Office of Environmental Justice
Offices
Director: | Charles Lee |
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Phone Number: | (202) 564-2515 |
Fax Number: | (202) 501-0740 |
Tollfree | (800) 962-6215 |
environmental-justice-epa@epa.gov |
The Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) provides a
central point for the Agency to address environmental and
human health concerns in minority communities and/or
low-income communities--a segment of the population which
has been disproportionately exposed to environmental harms
and risks. OEJ works to address this issue through a number
of initiatives that emphasize building both external and
internal networks. OEJ works within EPA to ensure that the
Agency considers environmental justice issues by working
with individual program offices and with the regions. OEJ
firmly believes that an effective national program cannot
be achieved unless and until each region has a strong
environmental justice office. In short, 'the whole is equal
to the sum of its parts.' The goal is to ensure that all
stakeholders consider that the Agency's national and
regional environmental justice programs are not only
consistent, but, more importantly, are
well-coordinated.
OEJ consists of a professional staff of fifteen. It functions as a matrix organization around three major areas, each managed by an Associate Director. These areas are: Policy Development and Inter/Intra-Agency Coordination; Outreach; and Administration and Resources Management.