Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Working Together for Environmental Making a Visible Difference in Overburdened Communities Action Agenda Framework Fiscal Years 2016 - 2018 DRAFT ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Table of Contents Introduction 3 Background: Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice 3 Action Agenda Framework Goals 4 I. Enhance communication and coordination to improve the health, quality-of-life, and economic opportunities in overburdened communities 5 II. Enhance multi-agency support of holistic community-based solutions to solve environmental justice issues 5 III. Advance interagency strategies to identify and address environmental justice concerns in agency programs, policies, and activities 5 Appendix A: Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Governance Structure 6 Appendix B: Action Agenda Framework Fiscal Year 2016 Priorities 8 Appendix C: Annual Progress Report for the Action Agenda Framework 10 Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 2 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Introduction The Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (EJ IWG) plays a central role in creating healthy and sustainable communities by bringing together the federal family to address critical environmental justice issues. The EJ IWG provides leadership, guidance, and support to federal agencies on the following key areas: • Coordinating a focused and concerted effort by federal agencies to directly address the environmental, social, economic, and public health burdens in minority, low-income, indigenous and tribal communities; • Implementing policies that have measurable impacts on environmental justice; and • Focusing federal agency resources and technical assistance to address disproportionate health and environmental impacts. The EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework (Framework) is a strategic plan to define new goals for the next three years and advance greater federal agency collaboration to improve the quality of life and expand economic opportunity in overburdened1 and under-resourced communities. Increased coordination and cooperation among federal agencies will promote holistic community-based solutions to environmental justice issues and ensure that the public has meaningful opportunities for participation in the decision- making process. Background: Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice The EJ IWG facilitates the active involvement of all federal agencies to implement President Clinton's Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations," (Order)2. The Order states that federal agencies must identify and address, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations. Established by the Order, the EJ IWG provides a forum for federal agencies collectively to advance environmental justice principles. The EJ IWG works as a federal family to assist communities in building the capacity to promote and implement innovative and comprehensive solutions to address environmental justice issues. 1 http://compliance.supportportal.com/link/portal/23002/23009/Article/34316/What-is-the-definition- of-overburdened-communitv-that-is-relevant-for-EPA-Actions-and-Promising-Practices Executive Order No. 12898, 59 F.R. 7629 (1994): http://www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/resources/policv/exec order 12898.pdf Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 3 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice The EJ IWG is chaired by the EPA Administrator and includes federal agencies and White House offices. The EJ IWG has standing committees and other committees established as necessary to carry out responsibilities outlined by the Order. The EJ IWG consists of senior leadership representatives, senior staff representatives, and other persons designated by a federal agency. Additional information on the EJ IWG's governance structure can be found in Appendix A of this document. In 2011, the EJ IWG agencies took a landmark step to support environmental justice by signing a Memorandum of Understanding3 on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898 (MOU) and adopting a Charter. The MOU serves as a formal agreement among federal agencies to recommit to addressing environmental justice through a more collaborative, comprehensive, and efficient process. The Charter, revised in late 2014,4 outlines the EJ IWG's governance structure which includes the following standing (permanent) committees: • Public Participation • Regional Interagency Working Groups • Strategy and Implementation Progress Reports • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 In addition, consistent with the Presidential Memorandum5 issued with the Order, and based on public recommendations, every three years the EJ IWG determines if there are additional focus areas for federal agencies to consider and address. During fiscal years 2016 - 2018, the EJ IWG will maintain committees to address the following five focus areas: • Native Americans/Indigenous Peoples • Rural Communities • Impacts from Climate Change • Impacts from Commercial Transportation (Goods Movement) • National Environmental Policy Act Action Agenda Framework Goals The EJ IWG developed this Action Agenda Framework, which builds on decades of environmental justice work, to focus the collective efforts of the federal agencies on three strategic goals for fiscal years 2016- 2018: 3 MOU: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaliustice/resources/publications/interagencv/ei-mou-2011- 08.pdf 4 Charter: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaliustice/resources/publications/interagencv/iwg-charter- 2014.pdf 5 Presidential Memorandum: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/resources/policv/clinton memo 12898.pdf Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 4 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice I. Enhance communication and coordination to improve the health, quality-of-life, and economic opportunities in overburdened communities; II. Enhance multi-agency support of holistic community-based solutions to solve environmental justice issues; and III. Advance interagency strategies to identify and address environmental justice concerns in agency programs, policies, and activities. Outlined below are a few ways the EJ IWG committees will work to achieve the goals over the next three fiscal years. I. Enhance communication and coordination to improve the health, quality-of-life, and economic opportunities in overburdened communities • Enhance community outreach to provide greater public access to federal information, resources, and training; • Maximize opportunities for federal agency leadership to consider stakeholder feedback; and • Facilitate opportunities for EJ IWG senior leadership to share updates on EJ implementation with advisory boards (e.g., National Environmental Justice Action Council, site specific advisory boards) and community leaders. II. Enhance multi-agency support of holistic community-based solutions to solve environmental justice issues • Enhance community capacity building through sharing of lessons learned, promising practices, and resources; • Identify and leverage federal resources to address environmental challenges and build sustainable community infrastructure; and • Foster federal interagency collaboration on a regional, state, tribal, and local level. III. Advance interagency strategies to identify and address environmental justice concerns in agency programs, policies, and activities • Increase community awareness of federal agency environmental justice strategies and goals to get feedback that assists the federal family in implementation; • Identify opportunities to highlight interagency community solutions to help advance implementation of federal EJ policies and guidance; and • Improve implementation of federal environmental justice policies and guidance. Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 5 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Appendix A: Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Governance Structure The EJ IWG's responsibilities and authority to act on environmental justice issues are established by Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations/' with two accompanying documents: 1) the Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898 and 2) The Charter for the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice. Each of these documents can be found on the EJ IWG webpage: http://www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/interagencv/. EJ IWG Governance Chart FY 2016 - 2018 txecut -e urder 12898 Interagency | Working Group on Environmental Justice (IWG) IWG Charter IWG MOU Public Participation Committee Regional IWGs Committee I Native Americans/ Indigenous Peoples Committee Rural Communities Committee Chart Key Permanent IWG Committees Ad Hoc IWG Committees Strategy and Implementation Progress Report Committee Impacts from Climate Change Committee Commercial Transportation "Goods Movement Committee | Title VI of the Civil Rights Act Committee National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Committee August 20, 2015 Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 6 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice EJ IWG STANDING COMMITTEES (PERMANENT, Displayed in green on the Governance Chart) COMMITTEE NAME PURPOSE OF COMMITTEE Public Participation Develops listening sessions and opportunities for public input. Facilitates collaboration and public participation with federal agencies and external stakeholders. Utilizes social media and other means of communication to build participation. Helps coordinate responses to public input. Regional Interagency Working Groups Provides targeted and coordinated technical assistance; develops relationships between federal field and regional staff; and develops best practices for prioritizing EJ concerns. Strategy and Implementation Progress Report Serves as a resource for federal agencies as they review, update, or develop their environmental justice strategy, and the annual implementation progress reports. Works with agencies to help coordinate programs, policies, and activities. Coordinates EJ IWG Senior Leadership meetings. Manages implementation of the EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework and Standard Operating Procedures. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act Serves as a resource to help agencies connect their civil rights enforcement responsibilities with their other efforts to achieve environmental justice. Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 7 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice EJ IWG AD HOC COMMITTEES (AD HOC, Displayed in light blue on the Governance Chart) COMMITTEE NAME PURPOSE OF COMMITTEE Native Americans/Indigenous Peoples Facilitates effective coordination and collaboration of federal agencies in identifying and addressing issues of environmental justice that are of concern to federally recognized tribes, indigenous peoples (including state recognized tribes, tribal members, indigenous community-based organizations, native Hawaiians, native Alaskans and individual Native Americans), and others living in Indian country. Rural Communities Supports efforts to: ensure collaboration between federal agencies and rural environmental justice communities, create prosperity so rural environmental justice communities are self- sustaining and economically thriving, and coordinate federal agency investments to further holistic community-based solutions that solve environmental justice issues. Impacts from Climate Change Supports collaboration across federal agencies and with communities with environmental justice concerns around climate change-related issues including ensuring vulnerable populations are considered in agencies' climate adaptation activities; providing information, services, and data to help make communities more resilient; providing relevant tools, systems, and policies to communities and businesses needs to mitigate impacts on natural resources and human health due to climate change; and ensuring two way communication around climate- change related issues. Implements the Educate, Motivate & Innovate (EMI) Project. Impacts from Commercial Transportation "Goods Movement" Serves as a resource to coordinate with other federal agencies on reducing environmental and health effects of commercial transportation and supporting infrastructure ("goods movement") that impact low-income, minority and tribal populations (overburdened communities )". Ensures that overburdened communities have greater opportunities to benefit from federal efforts related to goods movement. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Improves effective, efficient and consistent consideration of EJ principles in the NEPA process through sharing of promising practices and lessons learned developed by federal departments and agencies. Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 8 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Appendix B: Action Agenda Framework Fiscal Year 2016 Priorities The Action Agenda Framework spans a three-year timeframe. The FY 2016 priorities are a snapshot of the activities planned for implementation by the end of October 2016. The EJ IWG will produce an annual Action Agenda Framework Progress Report. Collaboration • Identify and highlight successful community-based models that leverage federal investments, technical assistance, and community-based resources on the EJ IWG website • Increase collaboration and leveraging of resources for capacity building, economic investments, and research (e.g., climate, traditional cultural resources) in rural communities • Issue Draft Report of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Committee on Promising Practices for EJ Methodologies in NEPA Reviews Community Resources • Issue and post on the EJ IWG home page, a memorandum to federal funding recipients on how Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, applies to federally funded activities that have an impact on the environment and human health • Update and post on the EJ IWG home page the August 2011 Community-Based Federal Environmental Justice Resource Guide and Directory • Post on the EJ IWG home page, Annual Action Agenda Framework Progress Report and Agency EJ Accomplishments Reports External Communications and Outreach • Select EJ IWG Committees will conduct trainings, webinars, or presentations on EJ IWG focus areas to inform and educate communities • The Public Participation Committee will Identify opportunities to increase public access to EJ IWG Senior Leadership through community visits and public dialogue sessions to solicit feedback from key stakeholders, including state, tribal, local governments and communities with environmental justice concerns, on tools and resources needed to achieve solutions • The Public Participation Committee will Increase social media presence to communicate and share EJ IWG activities with the public Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 9 ------- Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Appendix C: Annual Progress Report for the Action Agenda Framework The EJ IWG will post annual progress reports (i.e., 2016, 2017, and 2018) on the EJ IWG webpage (www.epa.gov/environmentaliustice/interagency). to provide a concise report on progress during the previous fiscal year in implementing the Action Agenda. In addition, each federal agency will include relevant Action Agenda highlights within their annual Environmental Justice Progress Reports posted in accordance with the MOU. Send Comments to ejstrategy@epa.gov Draft FY 2016-2018 EJ IWG Action Agenda Framework Page 10 ------- |