NATIONAL ENVIORNMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY COUNCIL CURRENT WORKGROUPS January, 30, 2023 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 and members. Designated Federal Officer: Paula Flores-Gregg, (214) 665-8123, flores.paula@epa.gov WORKGROUP FARMWORKER AND PESTICIDES WORKGOUP Sylvia Orduno & Audelia Cervantes Garcia NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA) WORKGROUP Chairs: Millie Piazza & Ayako Nagano CHARGE 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 OCSPP and OPP to develop a formal charge. The Office of Federal Activities (OFA) wishes to initiate internal NEPA/309 training for EPA reviewers. The objective of the internal training program is to give NEPA/309 reviewers a deeper understanding of environmental justice (EJ) issues, requirements, and best practices. This training would include case studies to improve EPA comment letters and train reviewers on impacts in communities with EJ concerns. The training program would also provide opportunities for NEPA/309 reviewers to become familiar with impact mitigation strategies and become familiar with data sources and environmental trends. OFA would also like to develop and expand on its external stakeholder trainings, currently offered to stakeholders like federal agencies, states, and communities in partnership with the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights. To develop high-quality training, EPA requests the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) suggest how EPA can incorporate a deeper understanding of environmental justice into EPA courses. Under this charge, EPA requests NEJAC's feedback on a set of questions in two categories: Internal Training and External Training. MEMBERS Sylvia Orduno Jan Marie Fritz Jill Lindsey Harrison Leticia Colon de Mejias Yvonka M. Hall Andy Kricun John Doyle (Non-NEJAC) Audelia Cervantes Garcia Andrea Cabrera-Hubbard Elvira Carvajal Mily Trevino-Sauceda Marlene Rojas Lara Hormis Bedrolls Millie Piazza Ayako Nagano Jan Marie Fritz Jill Lindsey Harrison Cemelli De Aztlan Yvonka M. Hall Nina McCoy Sofia Owen Andy Kricun Loren Hopkins (Non-NEJAC) Cheryl Johnson Dennis Randolph 1 ------- WATER INFRASTRUCTURE WORKGROUP Chairs: Na'Taki Osborne Jelks & Andy Kricun 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. Na'Taki Osborne Jelks Andy Kricun Benjamin J. Pauli Michael Tilchin Rev. Dr. Ambrose Carroll, Sr. Nina McCoy Brenda Torres Barreto Ayako Nagano Jeremy F. Orr Jacqueline D. Shirley Sylvia Orduno Scott Clow John Doyle Jonathan Perry CUMULATIVE IMPACTS FRAMEWORK WORKGROUP Chairs: TBD 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: No community bears a disproportionate share of the adverse environmental and public health consequences from the nation's economic and other activities; and Existing impacts in overburdened communities are mitigated and a pathway to livability, health, equity, resilience, and sustainability is created Formal charge is under development. April Karen Baptiste Jill Lindsey Harrison Benjamin J. Pauli Sandra Whitehead Michael Tilchin Leticia Colon de Mejias Cemelli De Aztlan Yvonka M. Hall Richard Mabion Pamela Talley Andy Kricun Ayako Nagano Loren Hopkins Millie Piazza Alternate: Jerome Shabazz 2 ------- |