Environmental Justice

The Environmental Justice Strategic Plan is designed to integrate environmental justice more fully into the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) programs and operations. The Agency focuses attention on minority and low-income communities that are disproportionately and adversely affected by environmental and human health risks, in accordance with Executive Order 12898 (Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations).

Definition of Environmental Justice: EPA defines environmental justice as the 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.

Strategic Plan's Purpose: EPA is developing an EJ Strategic Plan to integrate environmental justice more fully into the Agency's programs and operations, including its existing five-year planning and budgeting processes.

Timeframe: EPA expects to complete the EJ Strategic Plan by September 2006, in concert with the development of the Agency's Fiscal Years 2006-2011 Strategic Plan.

Scope: The EJ Strategic Plan will likely identify five to seven national priorities, but each regional office will continue to maintain locally tailored priorities and undertake additional actions to address local environmental justice concerns. The development of National Environmental Justice Priorities is intended to create an Agency-wide focus on issues, such as reduction of asthma attacks, that have relevance nationwide and which environmental justice advocates and others have identified as critical environmental justice issues.

Framework: The EJ Strategic Plan will be based on the Framework for Integrating Environmental Justice. The draft Framework identifies the Plan's proposed key elements that will help the Agency benchmark its national environmental justice objectives and track progress. The draft Framework also links the Environmental Justice Action Plans of the Agency's ten regional offices and headquarters program offices (e.g., Office of Air and Radiation, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response), the National Environmental Justice Priorities, and the targets established in the EJ Strategic Plan.

Public Participation: On June 22, 2005, the Office of Environmental Justice issued a notice in the Federal Register seeking comments on the draft Framework and Strategic Plan Outline through July 15, 2005. Based on requests for more time to comment, the public comment period has been reopened until August 15, 2005.

Documents: The draft Framework and the Strategic Plan Outline are available online at: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/reports/ej.html. A copy of these documents is also available upon request from (800) 962-6215.