakeholders involved in the environmental justice
dialogue. The NEJAC's efforts include evaluation of
abroad range of strategic, scientific, technological,
regulatory, community engagement, and economic issues
related to environmental justice. Some notable council
accomplishments in 2016 include:
Held two public meetings (Gulfport, MS and
Arlington, VA) and four public teleconference
meetings that resulted in furthering the production of
advice and recommendations on several important
policy issues.
Created two workgroups in response to EPA
requesting recommendations on communication of
monitoring data to communities and best practices
on to addressing climate change concerns from a
youth perspective.
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Engagement and Partnerships
The EPA recognizes the necessity of meaningfully engaging
stakeholders, such as through public participation, in an
effort to sustain partnerships that best serve the interests
of our most vulnerable communities. The Agency continues
to encourage this engagement as a critical component of
community revitalization.
Collaborating Across the Federal Family
The Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental
Justice (EJ IWG) is comprised of 17 federal agencies
and White House offices working together to: advance
environmental justice principles across the federal
government; engage and support local communities in
addressing environmental and human health impacts;
and promote and implement comprehensive solutions for
environmental justice concerns.
During the first year of implementation of the EJ IWG's FY
16-18 Framework for Collaboration, the EJ IWG engaged
and supported local groups working to create healthy
and sustainable communities by bringing together key
stakeholders from communities, educational institutions,
and federal, state, local and tribal governments to address
critical environmental justice issues. The following activities
also increased the benefits available to overburdened,
underserved communities:
The EJ IWG developed important tools such as the
2016 Promising Practices for EJ Methodologies in
NEPA Reviews report. Developed with the support
of over 100 federal agency staff, this report is
a compilation of methodologies gleaned from
current agency best practices that provides clear
flexible approaches for agencies as they consider
environmental justice in National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) reviews. The NEPA committee
has briefed and trained nearly 1,000 environmental
justice and NEPA federal government staff
through sponsored events at the Departments
of Transportation, Interior, and Energy, with more
trainings planned for other federal departments and
state agencies.
EPA IWG Guiding Principles
Accesible
Easily reached by communities, advocates
& other stakeholders
Aware
Knowledgeable of flue EJ concerns & issues facing
communities in order to faciliate collaboration & coordination
Accountable
Capable of explaining the actions and decicions related to
the implementation of EO12898
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ENGAGEMENT AN D PAH TN ERSHIPS
IWG FY 16-18 Highlights
# 2016 Promising Practices for EJ Methodologies in NEPA reviews report
^ Educate. Motivate. Innovate (EMI) Climate Justice Leadership Training Workshop
College/Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP)
Brownfields to Healhfields ("B2H")
* EJ advancements with NEPA
Colbge students p resented at the iraugural Bduc3te.
Motiuste. Innovate (EM0 Climate Jistce Leadership
training wortetop leU at the 5016 lateral
Environmental J istbe Training Conference heb in
Washington. DC.The EMI Initi3true bcuzesontle
next generate n of oli nate-justce teacte is th ro ig h
engagement and colbboratbn with Minority-Serving
Institutions to expand opportunityฎ to address tie
impacts of clinate change on communities facing
enviro n ne nta I jist be oonce ma.
Tie BJ WG^ CoIbgs/Undeiserued Community
Partnership P rogram (CUP P) promoted interagency
go llabo rat bn and oo mm un ty engagement w th
boa I colbgss and universities. CUPP provbed
opportunities for government agenoba to partner
with loial colleges 3nd unruersitesto address
enviro nnents I jistce concerns 3nd provbefree
teohnbal assistsnce to communities. Fori rets ree.
Sauanrah State Unkieisity s working with tie
Coaatal Commfesbn of Georgia to 3ssst atudenta
in ana II cities, aich 3S Rise bo ro 3rd Mb way. to
deue b p desig re fo r aietainab b b u ild inga and
improvementato water infrastructure systems.
Click here for add it bra I information about the BJ IWG
annual progress.
Making a Visible Difference in Gornrnunites
EPA s meeting go mm unitize 3t their reeds. to help
them 3ddress sone of today's
nest infracts b b chsllengss from
environmental degrad3tbn to
persistent poverty, to eoonomb
decline 3nd chronb dsinvestnent.
T le Agenoy chess to fooua ou r effo rta
in so me of o u r moat overt u rdened
communities with environnent3l juatce coroems, where
we could come together with our boa I, atate. 3nd feder3l
partrers to make a vbibb difference.
We bentifbd ฃ0 overturctered. ecore>mb3lly distressed
co m mu nitfes w le re there
was an opportunity to
provbe targeted teohnbal
assistance 3 nd resources to
help neet communities at
their needs. EPA programs
working together w ith
regbnsl colleagues on the
ground, partnered direotly
with communitbato bentity
their e nvi ron mental co ncerre
and tleir priortbafor
community revtalcation. Vfe
then worted colbboratfuely
with our partners, to devebp
projects provbing aupport not only to define tie problema
but helping to find and fund SDlutbna.
Under the MVD approach. EPAataff lad more frequent
interact bna with health and educatbnal institutions. at3te
and federal agencies. 3S well 3S with NGOaand private
sector part rers. Overall, EPA con reefed with over 116
ne
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ENQAQEMENT AND PARTNERSHIPS
Goods Movement
The commercial transportation of goods (goods
movement) is a critical component of our nation's
economic growth and prosperity. However, projected
future increases in goods movement activity can also
represent a growing source of pollution. The adverse
environmental and
Goods Movement
Promote Emissions Reduction Better
Planning & Sustainable Development
Practices Enhance the Health,
Safety, Quality of Life & Meaningful
Engagement of Affected Communities
health impacts may
fall disproportionately
on overburdened
communities
located near these
activities. EPA is
working to reduce
the adverse impact
of goods movement
on communities
by developing and implementing assessment and
engagement tools and programs that promote emissions
reductions, better planning and sustainable development
practices, and enhance the health, safety, quality of life,
and meaningful engagement of affected communities. In
2016:
EPA issued three draft reports as a part of the rollout
for the Capacity Building Toolkit, with the aim of
improving environmental performance at ports and
equipping industry and community stakeholders
with information, skills, and guidance to develop
and implement collaborative solutions that reduce
air pollutants and other environmental impacts. The
project also incorporated community-led pilots to
test and refine the draft capacity building tools and
associated processes.
EPA partnered with Newark's Iron bound Community
to design,
develop, and
pilot a Citizen
Science
Toolbox
providing
resources that
are assisting communities in conducting their own
environmental data collections for environmental
awareness purposes.
The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grants
program has prioritized ports, goods movement, and
freight projects for the last several years. Twelve
DERA FY2016 grants have been, or will be, awarded
for seaport projects, totaling $11.5 million of the
$26.5 million available. In addition, $6.7 million was
awarded for goods movement projects outside of
seaports.
DERA FY 2016 Grants
$26.5 Million Available
$11.5 Million to Seaport Projects
$6.7 MiLUon to Goods Movement
EJ PROGRESS REPORT FY 201 5-201 6
15
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: ฃ
Equitable Development
Equitable development is a place-based approach for
encouraging environmental justice. OEJ's equitable
development portfolio continues to: focus on
improvements in public involvement; support collaborative
problem solving; and make a visible difference in
communities that are underserved, under-resourced, and
overburdened.
In FY 2016, EPA partnered with several non-governmental
organizations whose interest in environmental justice is
expanding:
The U.S. Green Building Council solicited OEJ's
assistance with the Communities and Affordable
Homes Summit (CAH). OEJ organized two sessions
for the one-day event which was held November
2015.
OEJ organized eight hours of programmatic content
for the Local Government Commission at the New
Partners for Smart Growth Conference, including:
a workshop; a session; a training; and a plenary.
OEJ published a popular blog on "Environmental
Justice through Planning" for the American Planning
Association.
Also, OEJ collaborated with two APA Divisions for
conducting a mobile tour on environmental justice at
the National Planning Conference in Phoenix.
EPA's Equitable Development
Webinar Series Grew to
1,391
Participants in 2016
Finally, OEJ participated in several discussions with
the representatives from FreddieMac after it was
brought to OEJ's attention that they had an interest
in learning more about 'equitable development and
smart growth'. FreddieMac was invited to be a
discussant at the Spring NEJAC meeting in Gulfport,
MS.
OEJ's ability to reach audiences nationally with messaging
about equitable development improved in FY 2016. A
new page on equitable development and environmental
justice was added to OEJ's website in March 2016. The
new page helps the public to understand the intersections
between environmental justice and planning. OEJ staff
were interviewed by Infinite Earth Radio for a podcast on
the topic of "Environmental Justice and Planning". Over
the span of seven weeks, the interview was one of the
16
EJ PROGRESS REPORT FY 201 5-201 6
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EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT
more popular downloads in the podcast series. Finally,
EPA's equitable development webinar series remains a
popular forum for the public. In 2016, the series reached
1,391 participants. The Sustainable City Network
published two articles on the webinars.
Launching Brownfields to Healthfields for
Appalachia at the Central Appalachia
Brownfields Summit
The Office of Environmental Justice, in collaboration with
the EJIWG, helped launch a Brownfields to Healthfields
(b2h) effort for Central Appalachia. This launching
represented the next generation of b2H implementation,
whereby the Rural Committee of the EJIWG has included
b2H as part of its FY 16 and FY17 action plan. After
coalescing representatives from state government,
brownfields redevelopment, health care, community and
economic development and academia, a framework was
developed that resulted in the 2016 Central Appalachia
Brownfields Summit as part of the annual West
Virginia Brownfields Conference The Summit was used as
a platform for building partnerships through a Collaborative
Community Convening and a conference session on
Revitalizing Central Appalachia through Brownfields to
Healthfields.
Following the summit, B2H work is underway on two
fronts. First, advancing health care and health as an
economic driver in Appalachia. Second, advancing
renewable energy with a focus on biomass and solar.
On-going and emerging collaborations are being
established between Appalachian community-based
organizations, University ofPikeville, Kentucky Brownfield
Redevelopment Program, and Commercial Aviation
Alternative Fuel Initiative, among others. Federal
Departments and agencies continue to advance this effort,
including OEJ, EJIWG, General Services Administration,
and USDA, among others.
EJ PROGRESS REPORT FY 201 5-201 6
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Moving Forward
The EPA has continued to engage with overburdened and
underserved communities to expand the environmental
justice conversation in meaningful ways. This has occurred
by providing direct support, integrating the principles
of environmental justice across the Agency and federal
government, and by strengthening partnerships and
engagements with stakeholders.
While the EPA has made significant progress on propelling
the environmental justice movement forward, there is still
much to do. We look forward to a continued dialogue with
the public to ensure that the EPA's environmental justice
work results in meaningful and measurable improvements
in communities across the country.
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EJ PROGRESS REPORT FY 201 5-201 6
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PROGRESS REPORT FY 201 5-201 6
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