NATIONAL ENVIORNMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL WORKGROUPS The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), a federal advisory committee to EPA was established September 30, 1993. The Council provides advice and recommendations about broad, cross- cutting issues related to environmental justice, from all stakeholders involved in the environmental justice dialogue. In addition, the NEJAC provides a valuable forum for discussions about integrating environmental justice with other EPA priorities and initiatives. Below is the list of current workgroups. Designated Federal Officer: Paula Flores-Gregg, (214) 665-8123, flores.paula@epa.gov WORKGROUP CHARGE FARMWORKER AND PESTICIDES WORKGOUP The NEJAC has a history of prioritizing farmworker protection issues. Several letters have been sent to past and current EPA administrations. Because farmworkers protection issues are still prevalent, in 2021 the NEJAC formed the NEJAC Farmworker Protection and Pesticides workgroup to bring EPA attention to long-standing issues of concern. The workgroup is currently collaborating with EPA programs to develop a charge. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) WORKGROUP The EPA Office of Federal Activities (OFA) is seeking suggestions from the NEJAC on how EPA can incorporate a deeper understanding of environmental justice for internal NEPA/309 training for EPA reviewers. The objective of the internal training program is to give reviewers a deeper understanding of environmental justice (EJ) issues, requirements, and best practices. WATER INFRASTRUCTURE WORKGROUP EPA seeks recommendations for informing and strengthening Technical Assistance (TA) efforts of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) and the Office of Water (OW) to ensure communities with EJ concerns can obtain TA at all levels - particularly for community water systems, decentralized systems (including rural communities on wells and septics), and/or non-existent infrastructure, to address their priority environmental, public health, affordability, and climate resiliency needs and reduce longstanding and cumulative negative health impacts. CUMULATIVE IMPACTS FRAMEWORK WORKGROUP The NEJAC will be providing recommendations for the development of a cumulative impacts framework. This framework will help EPA make better decisions to ensure that; 1) no community bears a disproportionate share of the adverse environmental and public health consequences from the nation's economic and other activities; and 2) existing impacts in overburdened communities are mitigated and a pathway to livability, health, equity, resilience, and sustainability is created. ------- |