EPA 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding five multi-stakeholder partnerships, representing a total of 60 organizations, for their efforts to address environmental justice concerns. The multi-stakeholder partnerships included at least one community organization and two or more representatives from: academic institutions; business and industry; non-governmental and environmental organizations; state and local governments; and tribal government and indigenous organizations.

The EPA Environmental Justice Achievement Awards recognize the distinguished accomplishments of partnerships that work collaboratively in communities disproportionately exposed to environmental and human health risks. Winning applications were reviewed and selected based on six criteria by an independent, non-EPA review panel:

1) Partnerships and Collaboration
2) Innovation
3) Community, Equity, and Public Involvement
4) Integration
5) Leveraged Resources/Capacity Building/Sustainability
6) Demonstrated Results/Effectiveness

The 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement Award winners:

Coalition to Prevent Lead Poisoning for outstanding leadership in community-based efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning in the City of Rochester, New York.

Fish Contamination Education Collaborative for outstanding efforts to reduce the consumption of contaminated fish by the local Vietnamese, Chinese, and angler populations near the Palos Verdes Shelf Superfund site, Los Angeles, California.

Mitigation Agreement Commission and the Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities for outstanding efforts to work with the City of North Charleston and the South Carolina Ports Authority to foster environmental protection and economic revitalization in distressed neighborhoods.

ReGenesis Project for outstanding leadership and efforts to address environmental protection and community revitalization issues in the Arkwright community of Spartanburg, South Carolina.

The Clean Trucks Program for outstanding efforts to significantly reduce air pollution from big truck rigs around Long Beach and Los Angeles, California port facilities.

Details on the winning projects of the 2009 Environmental Justice Achievement