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Environmental Justice
Environmental Justice
Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, culture, education or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
Environmental justice works to ensure that all people are protected from disproportionate environmental and health hazards, and benefit from clean, healthy surroundings and sustainable economic development. Communities are at the core of environmental justice, and it was the actions of hundreds of residents that resulted in a presidential directive being signed on February 11, 1994, Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, which mandates 17 Federal agencies and White House offices to make environmental justice an integral part of their missions. Through an Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Environmental Justice, these Federal agencies and White House offices support community-based efforts to identify and use Federal resources to aid environmentally and economically distressed communities. By building partnerships between tribal, state, and local governments and community and non-governmental organizations, the IWG promotes Federal support of solutions that begin in the community and remain in the community. Their Action Agenda is based on the proven principle that environmental decisions are made best by those who are affected by these decisions.
The Office of Research and Development (ORD) supports the Agency's environmental justice activities through executive membership on the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC). In addition, an ORD Office of Science Policy representative serves as the co-Designated Federal Official (co-DFO) to the NEJAC Health and Research Subcommittee with a representative from the Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.
ORD's charge is to identify research needs to be assessed within the established ORD planning process and to coordinate responses to information requests from EPA's Office of Environmental Justice.
Environmental Justice Action Plans
The 2007-08 Office of Research and Development Environmental Justice Action Plan (PDF, 24pp., 302KB, about PDF) illustrates ORD's commitment to integrate EJ goals/objectives into our science and research program. The FY2007-08 EJ Action Plan is representative of the ORD activities that meet the Agency's EJ objectives. ORD recognizes the vital role of science in supporting the protection of public health. Sound science is at the core of understanding and adequately addressing the needs of disproportionately affected communities by helping communities of concern, and all communities, make informed decisions about their health and well-being. ORD brings environmental justice concerns to bear, either directly or indirectly, through its research, expert advice, and leadership in the development of Agency science policies. Through coordinated efforts with the Agency's Program and Regional offices, ORD provides scientific information and expertise in support of the Agency EJ activities.
News and Activities
The National Community Involvement Training Conference took place on June 19-22, 2007, in Jacksonville, FL. The conference theme was "Community Involvement: Celebrating the Past, Looking to the Future." This was the 10th anniversary conference. Conference information and presentations are available at www.epa.gov/ciconference/.
EPA New England, in conjunction with Boston University School of Public Health, hosted a 2-day working conference sponsored by ORD's Regional Science Program, "Science to Action: Community-based Participatory Research and Cumulative Risk Analysis as Tools to Advance Environmental Justice in Urban, Suburban and Rural Communities" [conference summary (PDF, 1pp., 12KB, about PDF)]. The conference was held at Boston University May 25-26, 2004, with the goal of providing an interactive, learning forum joining together scientists, technical experts, community leaders, nonprofit groups, academia, and government representatives to discuss current, national community-based participatory research efforts helping to assess, address, and resolve environmental and public health risks in potential environmental justice areas of concern.