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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Inspector General
At a Glance
10-N-0145
June 14, 2010
Catalyst for Improving the Environment
Why We Did This Review
On October 27, 2009,
16 allegations involving
environmental justice issues
were brought to the attention of
the Acting Regional
Administrator, U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Region 4,
Atlanta, Georgia, with a request
that the Office of Inspector
General (OIG) investigate these
matters.
Background
EPA Administrator Lisa
Jackson has made
environmental justice one of
her top seven priorities and has
created an office to promote
environmental justice for
affected groups and
communities throughout the
United States. 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.
For further information,
contact our Office of
Congressional, Public Affairs
and Management at
(202) 566-2391.
To view the full report,
click on the following link:
www.epa.aov/oia/reports/2010/
20100614-10-N-0145.pdf
Investigation of Allegations Concerning
Environmental Justice Issues in EPA Region 4
What We Found
The OIG's Office of Investigations undertook a detailed review of the allegations
to determine whether the OIG had investigative jurisdiction in terms of EPA
contracts, assistance agreements, programs, or personnel involvement. Using
these criteria, we determined that five allegations merited further investigative
review. Our further investigative review of the five allegations disclosed
no evidence that EPA contracts, assistance agreements, or programs were
involved, or that an EPA employee committed any actionable offense(s). In
instances in which we determined that applicable violations were outside of the
OIG's jurisdiction, we made a professional referral to the appropriate
investigative entity. In addition, some of the programmatic issues raised may
merit further review and have been forwarded to the OIG's Office of Program
Evaluation.
Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in
Minority Popidations and Low-Income Popidations, directs federal agencies to
make achieving environmental justice part of its mission to the greatest extent
practicable and permitted by law. The Executive Order states that it is intended
only to improve the internal management of the executive branch and is not
intended to, nor does it create any right, benefit, or trust responsibility,
substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or equity by a party against the
United States, its agencies, its officers, or any person. Consequently there are no
enforcement provisions for environmental justice guidelines.

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