Executive Order 12898 (1994)
- Directs federal agencies to develop environmental justice strategies to help address disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of their programs on minority and low-income populations.
- Presidential Memorandum (1994)
- Federal Interagency Working Group
- Interagency MOU (2011)
What is Environmental Justice?
- EJ = fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.
- Fair treatment means no group of people should bear a disproportionate share of the negative environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies.
- Meaningful involvement means:
- People have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may affect their environment and/or health
- The public's contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision
- Community concerns will be considered in the decision making process
- Decision makers will seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected
- Source: EPA
- EJ and NEPA
- e.g., Sierra Club v. FERC (D.C. Cir. Aug. 22, 2017)
- EJ and Title VI
- EJ and the States
EPA: Promising EJ Practices for Permit Applicants
- Think Ahead
- Engage Community Leaders
- Engage Effectively
- Communicate Effectively
- Follow-Up
- Return on Investment
Source: 78 Fed. Reg. 27,220 (2013)
Further resources...
- EPA's Office of Environmental
Justice – Fact Sheet
- Promising Practices for NEPA &
EJ
- EPA Policy on EJ, Tribes &
Indigenous Peoples
- EPA's EJ 2020 Action Plan
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.