DOE Ofc of Legacy Mgmt Announces 3rd EJ Conference

February 19, 2009

From the Office of Legacy Management:

The Third Annual State of Environmental Justice in America Conference will convene May 27–29, 2009, at the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. Leaders from various sectors will engage in three days of free exchange of new ideas and new approaches to environmental justice. This interactive training session will feature voices of experience, research, discussions, and thought-provoking dialogue. The program format will feature needs and challenges of communities, governments, municipalities, tribes, faith-based organizations, and others with an interest in environmental matters and environmental justice. Conference participants will realize informative and productive resources that can support their individual program goals and objectives.

We have invited all members of the Obama administration and Congress who have environmental justice as a portion of their responsibilities, and expect a number of them to participate in the conference.Our specific areas of interest this year are climate change, community benefits and youth involvement. We expect to explore the challenges facing socioeconomically vulnerable communities (including people of color, low-income neighborhoods, and tribal communities) and make recommendations for building resilience to the impactsof climate change. We expect to explore various aspects of environmental activities including supplemental environmental projects and community benefit agreements to discuss how socioeconomically vulnerable communities can use these tools to the greatest degree possible.

We expect to review various youth environmental activities and examine means to increase opportunities for youth involvement to greater degrees and broader venues. All in all, this conference holds great promise for discussion, debate andgrowth in environmental justice.We invite your participation in the conference. Opportunities still exist for new andinnovative ideas and approaches. This conference presents a great opportunity to freely discuss environmental justice concepts with members of Congress and the Obama administration.

Additional conference information or

Contact the Conference Coordinator, John Rosenthall

Sincerely,

David W. Geiser
Deputy Director
Office of Legacy Management

Environmental Justice at EPA - Transition Paper

The Environmetnal Justice Executive Steering Committee issued the "Environmental Justice at EPA- Transition Paper," on January 23, 2009.

EPA’s EJ program seeks to fully mobilize internal and external resources (programmatic, financial, statutory, and regulatory) to:

Achieve Measurable Environmental and/or Public Health Results in Communities with Greatest Need

Every EPA region and program office has committed to integrate EJ into its daily work through biennial “EJ Action Plans.” Support is needed to increase the Agency’s EJ integration efforts by:

• Ensuring significant measurable EJ results from every program and regional office;

• Affirming EJ program review efforts and direct all offices to continue them;

• Overcoming scientific and other barriers to incorporating EJ in decisionmaking; and

• More consistently incorporating EJ when EPA sets priorities, allocates resources, targets activities, and measures progress.

Climate Change and Green Economy

EJ should align its environmental goals (e.g., reducing greenhousegas and particulate emissions) with social and economic goals (e.g.,eliminating health disparities and creating jobs through the new green economy). EPA should address the disproportionate impacts of climate change and ensure that environmentally and economically distressed communities benefit from the building of a green economy. For example, EPA can:

• Develop partnerships with communities and states to showcase effective strategies, involving multiple agencies; governments, and stakeholders, to improve the environment, public health, andeconomies of disadvantaged communities, with a particular focus on creating green jobs; and

• Ensure EJ considerations are reflected when EPA develops climate change policies and regulations.

Action in the First 100 days:

Promote the creation of green jobs in economically distressed communities. Disadvantaged communities will benefit from constructing accessible mass transit; making homes, public buildings, and vehicles more energy efficient; implementing renewable energy projects; and other “green”infrastructure improvements.

Action in the First 100 days:

Issue a clear statement of the new Administration’s explicit, unambiguous and formal commitment to EJ. Encourage fulluse of EPA’s existing statutory and regulatory authorities to address disproportionate and cumulative impacts in areas of EJ concerns. Also commit to explore new scientific research and regulatory or statutory changes that are needed to better address these impacts of climate change and ensure that environmentally and economically distressed communities benefit from the building of a green economy. For example, EPA can:

• Develop partnerships with communities and states to showcase effective strategies, involving multiple agencies; governments, and stakeholders, to improve the environment, public health, and economies of disadvantaged communities, with a particular focus on creating green jobs; and
• Ensure EJ considerations are reflected when EPA develops climate change policies and regulations. Geographic InitiativesEPA should use its resources and leverage funding from otheragencies to increase focus on disadvantaged communities that aresuffering the worst environmental burdens. These EJ “Showcase Communities” would provide replicable examples to create green jobs, rebuild infrastructure, reduce environmental and public health problems, and revitalize communities.

EPA Administrator Jackson Speaks At NY EJ Conference

EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson spoke at the West Harlem Environmental Action (WE ACT) environmental justice conference in New York on Friday. Administrator Jackson gave her speech at Fordham University’s Lincoln Center Campus in Manhattan.

Ms. Jackson said:

“I wanted this to be my first appearance because I’m an African-American woman and an environmentalist and we have similar backgrounds. This was very meaningful to me.”

Lisa Jackson was confirmed exactely one week ago by the U.S. Senate. A large audience gave her a standing ovation at Fordham.

(The New York Times, 1/30/09)