https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/annual-environmental-justice-progress-reports ------- working for environmental justice ^wvAVje (M.govfenvlron morula Ifustice ------- Table of Contents LEADERSHIP MESSAGE 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 INTRODUCTION 8 CERTAINTY TO FEDERAL, STATES, TRIBES & LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND OTHER PARTNERS 9 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT . 9 STATE GOVERNMENTS 11 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS 12 TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS 13 INDIGENOUS PEOPLES 14 COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS 14 ACADEMIA 16 CERTAINTY IN EPA'S PROGRAMS 17 LAND 17 AIR 19 WATER 20 CHEMICAL SAFETY AND POLLUTION PREVENTION 22 ENFORCEMENT 23 SCIENCE 24 EJ GRANT FUNDING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITIES 24 COORDINATION BETWEEN EJ & CIVIL RIGHTS PROGRAMS 25 CERTAINTY IN RISK COMMUNICATION 26 NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL 26 COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON PFAS 27 EJSCREEN 28 EDUCATION. TRAININGS AND TOOLS 28 EJ HOTLINE 30 REGIONAL REPORTING 30 LOOKING FORWARD 31 EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- Leadership Message EPA continues to deliver on its commitment to promote environmental justice for communities across the United States. As this FY18 Environmental Justice Progress Report shows, we are providing greater certainty to our federal, states, tribal and local partners; certainty in EPA programs; and certainty in how we communicate risk. This certainty will help to strengthen environmental and public health protections for low- income, minority, indigenous, and disadvantaged communities that are disproportionately likely to live near contaminated lands or be impacted by environmental hazards. In FY 2018, our efforts were bolstered by two important actions. First, we elevated the Office of Environmental Justice to the Office of Policy within the Office of the Administrator. This move ensures that EJ considerations are integrated into all EPA programs. Second, we launched the Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization Council to provide strategic direction for EPA's community-based work. This convening of senior leaders allows us to better serve communities and coordinate our actions and investments across EPA programs and regions. In addition to these changes, our core work in environmental justice has continued, including robust collaboration and engagement with our federal and external partners through the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice and the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee. We are also focusing on improving environmental justice outcomes. For instance, we are accelerating the remediation of Superfund sites to address environmental risk and return these sites to productive use; improving air quality in areas that have long been in non-attainment; and financing critical investments to improve the nation's water infrastructure. This progress could not be achieved without our dedicated and talented staff, who are working hard every day to improve outcomes in communities across the country and ensure that they have a cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous future. Sincerely, Brittany Bolen Associate Administrator Office of Policy ------- Executive Summary Certainty to Federal, States, Tribes and Local Governments and Other Partners; Certainty in EPA's Programs; and Certainty in Risk Communication 1. Certainty to Federal, States, Tribes and Local Governments and Other Partners The Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice connected and engaged over 1,000 individual stakeholders through in-person dialogue, meetings, conference presentations and webinars. EPA launched the Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization Council and issued a Memo on EPA's Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization Priorities that affirmed EPA's commitment to the mission and goals of the Agency EJ Program - to engage with and meet the needs of our nation's most vulnerable communities regarding disproportionate environmental impacts, health disparities and economic distress. In coordination with the State of Hawaii and EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and Region 9 settled a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act worker protection case against Syngenta, including a $550,000 penalty, the largest worker protection case in the nation. working for environmental justice ^www-epa*|ov/envtronnienirtljustice Environmental justice (EJ) is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. EPA is committed to assisting vulnerable communities to become cleaner, healthier, and more prosperous places to live, work, play, and learn. The FY 2018 Annual Environmental Justice Progress Report highlights how environmental justice is integrated into the work of EPA's programs and regional offices and how EPA partners with federal, state and local governments, tribes, indigenous peoples and communities to advance environmental justice in communities across the country. This Progress Report highlights examples of how EPA has advanced environmental justice through improved: ------- Region 2 and partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will leverage more than $10 million in funding from nonprofit partners to help small drinking water systems not managed by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention collaborated with over 40 tribal partners to develop an education curriculum for increasing understanding and awareness of childhood lead exposures, health effects, and preventative actions. 2. Certainty in EPA's Programs As part of the Superfund Task Force, between July 2017 and July 2018, the Superfund Program held or participated in more than 1,370 public meetings and 3,190 in-person meetings or interviews with community members living near Superfund sites. In FY 2018, EPA also supported 42 Technical Assistance Grants and the creation of 18 Superfund Community Involvement Plans. As of the end of FY 2018, about 1,000 Superfund sites support new and ongoing uses. The Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization awarded 144 communities with Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants. The 221 grants totaling $54.3 million will provide communities with funding to assess, clean up and redevelop underutilized properties. EPA reported a significant improvement in the percentage of the low-income population living in counties where the particulate matter PM2.5 National Ambient Air Qualify Standards are being met. The most recent monitoring data from 2015-2017 showed the percentage increased from 86% compared to the baseline data of 43% from 2006-2008. Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) FY 2018 grants have been awarded for projects in and around ports totaling approximately $19 million of the total $43 million available. Approximately $3 million was awarded for airport projects, and $4 million for locomotive projects. Priority was given to funding DERA projects that engage and benefit local communities and applicants that demonstrate their ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended, especially any communities or populations that have faced or are facing environmental justice concerns. EPA awarded approximately $25.4 million in 2017 - 2018 in training and technical assistance grants for small drinking water utilities. Recipients include the National Rural Water Association, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, and the Environmental Finance Center Network. EPA is taking actions to protect children from lead exposure and is working with our federal partners on the Federal Lead Action Plan. The Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention included environmental justice considerations at key points in the rulemaking process to propose new dust-lead hazard standards for reducing lead exposures among children. EPA performed over 900 environmental justice screenings in enforcement and compliance work to assure that EPA enforcement personnel working on a case are aware of the potential EJ concerns in a community, and then may look for opportunities to address those concerns. In partnership with Urban Waters, the Office of Environmental Justice awarded a total of $1.2 million grant funding to 10 communities to address local environmental and public health issues. Eighty percent of the FY 2018 Collaborative Problem-Solving Agreements were awarded to projects in rural communities. This EJ Grants and Communities Story Map highlights three recent EJ grantee success stories. Approximately 68% of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-administered Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grants fully or partially funded by EPA in FY 2018 were awarded to projects planned with underserved communities. 6 ------- EPA's two-pronged effort on coordination between EJ and civil rights program included: (1) investigation of complaints filed with EPA pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and (2) training and technical assistance to 25 states, as well as local agencies and tribes, across all ten EPA Regions, on how to proactively address their civil rights obligations. 3. Certainty in Risk Communication As part of the Superfund Task Force, EPA formed a new NEJAC Superfund Working Group to advance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Superfund program and recommend ways community revitalization can be furthered through reuse of formerly contaminated sites. EPA conducted several events with communities impacted by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) to directly hear from the public on how to best help states and communities facing this issue. EPA launched a mobile app version of EJSCREEN and conducted over 30 EJSCREEN trainings for a wide range of stakeholders. In 2018, EPA hosted the first National Leadership Summit to take action on Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the environment, and engaged with communities impacted by PFAS to directly hear from the public on how to best help states and communities facing this issue. EPA provided technical assistance to numerous communities through the Office of Environmental Justice and the Office of Community Revitalization, and hosted various trainings as part of the Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI), the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program, the Community Involvement Training, and trainings led by Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards that helped increase the capacity for meaningful engagement for communities with environmental justice concerns. EPA will continue to deepen its commitment to protect the health and environment for everyone across the United States. For more information on EPA's environmental justice efforts, resources and tools, please visit the Office of Environmental Justice's website. To receive regularly emailed updates on federal resources, tools and trainings related to environmental justice, please sign up for the EJ Listserv. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- u / i Introduction Since the Executive Order 12898 - Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low- Income Populations - was signed twenty-five years ago, EPA has continued its work to improve the air, water and land in vulnerable, low-income, minority, tribal and indigenous communities. This report reflects how environmental justice (EJ) is woven throughout EPA's national programs and ten regional offices. While it is not comprehensive of all of EPA's environmental justice efforts, the FY 2018 Report highlights progress in providing: Certainty to federal, states, tribal and local governments, and other partners Certainty in EPA's programs Certainty in risk management The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. The tables below list the EPA programs and regional offices referenced in this report. EPA HQ OFFICE OAR Office of Air and Radiation OCHP Office of Children's Health Protection OCR Office of Community Revitaiization OCSPP Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention OECA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance OEJ Office of Environmental Justice OITA Office of International and Tribal Affairs OLEM Office of Land and Emergency Management ORD Office of Research and Development OW Office of Water ECRCO External Civil Rights Compliance Office EPA REGIONAL OFFICES LOCATION SERVING Region 1 (R1) Boston CT, ME, MA, NH, Rl and VT Region 2 (R2) New York City NJ, NY, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands Region 3 (R3) Philadelphia DE, DC, MD, PA, VA and WV Region 4 (R4) Atlanta AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC and TN Region 5 (R5) Chicago IL, IN, Ml, MN, OH and Wl Region 6 (R6) Dallas AR, LA, NM, OK and TX Region 7 (R7) Kansas City IA, KS, MO and NE Region 8 (R8) Denver CO, MT, ND, SD, UT and WY AZ, CA, HI, NV, American Samoa, Common- Region 9 (R9) San Francisco wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Marshal Islands and Republic of Palau Region 10 (RIO) Seattle AK, ID, OR, WA and 271 native tribes 8 ------- Certainty to Federal, States, Tribes & Local Governments and Other Partners EPA collaborates with federal, state, tribal and local governments; indigenous peoples, communities, community-based organizations and nonprofit organizations; and academia to advance environ- mental justice and provide certainty to our partners. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice The Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (EJ IWG) is comprised of 16 federal agencies and the White House Council on Environmental Quality, chaired by EPA's Administrator, and managed by EPA's Office of Environmental Justice. In FY 2018, the EJ IWG connected and engaged over 1,000 individual stakeholders through in-person dialogue, meetings, conference presentations and webinars. The FY 2018 EJ IWG Annual Report1 covers EJ IWG activities that connected federal agencies with communities, advanced awareness on environmental justice tools and resources, worked with partners and strengthened youth engagement in environmental justice. The work of two EJ IWG subcommittees - Rural Communities Committee and the NEPA Committee - is highlighted below. EJ IWG Rural Communities Committee & the Brownfields to Healthfields (B2H) Approach: The EJ IWG Rural Communities Committee (RCC) and EPA's Office of Environmental Justice use a Brownfields to Healthfields (B2H) approach to help vulnerable communities. This approach brings partners (e.g., government, academia, nonprofits, healthcare, agriculture) together to transform contaminated properties (e.g., abandoned gas station) into spaces that improve community health, equity, sustainability and resiliency (e.g., eye clinic, community gardens). A major part of this effort is convening - connecting stakeholders to each other to build relationships, share knowledge, and leverage and align resources. In FY 2018, the RCC convened federal, 1 For the most recent EJ IWG Reports, please visit the EJ IWG website. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- regional and local stakeholders to help address the long-standing rural wastewater infrastructure issues in Lowndes County, Alabama. This convening achieved a breakthrough milestone with US Health & Human Services (HHS), US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US General Services Administration (GSA), Alabama State Agency for Surplus Personal Property, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH), and US Department of Agriculture (USDA), enabling the ADPH to access surplus supplies (e.g., backhoes, dump trucks, etc.) valued at almost $1 million for no cost. These supplies help meet a 25% in-kind matching requirement for funding criteria and moved the ADPH one step closer to obtaining USDA grant funding of approximately $3 million that will provide decentralized sewer systems to 100 families in Lowndes County. In FY 2018, the RCC's work expanded into disaster response and recovery: Diabetes is a major contributor of morbidity and mortality during natural disasters, especially for vulnerable populations.2 When Hurricane Florence occurred, the RCC activated its B2H roster of public-private partners to address urgent needs for diabetes care. Partners included EJ IWG members - US EPA, USDA, HHS, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) - along with the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Disaster Recovery Association, American Optometric Association and Insulin for Life, among others. Together these partners created a network of community, EJ leaders and health care providers to address urgent health challenges for overburdened and underserved populations by providing insulin and disease management supplies through emergency response personnel in storm areas and sharing information on applying B2H for disaster preparedness and response. The environmental, health and economic impacts of natural disasters continue long after the storm occurs. EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and the RCC launched disaster recovery efforts in the Hurricane Harvey impacted area, focusing on recovery and preparedness from floods. Partners included EJIWG members - US EPA, USDA, HHS and DHS - along with Lone Star Legal Aid, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Coalition for Environmental Equity and Resilience, Northwest Alliance Ministries Houston Parks Board Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, and Cities Changing Diabetes and member organizations. This collaboration led to training and education for over 40 organizations on how to use the B2H approach to address disaster recovery, and led to local organizations pursuing remediation and redevelopment of specific brownfields to address climate resiliency. The RCC also convened meetings to link EJ communities with federal departments and local governments interested in applying urban agriculture as a flood control measure. EJ IWG National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Committee; EPA's Office of Environmental Justice is part of the leadership team that manages the NEPA Committee of the EJ IWG. OEJ helps EPA and other federal departments understand practices to effectively, efficiently, and consistently consider direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of proposed federal actions on minority, low-income, and tribal/indigenous populations. This is done through trainings, facilitated dialogues and briefings with management and staff, and providing consultation to EPA staff engaged in specific NEPA reviews. The Promising Practices Report is a compilation of methodologies gleaned from current agency practices identified by the NEPA Committee concerning the interface of environmental justice considerations through NEPA processes. President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children EPA and the US Department of Health and Human Services co-chair the President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children (Task Force), which is comprised of 17 federal departments and offices. In FY 2018, the Task Force worked on the Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts (Federal Lead Action Plan) that was released in December of 2018. The Federal Lead Action Plan promotes a vision that the United States will become a place where children, especially those in 2 https://www.cdc.aov/diabetes/ndep/people-with-diabetes/emeraericy.html 10 ------- vulnerable communities, are protected from lead exposure and its harmful effects. With a focus on populations disproportionately affected by lead exposure, the Federal Lead Action Plan strengthens federal efforts to implement Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low- Income Populations (EPA, 1994). The Federal Lead Action Plan has four goals with key priorities and objectives that seek to reduce harm to children from exposure to lead, including: Goal 1: Reduce children's exposure to lead sources Goal 2: Identify lead-exposed children and improve their health outcomes Goal 3: Communicate more effectively with stakeholders Goal 4: Support and conduct critical research to inform efforts to reduce lead exposures and related health risks STATE GOVERNMENTS EPA collaborates with state government to advance environmental justice efforts. Highlights of this work in FY 2018 include: EPA's Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization Council3 (EJCRC) provides senior leadership guidance to the Agency's environmental justice and community revitalization programs. In FY 2018, EPA issued a Memo on EPA's Environmental Justice and Community Revitalization Priorities that affirmed EPA's commitment to the mission and goals of the Agency EJ Program - to engage with and meet the needs of our nation's most vulnerable communities regarding disproportionate environmental impacts, health disparities and economic distress. The EJCRC also created a workgroup on working with states and cooperative federalism, with a focus on ensuring the integration of environmental justice in the Agency's lead priority. In addition, the EJCRC also set the foundation for its Community-Driven Solutions approach. This effort focuses on advancing the use of community-driven solutions across the Agency to achieve tangible results in communities by building upon EPA's current investments, expertise, and partnerships, including working with state, tribal and local partners. EPA's Strategic Plan recognizes that a strengthened community-driven approach will make EPA a better partner and more responsive to the needs of communities. EPA will achieve this by working across our programs, collaborating more closely with our partners and communities. This story map by Region 2 showcases EPA's communitv-driven approach and the various ways the Agency is being a better partner with states and local communities. In coordination with the State of Hawaii and EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, and Region 9 settled a Federal Insecticide. Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) worker protection case against Syngenta, including a $550,000 penalty, the largest worker protection case in the nation. Farmworkers at a Hawaiian farm operated by Syngenta had prematurely entered a field treated with highly toxic restricted-use pesticides in violation of FIFRA's worker 3 Formerly the Environmental Justice Council. \V \ timing Meeting with state leaders: Becky Keogh, Director, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and Todd Parfitt, Director, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality more frequently engaging directly with EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- protection standards. The case involved interviewing over 100 farmworkers and conducting outreach to local residents. The public outreach informed negotiations of supplemental environmental projects, including training for growers with limited English proficiency in Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands, where farmworkers are particularly vulnerable due to language and socio-economic barriers. In addition to the settlement, EPA funded a series of trainings for medical professionals on the diagnosis of pesticide poisonings, including at the hospital that treated the farmworkers. The colonias4 near the Donna Canal and Reservoir Superfund site in Hidalgo County, Texas, have a predominantly low-income, Hispanic population and have experienced various environmental justice issues. Many rely on local fishing as a food source despite warnings of contaminated waters. In response to concerns that a group of civic organizations brought to Region 6, EPA helped to form three workgroups that included different EPA programs, state partners, local government and community organizations. These workgroups created workplans, brought in resources and implemented initiatives to improve the conditions of the targeted communities. One workgroup focused on minimizing the health risks associated with the city of Alamo's malfunctioning wastewater lagoon and another group helped colonias residents build emergency preparedness skills. The third group worked on the years long effort regarding the Donna Canal and Reservoir Superfund site, which reached a significant milestone in FY 2018 with the issuance of a Record of Decision. In early 2018, EPA established the likely contamination source for the Donna Canal and Reservoir Superfund site and developed a proposed plan with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for cleanup, which was released in May 2018 for public review and comment. As a result of this work, EPA announced a Record of Decision in 2018 that includes the final clean-up plan for the site. This remedy includes removing 20,000 cubic yards of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) contaminated sediment, removing fish from identified contaminated sections of the site annually for five years to prevent people from catching and consuming them, and building new infrastructure at the source of the contamination. These actions will address risks to people's health associated with eating fish from the reservoir and canal system. Region 6 hosted an Environmental Justice Forum that advanced collaborative efforts made by Region 6, state, tribal, and local partners working together with regulated entities and communities to improve air, land, and water where people work, live and play. The forum highlighted successful environmental results based on multi-stakeholder collaboration; provided details on results from successful and collaborative engagement between government, industry and communities; and fostered multi-state participation in the Forum with unique response perspectives from all R6 states. Region 3 Office of Enforcement, Compliance and Environmental Justice convenes monthly meetings for eastern US state government representatives that work on environmental justice. These convenings help build the capacity of states to address EJ issues by sharing knowledge, lessons learned, and insights with each other on a regular basis. Region 1 conducted an environmental justice training for the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. LOCAL GOVERNMENTS EPA partners with local government to help address environmental justice issues and empower local residents. Highlights of this work include the following: Region 6 developed and shared The Merger of Small Water Systems: Lower Rio Grande Public Water Works Authority in Dona Ana County. New Mexico, a "best practices" paper highlighting the background, challenges, and successes in resolving longstanding drinking water issues for several small mutual domestic water systems as a result of local and state partner agencies working closely with the communities. This model was presented during the EPA Region 6 Environmental Justice Forum in June 2018, where federal, state and local agencies and community organizations were brought together to share knowledge on promoting effective partnerships to improve the environment of vulnerable communities. Crafting and communicating a tool like this helps stakeholders learn about effective ways to improve access to clean water and empowers them with the knowledge of how to potentially replicate a similar success. 4 Spanish word for community or neighborhood. 12 ------- Region 4 partnered with the Louisville Metropolitan Air Pollution Control District to develop a 7-part series of technical workshops geared towards community awareness of air- related issues. Over 200 people responded to the survey requesting topics of interest. Over the course of the series, approximately 150 people attended. TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler meets with EPA National Tribal Caucus Members Lee Juan Tyler, Shoshone Bannock Tribe (right) and Gerald Wagner, Blackfeet Tribe (background). ¦ Since 2014, the Agency has been working to implement the EPA Policy on Environmental Justice for Working with Federally Recognized Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. Representatives from each program and regional office, known as Environmental Justice Tribal and Indigenous Peoples Advisors, meet regularly under the leadership of the Office of Environmental Justice to facilitate the Agency's implementation of the policy. Some examples of the work being done to address the environmental justice concerns of tribes and indigenous peoples are described below. 1 In FY 2018, Region 2 Administrator Pete Lopez visited six of the eight federally recognized Indian Nations (Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, Shinnecock, Tonawanda Seneca, Tuscarora, Seneca Nation, and Onondaga Nation) to discuss Indian Nation concerns, priorities, and environmental impacts to their communities. The discussions highlighted the importance of effective communication, frequent collaboration and engagement between regulatory agencies and Nation leadership and environmental staff. This meaningful engagement has led to improvements in regional processes relating to consultation overall and aligns with a community- driven approach to better engage with and assist communities to advance environmental and community revitalization goals. 1 In Region 10, many American Indian and Alaska Native communities rely on hunting, fishing, and gathering for subsistence and commerce. Native American cultures are intricately linked to traditional food sources, and the land, air, and water that sustain them. With an EPA Environmental Justice Small Grant, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska began studying microplastics in traditional foods, starting with mussels and butter clams. Microplastics are tiny pieces of plastic that can contain chemicals and may pose risks to human health and ecosystems when ingested by aquatic animals. In 2018, Sitka Tribe staff worked with high school students to collect samples of water, mussels, and clams from four locations within their traditional territory, and tested them for the presence of microplastics and associated toxins. All clams and most mussels tested contained "microfibers," likely from synthetic fabrics. Laundry water normally goes though wastewater treatment, but microfibers are so small they often pass through systems and re-enter water supplies. The Sitka Tribe's findings suggest a possible link between microplastics in household laundry and local shellfish. The final report will be shared with EPA, the State of Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Public Health, and the community. 1 In 2018, Region 3 began holding dialogues with the seven new Federally Recognized Tribes in the region. ¦ EPA, the National Tribal Toxics Council and the EPA-National Tribal Science Council are working together to develop an education curriculum on lead. The purpose of the lead curriculum is to increase understanding and awareness of childhood lead exposures, health effects, and preventative actions. In the summer and fall of 2019, EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention will be conducting pilot(s) with tribal partners. The Agency aims to publish the curriculum in winter 2019. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- INDIGENOUS PEOPLES At the 2018 Protecting Mother Earth Conference, hosted by the Nisqually Tribe, EPA (Office of Environmental Justice and Region 10) participated in the "Engagement Lab," which provided space for participants to hear about the existing policies and processes for both tribal consultation and the meaningful involvement of indigenous peoples in federal and state decision-making, as well as state and tribal government public engagement processes. The session included sharing ideas and recommendations for more effective engagement and collaboration among federally recognized tribes, First Nations5, other indigenous peoples and national, state and tribal governments in decision-making processes that affect indigenous peoples. In addition to EPA, panelists included representatives from the Nisqually Tribal Council and State of Washington. This event highlighted the benefits of tribal, federal and state governments collaboration in addressing the environmental justice concerns of tribal and indigenous communities. COMMUNITIES AND COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS EPA collaborates with communities and community-based organizations to produce tangible outcomes. Highlights of this work in FY 2018 include the following efforts: Region 2 and representatives from Por Los Nuestros, Water Mission International, American Red Cross, Puerto Rico Science, Research and Technology Trust, Puerto Rico Community Foundation, OXFAM, and Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will leverage more than $10 million in funding from the nonprofit partners to help small drinking water systems not managed by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority. Through this MOU, EPA and the other signatories have agreed to use Agency and partners' resources and expertise to collectively build capacity to ensure the systems provide safe drinking water to community residents, as well as conduct infrastructure repairs and improvements to make these systems more sustainable and resilient to future extreme weather events. Region 4 Office of Environmental Justice and Sustainability; Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division, National Environmental Policy Act Program; and Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) collaborated with the Harambee House Inc., a Savannah Georgia-based community organization, as part of the Savannah Ports Capacity Building Pilot Project. EPA's three draft port capacity building tools were used to assess and prioritize stakeholder needs and specific objectives for the project, including improved human health, environmental and economic outcomes. EPA convened project partners four times between 2017 and 2018 to build upon the outcomes of the needs assessment. Activities included facilitated stakeholder dialogues, community and port tours and training sessions involving community leaders, port officials, city government officials, and community/business roundtable members in Savannah. Ultimately, the Harambee House and community partners engaged in local decision-making to improve environmental health and quality of life for the communities that live near the Savannah Port. As a result, the Savannah Ports communities share a new "Community Air Quality Improvement Action Plan" to move their community needs and priorities forward. Region 3, Office of Enforcement Compliance and Environmental Justice continued its long-standing efforts in Chester, PA, by partnering with the Chester Environmental Partnership to support examination of a potential 5 First Nations is a term used to refer to the indigenous peoples in Canada. 14 ------- liquified natural gas facility in the community. This was of concern to the community due its physically large presence, unknown risks to the environment, public health, and safety, and projected use of waterfront property. The research included providing guidance on potential environmental and public health effects, federal permitting guidelines and the NEPA process, and risk management. Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio attended meetings and dialogues in support of the Partnership's efforts. FY 2018 marked the 2nd year and implementation phase of the Beacon Hill Environmental Health Collaboration, a Collaborative Problem-Solving (CPS) cooperative agreement in Region 10. Through this cooperative agreement, El Centro de la Raza, a community-based nonprofit organization, received funding that empowered the organization and its partners to conduct outreach to several thousand residents in multiple languages and organize the community for grassroot solutions to noise and air quality issues related to frequent low aircraft flights over the area. People who spend time near busy roads and airports may face elevated risks for health problems including asthma and other respiratory illness, and cardiovascular disease. Problems related to noise pollution can include stress related illnesses, high blood pressure, and lost productivity. Because of this collaborative effort and education, hundreds of residents participated in numerous community meetings to prioritize collaborative solutions and create an action plan. By leveraging the funding from EPA's CPS cooperative agreement, they also received funding from the city of Seattle for an air and noise study, and have successfully prepared the groundwork for building a coalition with other impacted communities. In FY 2018, EPA awarded $30,000 to Kansas City Community Gardens for their Giving Grove project. This project involved community partners and neighborhood leaders from low-income communities in the urban core of Kansas City to establish community orchards on repurposed vacant land. By December 2018, more than 340 fruit trees and 260 berry plants were planted in 13 new orchards. The project also conducted 12 free education workshops, and trained 26 new orchard stewards and over 100 volunteers. After these orchards reach maturity, they have the potential to produce an average of 3,758 pounds of fresh, organic produce per site for a total of 56,000-75,000 pounds of food on an annual basis. The increase in community fruit trees will also contribute to cleaner air and water by increasing community green infrastructure. An EPA Collaborative-Problem Solving Agreement provided funding to Conejos Clean Water (CCW) to address the lack of waste diversion opportunities in the rural San Luis Valley (SLV) in Colorado. In FY 2018, CCW and its partners developed a plan to design and implement a system for regional recycling that is appropriate and affordable to the six counties and other rural and underserved areas of the SLV. Task forces were also created that focused on (1) the six county governments, (2) city and town governments, (3) service clubs, (4) local businesses and (5) schools across the SLV Recycling and reuse events in each of the sectors identified above were organized through these task forces. Regional Efforts to Reduce Lead Exposure Region 4 collaborated with the Memphis Shelby County Lead Safe Collaborative (MSCLSC), Inform the People, and Memphis Light Gas and Water (MLGW) to convene and facilitate opportunities to increase awareness of ways to reduce lead in drinking water. This collaboration led MLGW to agree to replace 2,000 residential lead water lines each year, hire additional staff for construction and provide drinking water filters to impacted households. Region 4 worked with the Region 4 Air, Pesticides, and Toxics Management Division -Lead Section, and externally with Boehner Children's Hospital, City of Memphis, Shelby County Health Department, and other stakeholders to achieve this result. In EPA Region 5, Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) addressing lead will provide relief to low-income communities and impact children's health. One of the 3EPs involves Lima Refining Co.. in Ohio, where they will perform a project valued at $1.75 million to eliminate lead risks in local low-income residences with children or pregnant women located near the Lima Refinery. As part of the Heritage Environmental SEP. Heritage Environmental Services LLC will install new drinking % FEDERAL ACTION PLAN To Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Associated Health Impacts EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- water fountains with lead-filtering systems at selected public schools in East Chicago, Indiana, to reduce potential exposure to lead in drinking water. Under Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) clean up orders, 28,882 cubic yards of lead contaminated soil was removed from the USS Lead Superfund Site in East Chicago, Indiana. In EPA Region 8, the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) completed their EPA EJ Small Grants project. Through this grant, UPHE implemented a Lead Safe Outreach Program, leading to a safer environment for children in Salt Lake County. They educated the community and schools about the sources and health risk of lead poisoning and informed the community about local programs for abatement. They also educated physicians about screening and the state requirements for blood lead level test reporting, providing information to the Lead Education and Screening Coalition and sharing information from this coalition back to the community. The project interacted with over 1,000 physicians, partnered with several new organizations, and organized two town hall community events. They also facilitated the donation of a Blood Lead Testing machine to a clinic that provides care for underserved communities. The project will continue after this grant, as UPHE has helped to secure future funding. In FY 2018, R8 continued to protect vulnerable populations through its Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule Place-based Initiative to reduce exposure to lead-based paint hazards in low-income and minority neighborhoods in Denver. In coordination with our federal, state and local partners, EPA conducted outreach and education to promote blood lead testing for children and lead-safe renovation practices. EPA reached a large population through a series of public service announcement videos on English and Spanish-speaking television stations, on news station websites, and via a targeted email campaign. Outreach efforts were then followed by work site inspections and compliance assurance efforts in partnership with the city and state, which aim to assure renovators work in a lead-safe manner when disturbing paint in pre-1978 homes and child-occupied facilities. EPA conducted 61 lead inspections in the Denver Place-based Initiative area that resulted in 32 enforcement actions, 10 penalty orders totaling over $100,000 in fines, and a supplemental environmental project to provide free lead-based paint testing. ACADEMIA EPA worked with a number of academic partners in FY 2018. Highlights include: The College/University Underserved Community Partnership Project (CUPP) was spearheaded by Region 4 to provide a creative approach to partnering and delivering technical assistance to underserved communities from local colleges and universities. Students work on a range of plans and projects that help communities gain access to resources that can improve the economic future and overall quality of life for the community. At the same time, CUPP provides practical experience for participating students in their areas of academic study, and students generally receive academic credit for their efforts. The communities receive vital services at no cost, and the schools provide their services at no cost to the federal government. In FY 2018, Region 3 Office of Enforcement, Compliance and Environmental Justice partnered with the Overbrook Environmental Education Center, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Regional Office and Jefferson University to develop a CUPP. This collaborative effort will focus on addressing the environmental and public health concerns (e.g., minority health, healthy foods, etc.) in Philadelphia's Overbrook Community. The students will work collaboratively with community residents, the Overbrook Environmental Education Center and the federal partners to develop meaningful community-driven projects to address the community's interests and concerns. Students will gain on-the-ground experience in their fields of expertise and interest, and the partners will foster meaningful working relationships among the stakeholders. Additionally, Regional Administrator Cosmos Servidio participated in several meetings with the Overbrook Environmental Education Center highlighting the work being done by the center as they formulate their plan for the CUPP project. 16 ------- CERTAINTY IN EPA'S PROGRAMS EPA advances environmental justice by working to address environmental challenges and helping to ensure rule of law and fair process. This work is accomplished through EPA's national programs, including Superfund, Brownfields, the Office of Water, the Office of Air and Radiation, the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, the Office of Research and Development, the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, and the External Civil Rights Compliance Office. LAND Superfund Program EPA's Superfund program is committed to protecting human health and the environment by cleaning up hazardous waste sites and facilitating reuse based on the community's vision, and to engaging communities and providing them with the information and tools they need to participate in the cleanup process. EPA provides technical assistance programs that help communities understand health and environmental concerns, and to assist communities in providing input into the cleanup decisions. The Superfund program also provides support for Community Advisory Groups; provides translation services; ensures that communities have access to the Superfund site team members and tailors information to meet the needs of the community. in FY 2018, EPA continued support for the Superfund Task Force, created to provide recommendations and implement actions to improve and expedite site cleanups and promote redevelopment. During the first year of the Task Force, from EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- July 2017 through July 2018, the Superfund Program held or participated in more than 1,370 public meetings and 3,190 in-person meetings or interviews with community members living near Superfund sites. In FY 2018, EPA also: Supported 42 Technical Assistance Grants (TAGs), which help communities participate in Superfund cleanup decision-making by providing funding for eligible community groups to contract their own technical advisor to interpret and explain technical reports, site condhtions, and EPA's proposed cleanup proposals and decisions. Provided technical information assistance services to 26 Superfund communities through the Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program to assist these communities in understanding site information and participating in the cleanup decision-making processes. Supported the creation of 18 Superfund Community Involvement Plans (CIPs) through the TASC program. Identified 51 additional sites as having all long-term protections, including institutional controls, in place to meet Superfund's Sitewide Ready for Anticipated Use (SWRAU) measure, the highest annual result since FY 2013. This brings the cumulative total of SWFiAU sites to 887 sites. Trained 39 graduates through the Superfund Job Training Initiative, which is a job readiness program that provides training and employment opportunities for people living in communities affected by Superfund sites. Many of these areas are communities with environmental justice concerns - historically under-represented minority and low-income neighborhoods and areas burdened with significant environmental challenges. EPA's goal is to help these communities develop job opportunities that remain long after a Superfund site has been cleaned up. Continued to work to redevelop Superfund sites to help transform communities: As of the end of FY 2018, there are approximately 850 sites in reuse, which is roughly half of the sites on Superfund's National Priorities List. EPA has collected data on more than 8,600 businesses at Superfund sites. In FY 2018, these businesses generated $52.4 billion in sales and employed more than 195,000 people who earned a combined income of $13 billion. Over the last seven years, these businesses generated at least $263 billion in sales. Redevelopment of Superfund sites has brought thousands of jobs to communities. Thanks in part to Superfund Redevelopment Initiative and EPA's RE-Powering America's Land initiative, 59 Superfund sites are now home to alternative energy facilities. As of September 2018, these facilities provided enough energy to power about 95,000 homes. Wind, solar and landfill gas facilities make up about 92 percent of these projects. For more information, please see Superfund: Transforming Communities FY 2018 Accomplishments Report (PDF^ and visit the Superfund website. Brownfields Program In FY 2018, EPA's Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR) awarded 144 communities with Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund, and Cleanup grants. The 221 grants totaling $54.3 million will provide communities with funding to assess, clean up and redevelop underutilized properties. EPA's Brownfields Program also awarded $3.3 million to 17 communities with Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) grants. The purpose of the EWDJT Grant Program is to recruit, train, and place unemployed and underemployed individuals with the skills needed to secure long-term employment in the environmental field. Another critical part of the EWDJT Grant Program is to further environmental justice by ensuring that residents in communities historically affected by economic disinvestment, health disparities, and environmental contamination, including low-income, minority, and tribal communities, have an opportunity to reap the benefits of revitalization and environmental cleanup. OBLR also provided $46.7 million to support state and tribal response programs and encourages the prioritization of sites in communities with the greatest need, including environmental justice communities. 18 ------- AIR Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 Measure EPA monitors fine particle air pollution throughout the U.S. to identify whether an area is meeting EPA's particulate matter2.5 (PM2.5) National Ambient Ai" Quality Standards (NAAQS) based on data assessed over a three-year period. Based on the most recent three-year period, EPA reported a significant improvement in the percentage of the low-income population living in counties where the particulate matter PM2.5 NAAQS are being met. The most recent monitoring data from 2015-2017 showed the percentage increased to 86% compared to the baseline data of 43% from 2006-2008. Near-Port Community Capacity Building Pilot Projects In FY 2018, the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), in partnership with the Office of Environmental Justice and Regional Offices, provided on-site technical assistance to three near-port communities in Savannah. GA; Seattle. Washington: and New Orleans. LA to support effective engagement between the port industry sector and community stakeholders, especially those with environmental justice concerns. Pilot project partners participated in workshops, specialized training, and facilitated dialogues covering a range of topics, such as air quality management, collaborative problem- solving, equitable development, and leadership skills. These activities enhanced working knowledge of the challenges and priorities of local stakeholders and strengthened trust among port officials, community leaders and organizations, government representatives, and business owners. A key element of the technical assistance services provided included use of EPA's draft Near-port Community Capacity Building Toolkit. This new resource includes the Ports Primer for Communities, the Community Action Roadmap. and the Environmental Justice Primer for Ports and was developed in collaboration with several partners, including the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council, national nonprofit organizations, local community groups, ports and federal partners, and other stakeholders. Feedback on the draft toolkit from project participants is supporting enhancement of these resources to provide ongoing guidance as pilot project partners collaboratively implement the action plans and other objectives emerging from the pilots. Using the draft capacity building tools, EPA also facilitated stakeholder discussions in Providence, Rl. This effort resulted in the formation of a Port- Community Working Group, which is independently continuing plans for collaborative projects involving port businesses, state and local government, and EJ-focused community stakeholders. Several guidance documents and other resource materials resulting from these technical assistance pilots will be made publicly available. The goal is to share these process outcomes and action plans so they can be replicated in other communities. Diesel Emissions Reduction Act In FY 2018, the Office of Air and Radiation meaningfully improved a critical source of funding to focus improvements in and for communities with EJ concerns. EPA prioritizes ports and goods movement diesel emissions reduction projects that replace engines with newer, cleaner engines that reduce particulate matter, as well as other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides. This effort includes providing grant funding under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). Since this funding started in 2008, EPA has always prioritized projects in nonattainment areas and areas with air toxic concerns, projects in areas that receive a disproportionate quantity of air pollution from diesel fleets (ports, rail yards, distribution centers, etc), and projects that engage the affected communities. Many of these projects fund cleaner diesel engines that operate in economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of asthma, heart and lung disease. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- In addition to soliciting applications for projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions and exposure, in FY 2018, priority was given to projects that engage and benefit local communities and applicants that demonstrate their ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended, especially any communities or populations that have faced or are facing environmental justice concerns. DERA FY 2018 grants have been awarded for projects in and around ports totaling approximately $19 million of the total $43 million available. Approximately $3 million was awarded for airport projects, and $4 million for locomotive projects. For example, EPA awarded over $1.3 million in DERA grants to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association to reduce port-related diesel emissions and exposure from trucks serving the Wilmington, DE and Philadelphia, PA areas. "Taking steps to reduce emissions from older diesel engines rates among some of the most cost-effective measures we can take to improve the air we all breathe," said EPA Regional Administrator Cosmo Servidio. "These grants are prioritizing clean diesel activities to areas that have complex air quality challenges in the Mid-Atlantic region, so they can help reduce health and environmental harm from diesel emissions." Targeted Airshed Grants In FY 2018, Region 9 helped develop EJ-related criteria for EPA's Targeted Airshed Grant Program, a $40 million grant focused on areas with the highest levels of ozone and PM2.5 ambient air concentrations. This new EJ-related criteria requires applicants to describe how affected communities would benefit from and engage in projects proposed by applicants. The goal of this effort is to ensure applicants consider the needs of vulnerable communities affected by ozone and PM2.5. WATER Financing Critical Investments to Improve the Nation's Water Infrastructure EPA engages in activities that advance the nexus between environmental justice and safe drinking water by partnering with states, public water systems, tribes, laboratories and water sector stakeholders to assist public water systems in delivering safe drinking water and working to improve drinking water infrastructure across the United States. Of the approximately 50,000 community water systems that supply drinking water to approximately 310 million people, the vast majority (81 %) are small community water systems that typically serve fewer than 3,300 people. Many of these small drinking water systems and tribal systems serve disadvantaged communities, and often struggle with financial resources, aging infrastructure, lack of economies of scale, management limitations and lack of qualified and experienced operators and personnel. For these reasons, the key activities noted below focus on small community drinking water systems and tribal drinking water systems. EPA awarded approximately $25.4 million in 2017 - 2018 for training and technical assistance grants. Recipients include the National Rural Water Association, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership, and 20 ------- the Environmental Finance Center Network. Since 2010, EPA has provided approximately $53 million in grants to the country's small drinking water utilities for training and technical assistance, In FY 2018, EPA's Drinking Water Infrastructure Grant Tribal Set Aside (DWIG-TSA) funding level was $22.7 million. EPA's Tribal Direct Implementation Public Water System Supervision Funds were $6.4 million in FY 2018, including a $456,000 grant to the Navajo Nation. These funding mechanisms support drinking water infrastructure improvement efforts and direct implementation of EPA's Public Water System Supervision program, respectively. Since 2009, EPA, working with state, federal, local, and tribal partners, provided over 92,000 American Indian and Alaska Native homes with safe drinking water and more than 54,000 homes with modern wastewater management. EPA has historically identified significant national EJ challenges across different media, and reports two measurable environmental outcomes related to drinking water: Small Community Drinking Water6 - In FY 2018, small community drinking water systems with repeat health- based violations increased from 3.0% to 3.1 % nationally, from 1,939 to 1,966 systems. Tribal Drinking Water7 - People living in Indian County served by drinking water systems meeting all applicable health-based standards decreased from 90.5% to 89.2% in FY 2018. Compliance data show that the majority of the health-based violations assigned to public water systems were associated with the Revised Total Coliform Rule and the Ground Water Rule. Historically, EPA has seen a gradual increase in violations during the first three years of implementation of a new drinking water rule. The Revised Total Coliform Rule (completing the third year of implementation) is following this trend. In addition, EPA has increased its oversight of state sanitary survey completion. Thus, more states are completing sanitary surveys of water systems and assigning more significant deficiencies needing correction, including those prescribed in the Ground Water Rule. Ground water systems represent the majority of the small system inventory. Many small systems lack the technical knowledge to address a deficiency quickly and this has resulted in an increase in the number of unaddressed violations. To heip address compliance issues, EPA conducted over 45 face-to-face workshops in 2018. EPA has increased its engagement with states to help them make compliance determinations and develop action plans to address compliance problems. EPA's Urban Waters, National Estuary and Trash Free Waters Programs Approximately 68% of the National Fish and Wildlife I oundation-administered Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grants fully or partially funded by EPA in FY 2018 were awarded to projects planned with underserved communities. In addition, Urban Waters partnered with the Office of Environmental Justice on EPA's Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreements program to fund projects in New Mexico and West Virginia. EPA's Trash Free Waters is a collaborative program driven by community priorities and engages underserved and low-income communities to better meet water quality goals. In FY 2018, EPA assisted Puerto Rico in conducting microplastics research in estuaries that support subsistence fishing. Through the NY-NJ Harbor National Estuary Program and the Bronx & Harlem River Watershed Urban Waters Federal Partnership, EPA funded a project that focused on trash to help educate citizens about stormwater runoff and watershed issues in minority communities. 6 The environmental justice measure around small community drinking water systems focuses on systems serving less than 3,300 people and the number and percent of small community water systems and non-transient non-community water systems with repeat health-based violations. EPA defines a community water system (CWS) as a public water system that serves at least 15 service connections used by year-round residents or regularly serves at least 25 year-round residents. A repeat health based violation is defined as a system that triggers more than one health based violation in a 12-month period. 7 The environmental justice measure on tribal drinking water systems focused on the percent of population in Indian country served by community water systems that meet all applicable health-based drinking water standards. Safe drinking water that meets all health-based drinking water standards does not exceed a maximum contaminant level (MCL) nor violate a treatment technique. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- The National Estuary Programs engage directly with disadvantaged communities to ensure the equitable implementation of management and conservation practices in estuaries along United States coastlines. In FY 2018, the NEPs completed a number of targeted environmental justice initiatives, including the: Removal of 228 tons of hurricane debris in the Los Monjas community of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Completion of an action plan to advance shoreline resilience, recreation access, and environmental justice within the shoreline transition zone of North Richmond, CA. Revision of internal operating and hiring processes to reach more communities of color, indigenous people, and woman-owned businesses in the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership. CHEMICAL SAFETY AND POLLUTION PREVENTION Using sound science as a compass, the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) works to protect the American people and the environment from potential risk from pesticides and toxic chemicals. Through innovative partnerships and collaboration, OCSPP works to prevent pollution before it begins. Proposed Rule on Dust-Lead Hazard Standards and the Definition of Lead-Based Paint In June 2018, the Agency strengthened the dust-lead hazard standards for floors and window sills. These standards apply to most pre-1978 housing and child-occupied facilities, such as daycare centers and kindergarten facilities. Lead dust can be a major source of lead exposure in children, and the new proposed standards for lead in dust will be an important step to reduce lead exposure among children. Understanding Unique Tribal Exposure Scenarios OCSPP is working collaboratively with EPA Tribal Partnership Groups (i.e., National Tribal Toxics Council and Tribal Pesticide Program Council) and across the Agency to better understand unique tribal exposure scenarios and to educate risk assessors on tribal subsistence lifeways8. In 2018, OCSPP began a collaborative effort to develop tribal exposure scenarios as an initial case study to inform the evaluation of potentially exposed populations, including tribal populations, in risk evaluations conducted under the Toxics Substance Control Act (TSCA). For more information on TSCA, please visit EPA's site regarding Chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Bed Bug Outreach Plan & Educational Package In 2018, OCSPP partnered with the Tribal Pesticide Program Council (TPPC), federal agency partners (Indian Health Service, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture), and bed bug technical assistance providers (e.g., National Pesticide Information Center, Stop Pests in Housing) to develop and position TPPC leadership to effectively implement a bed bug outreach plan for tribal communities. The primary goal of the outreach plan was to assist tribal communities in their efforts to manage the expanding bed bug problem. One of the primary elements of the plan is the bed bug educational package, which is a collection of accessible pest management materials from government agencies and university extension offices. These materials address topics identified by the TPPC as particularly relevant to tribal communities, such as bed bug identification and biology, and do-it-yourself techniques for combating bed bug infestations. In addition to developing the bed bug educational package, EPA partnered with the TPPC to develop content updates for the bed bug section of the TPPC's webpaae. Tribal lifeways are inclusive of, but not limited to, economic, cultural, ceremonial, recreational, and subsistence practices. Sourced from National Tribal Toxics Council Report. 22 ------- ENFORCEMENT The Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) continues to strengthen the integration of environmental justice into the Agency's enforcement program - from the problems that are selected for enforcement attention, the violating facilities that are addressed, the way relief is designed to remedy violations and past harms, and how EPA communicates with affected communities. This ongoing work includes reviewing all new cases to determine whether they may affect overburdened communities and, as appropriate, structuring the resolution of enforcement actions to benefit affected communities, in 2018, EPA performed over 900 environmental justice screenings in our enforcement and compliance work. These EJSCREEN9 reviews serve two purposes. It assures that EPA enforcement personnel working on a case are aware of the potential EJ concerns in a community, and then may look for opportunities to address those concerns. This also allows OECA to gauge how much of its enforcement work is being done in areas with potential EJ concerns. To advance this work, OECA recently added EJSCREEN map layers to the Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) database to help Regions and co-regulators (states, tribes and local government) focus compliance reviews on overburdened communities. This innovation will assist the Agency in identifying overburdened communities or locations that also appear to have facilities presenting a high likelihood of non-compliance with environmental laws. EPA will use this mapping capability, along with on-the-ground knowledge from other EPA programs, states, tribes, and community members and groups, to help direct where the Agency should focus its compliance efforts to make a difference to communities. Reducing Lead Exposure EPA took enforcement actions to reduce lead exposure in FY 2018: Through the Federal Insecticide. Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), Region 5 enforcement efforts resulted in 267,000 pounds of pesticides being removed from Detroit, Grand Rapids, Schoolcraft and Ypsilanti in Michigan and returned to the county of origin or removed from the stream of commerce. In FY 2018, the United States Department of Justice, EPA, and the state of Missouri, announced a consent decree that requires the Doe Run Resources Corporation (Doe Run) to clean up more than 4,000 lead- contaminated residential properties near the Big River Mine Tailings Site in St. Francois County, Missouri. In the three zip codes comprising the majority of the Big River Mine Tailings Site, between 9.3 and 16.7 percent of children have an elevated blood lead level above 5 micrograms per deciliter. Historical mining activities in St. Francois County released hazardous heavy metals, including lead, cadmium and zinc, onto residential properties. This settlement is a mixed funding arrangement where EPA will contribute up to $31.54 million toward the cleanup, which is estimated to cost a total of $111 million. Guidelines for Implementing EJ in Enforcement Activities in Region 8 In FY 2018, Region 8 continued to improve its ability to integrate EJ into the fabric of its work through the development of internal Guidelines for Implementing Environmental Justice in Enforcement Activities. These Guidelines describe expectations and set forth procedures for Region 8's civil enforcement staff and managers to integrate the consideration of EJ into enforcement and compliance assurance activities. They serve as an efficient tool for considering environmental justice during each stage of the compliance, monitoring and enforcement process, including pre-enforcement activities, enforcement case screening and identifying potential EJ concerns for enforcement cases, case development, and case conclusion and documentation of EJ considerations. 9 EJSCREEN is EPA's environmental justice mapping and screening tool that is based on nationally consistent data and an approach that combines environmental and demographic indicators in maps and reports. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- SCIENCE In FY 2018, EPA's Office of Research and Development (ORD), Office of Children's Health Protection, and OEJ collaborated on the development and implementation of EPA's contribution to the cross-agency ;:ederal Lead Action For more information on the Federal Lead Action plan, please also see section on Task Force under Reducing Childhood Lead Disparities on page 18. ORD and OEJ are collaborating with Region 5, and the states within that region, to pilot an approach to identifying locations of high lead exposure risk to children. ORD also published research reports in the areas of Health Disparities and Cumulative Impacts, Exposure Risk Assessment, Air Pollution Monitoring and Modeling, Water Quality and Modeling, and Adaptive Management and Resilience. Links to these reports (with plain language descriptions) can be found on EPA's Environmental .Justice Research website. This site also links to science-based decision support tools for EJ communities and programs, reports from STAR grantees, and EPA's other EJ programs. EJ GRANT FUNDING & TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITIES Environmental Justice Grants The Office of Environmental Justice manages EPA's Environmental Justice Grants. Funding and Technical Assistance programs, which supports overburdened communities and builds partnerships to promote environmental well-being and improve public health. FY 2018 marks the 24th year that OEJ has funded environmental justice projects throughout the United States. Since 1994, more than $33 million has been awarded to more than 1,400 communities. In FY 2018, OEJ, in partnership with the EPA's Urban Waters Program, awarded a total of $1.2 million grant funding to 10 communities to address local environmental and public health issues, e.g. water sampling and monitoring, lead and toxic substances, illegal dumping and air monitoring. The FY 2018 Collaborative Problem- Solving awards focused on rural areas resulting in 80% of the awarded projects going to rural communities. This EJ Grants and Communities Story Map highlights three recent EJ grantee success stories. Technical Assistance from the Office of Environmental Justice Technical assistance, training and environmental education are often needed to build the capacity of a community to better understand the science, regulations and policies of environmental issues and EPA actions. Through an EPA contract in the Office of Environmental Justice, the Technical Assistance Services for Communities (TASC) program provides this independent assistance to communities through scientists, engineers and other professionals who explain technical findings to a community and answer their questions. TASC supported efforts assist communities in working with government agencies and other stakeholders and in participating meaningfully in environmental decision-making processes. These services are provided in response to a community's request - at no cost to the community - and are determined on a project-specific basis. in FY 2018, OEJ provided $143,000 of funding for technical assistance to East Trenton, NJ; Providence, Ri; Kansas City, MO; Dallas, TX; and Portland, Corvallis and Dalles, Oregon. In collaboration with communities, this technical assistance: 1) Conducted community trainings on making effective public comments on environmental issues (e.g., air monitoring regulations); 2) Provided community education on technical issues (e.g., radon awareness, protection, prevention, 24 ------- SINCE 1994 OVER $33 MILLION DOLLARS HAVE BEEN AWARDED TO MORE THAN 1,400 VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES TO ADDRESS LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-grants-and-resources brownfields redevelopment); and 3) Guided technical needs assessment and plan development (e.g., greenway redevelopment, recreational needs assessment, near port communities assessment). Technical Assistance from Office of Community Revitalization The )ffice of Community Revitalization (OCR) (formerly the Office of Sustainable Communities) supports locally-led, community-driven efforts to revitalize local economies and improve environmental and human health outcomes. OCR collaborates with other EPA programs, federal agencies, regional, state, and local governments, and a broad array of nongovernmental and private-sector partners to bring additional resources to communities and to leverage public and private sector investments. Assistance is provided at the community's request on issues such as the reuse and redevelopment of abandoned and underused properties; diversifying economies and revitalizing main streets through local and regional food systems, broadband infrastructure investments, light manufacturing, health care organizations and other community assets; disaster recovery and resilience and green and compete street designs. In FY 2018, EPA's Office of Community Revitalization - along with governmental, community-based organizations and private sector partners - delivered technical assistance to more than 40 communities across the United States. This work included developing action plans and identifying strategies to support reinvestment and reuse of existing community assets (brownfields, open space, main streets, etc.) and infrastructure (water, sewer, road). These efforts supported inclusive economic growth and environmental and public health protection. COORDINATION BETWEEN EJ & CIVIL RIGHTS PROGRAMS EPA's two-pronged effort included: (1) investigation of complaints filed with EPA pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and (2) training and technical assistance to 25 states, as well as local agencies and tribes, across all ten EPA Regions, on how to proactively address their civil rights obligations. As a result of planning undertaken in FY 2018, EPA's External Civil Rights Compliance Office launched a pilot project in December 2018 to partner with EPA's Region 1 New England Office to engage the Region 1 states in building a collaborative relationship that will produce robust and effective nondiscrimination programs for the Region 1 states that other states across the country could model. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL CERTAINTY IN RISK COMMUNICATION Ensuring engagement and risk communication with low-income, minority, tribal and indigenous populations is key to advancing environmental justice and providing certainty to communities. EPA works to accomplish this through a federal advisory committee, EPA tribal partnership groups, edu- cation, trainings and tools. Highlights of this work in FY 2018 are shared below. The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) is a federal advisory committee that was established in 1993 to provide independent advice and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on matters related to environmental justice, with a focus on key areas that include evaluation of a broad range of strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory, community engagement, and economic policy issues. The NEJAC brings together a diverse set of stakeholders, who engage in a systematic and comprehensive review of the issues before it formulates recommendations. In FY 2018, the NEJAC convened one national in-person and two teleconference public meetings with a total of 383 participants, including community members, EJ stakeholders, and local, state and federal government. The NEJAC received comments from 42 members of the public and worked on two charges to provide recommendations to EPA, including on addressing infrastructure challenges for safe and clean water. As a result of the other charge, the NEJAC produced the report "Youth Perspectives on Climate Change: Best Practices for Youth Engagement and Addressing Health Impacts of Climate Change." 26 ------- "EPA has improved the health, living conditions, and economic opportunity of thousands of people living near Superfund sites over the past year as the Agency worked to implement the Task Force recommendations," said Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "I am proud of the accomplishments achieved by EPA's hardworking staff, and we will continue to engage directly with stakeholders and communities near Superfund sites to accelerate cleanup and promote economic revitalization. Our plan to complete Task Force recommendations by the end of 2019 will ensure this work continues as one of EPA's highest priorities." - July 26,2018 Superfund Working Group In 2018, as part of the Superfund Task Force, EPA committed to forming a NEJAC Superfund Working Group, Staff from OLEM and OEJ worked collaboratively with members of the NEJAC to craft a charge document with five questions to be handled over two phases of work. The questions generally focus on providing recommendations to the EPA Administrator on ways to help advance the effectiveness and efficiency of the Superfund program and how community revitalization can be furthered through reuse of formerly contaminated sites. This charge was delivered to NEJAC in November, 2018. COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT ON PFAS In May 2018, EPA hosted a National Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. to take action on Per- and Poiyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in the environment. Throughout the summer of 2018, EPA conducted events with communities impacted by PFAS. For each engagement, EPA coordinated closely with states and local communities to plan and select each of the PFAS Community Engagement events. These events took place in Exeter, New Hampshire; Horsham, Pennsylvania; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Fayetteville, North Carolina; and Leavenworth, Kansas. EPA also engaged with tribal representatives at the Tribal Lands and Environment Forum in Spokane, Washington. By visiting impacted communities, EPA heard directly from the public on how to best help states and communities facing this issue. Those that were unable to attend a Community Engagement had the opportunity to submit written comments in the public docket. Using information from the National Leadership Summit, community engagements, and public input provided by the docket, EPA plans to release a PFAS Management Plan in 2019. ------- "The EJSCREEN mobile app puts a powerful tool in the hands of people working on the ground in communities. By making information more accessible, we can give people across the United States an easy way to find those communities that need our help and support the most." - Matthew Tejada, Director of EPA's Office of Environmental Justice EJSCREEN ~ IN FY18, EPA LAUNCHED THE EJSCREEN MOBILE APP EPA CONDUCTED OVER JO EJSCREEN TRAININGS TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS. ACADEMIA, BUSINESS, INDUSTRY, FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS IN FY18 EJSCREEN is a publicly available web- based environmental justice mapping and screening tool that provides easy access to reports and maps. In FY 2018, EPA launched a mobile app version of EJSCREEN to enhance user experience. Since the public release of EJSCREEN over 2 years ago, effective ongoing education and use of the tool continues to play a major role in expanding the conversation of environmental justice. In FY 2018, EPA conducted over 30 trainings for a wide range of stakeholders, including community-based organizations, academia, business/industry, and all levels of government across the country. EPA is continuously refining the capabilities of EJSCREEN to facilitate broader use for environmental justice screening and mapping. EPA PERFORMED OVER 900 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE SCREENINGS OF ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS USING EJSCREEN IN FY18 https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen EDUCATION, TRAININGS AND TOOLS Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Units (PEHSUs) work in environmental justice communities with health care professionals and community groups as experts in children's health issues. PEHSU pediatricians and nurses work as a national network, with eleven sites around the country, funded by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and EPA. A few examples from FY 2018 include this PEHSU work: Helped educate over 600 healthcare and public health professionals and 400 community members in Region 3 to address groundwater contaminated by PFAS. Toured the Proctor Creek community in Region 4 and participated in a discussion with Scientific Advisory Board members, residents and stakeholders on issues related to indoor air Led a project addressing the high prevalence of childhood asthma and focused on community engagement and stakeholder participation to develop an environmental health literacy program on asthma and indoor air quality in Fort Valley, GA. Educated promotoras (non-traditional health care providers) and medical students on how environment affects the health of children along the southern border. quality. 28 ------- Madison County Mines Superfund Job Training Initiative In FY 2018, Region 7 hosted a national Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI) event at the Madison County Mines (MCM^ National Priorities List (NPIJ Superfund Site in Fredericktown. Missouri. SuperJTI is EPA's national environmental remediation job readiness program that provides free training and employment opportunities for citizens living in communities affected by Superfund sites. SuperJTI provides unemployed and underemployed individuals with the technical skills and specialized training needed to work on a broad range of projects in environmental remediation and construction, as well as the cleanup of a Superfund site. Twenty-four students graduated from the 2018 program. Each graduate earned certificates in: 1) Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Training); 2) 10-hour Occupational Safety and Health Administration Construction Outreach; 3) CPR/First Aid; and 4) Job Readiness Skills. As of June 2018, 18 of the 24 SuperJTI graduates were employed using skills and certificates gained from the program. Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program in Region 1 In FY 2018, EPA selected Groundwork Rhode Island, a Pawtucket-based organization in Region 1, to receive a $200,000 grant to help residents as part of the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Program. The program awards competitive grants to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit, train and place unemployed and underemployed individuals. Those who have completed the training have often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many are from low-income neighborhoods. The training programs also serve dislocated workers who have lost their jobs as a result of manufacturing plant closures, minorities, tribal members, transitioning veterans, ex-offenders and other individuals who may have faced barriers to employment. "This EPA funding will help our momentum to keep improving the economy and environment in greater Providence," said Alexandra Dunn, regional administrator of EPA's New England office. "The professional training provided with this grant will also literally change lives by teaching in-demand professional skills. Our job training grants help prepare people for green jobs that reduce environmental contamination and provide more sustainable futures for the communities most affected by solid and hazardous waste contamination." - July 7,2018 Trainings Led by the Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards In FY 2018, the Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards led 17 trainings that helped increase the capacity for meaningful engagement for communities with environmental justice concerns. National trainings focused on important rulemaking activities and helping communities better understand the Clean Air Act. Local trainings were designed to address a community's specific needs. Enforcement and Compliance Training in Region 9 Region 9 participated in a compliance and enforcement training event of about 150 Department of Defense personnel in the region. Held in Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, the team presented on environmental justice, the consideration of EJ in EPA's work, and the use of EJSCREEN to screen communities for potential EJ concerns. ------- Community Involvement Training (GIT) In FY 2018, the Office of Land and Emergency Management, Region 7, OEJ and the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention hosted the CIT Program through EPA's Superfund Program in Kansas City, MO, With environmental justice woven throughout, the goal of this training is to help to ensure that EPA staff and managers have the skills to effectively engage the public and better engage the communities that EPA serves. The training program had 32 sessions and nearly 300 participants from EPA, state, tribes, local government, and community members. Inland Port Community Resiliency Roadmap In FY 2018, Region 4 organized a cross-programmatic, multimedia internal team comprised of the Office of Research and Development, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Office of Environmental Justice, Office of Science Policy and Region 4 experts in air, transportation, pollution prevention, environmental justice, energy and climate to develop a process guide for inland ports that examines how to improve resilience to extreme weather events. This Inland Port Community Resilience Roadmap (Roadmap; outlines a process for prioritizing risk management actions based on community values and presents a series of steps to increase port resilience and, by association, near-port community resilience, infused with environmental justice principles, the Roadmap provides actionable information and steps local governments and port communities can take to increase their resilience to variability in river water levelsincluding extreme high-water levels and periods of flooding, as well as extreme low water levels that may restrict freight movement. Disaster Response and Recovery In FY 2018, the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) continued working with other EPA program and regional offices on enhancing equity considerations throughout the emergency management cycle, from preparedness and response through mitigation and recovery. The goal for OEJ and Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is for EPA to more systematically incorporate the use of EJ tools and integrate EJ considerations into emergency response processes. OEJ and OEM have also planned future EJ relevant trainings for emergency response staff with clear identification of EJ personnel in the hierarchies of emergency response teams. EJ HOTLINE EPA's National Environmental Justice Hotline (Hotline) achieved a 99% ticket closure rate for the 848 inquiries received in FY 2018. The Hotline offers people an accessible way to inform the Agency of environmental and public health concerns. It serves as a mechanism to promote the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of people who experience or have the potential to experience adverse environmental and public health impacts in their residence and communities. The Hotline is responsive to community members who call in or write to share their concerns. REGIONAL REPORTING In FY 2018, Region 1 published an Environmental Justice End-of-Year Report, which represents a portion of the significant work staff performed in support of EPA's statutory mission to protect human health and safeguard the natural environment. Inland Port Community Resilience Roadmap 30 ------- LOOKING FORWARD EPA is continuing to help vulnerable and overburdened communities become healthier, cleaner and more prosperous places to live, work, play and learn. We will focus on providing greater certainty to our federal, states, tribal and local partners; certainty in EPA programs; and certainty in how we communicate risk, all of which help to strengthen environmental and public health protection for low-income, minority, indigenous and disadvantaged communities, We look forward to continued engagement with our partners and stakeholders to ensure that the EPA's environmental justice work results in meaningful and measurable improvements in communities across the country. For more information on EPA's environmental justice efforts, resources and tools, please visit the Office of Environmental Justice's website at epa.gov/environmentaljustice. To receive regularly emailed updates on federal resources, tools and trainings related to environmental justice, please sign up for the EJ Listserv. EPA ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROGRESS REPORT FY 2018 ------- ------- |