Friday, September 24, 2010

Environmental Justice Volume: 3, Number: 3 September 2010


The above issue is now available online from Liebert Online.

The table of contents for this issue is listed below. Click on the links below to view the abstract for each article, or click on the link above to read the table of contents online.

Community First Communication: Reversing Information Disparities to Achieve Environmental Justice
Edward A. Emmett and Chintan Desai

Environmental Justice September 2010, Vol. 3, No. 3: 79-84.Abstract Full Text PDF (122 KB) PDF Plus (123 KB)

Community-Based Approaches to Reduce Toxins in Housing: Lessons Learned From Working with Diverse Communities Erin McNally, Ian Blazina, and Stephanie A. Farquhar

Environmental Justice September 2010, Vol. 3, No. 3: 85-93.Abstract Full Text PDF (380 KB) PDF Plus (279 KB)

Linking Health Inequality and Environmental Justice: Articulating a Precautionary Framework for Research and Action
Sarah E.L. Wakefield and Jamie Baxter

Environmental Justice September 2010, Vol. 3, No. 3: 95-102.Abstract Full Text PDF (231 KB) PDF Plus (169 KB)

Healthy at Home: Latina Mothers Knowledge and Behavior Regarding Indoor Environmental Health Hazards
Tiana Wilson, Andrea Crivelli-Kovach, and Heidi Worley

Environmental Justice September 2010, Vol. 3, No. 3: 103-109.Abstract Full Text PDF (158 KB) PDF Plus (121 KB)

Excessive Air Pollution and the Oil Industry: Fighting for Our Right to Breathe Clean Air
Melissa L. Jarrell and Joshua Ozymy

Environmental Justice September 2010, Vol. 3, No. 3: 111-115.Abstract Full Text PDF (114 KB) PDF Plus (114 KB)

Book Review

China and India's New Economic Frontier, Environmental Justice, and the New Africa's Silk Road
Carolina Cabral Murphy

Environmental Justice September 2010, Vol. 3, No. 3: 117.Citation Full Text PDF (33 KB) PDF Plus (34 KB)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

NEJAC Public Meeting in Kansas City, Missouri


National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) Public Meeting
November 16-18, 2010 Kansas City, Missouri
REGISTRATION is NOW OPEN

The next NEJAC face-to-face meeting will take place in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 16 through 18, 2010, at The Westin Crown Center Hotel. The meeting will include a Public Comment period.

Meeting Registration: Registration is required for everyone (including EPA and other federal employees). The registration deadline is 11:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, November 1, 2010. Meeting materials will be prepared based on the number of participants registered on November 1. (On-site registration will be available; however, meeting materials will be distributed first to those who registered in advance. Any remaining materials will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis.)

There are four easy ways to register:

1) Online: Complete the online registration form at the NEJAC meetings page on EPA's Office of Environmental Justice Web Site.
2) By E-mail: Send an e-mail to with Register for the November NEJAC Meeting in the subject line. Please provide your name, job title, organization, mailing address, e-mail and telephone number for future follow-up as necessary.
3) By Fax: Print the Web page containing the registration form and fax to 877-773-0779.
4) By Phone: Leave a message at 877-773-0779. Please provide your name, job title, organization, mailing address, e-mail and telephone number for future follow-up as necessary.

Hotel Reservations. A limited number of rooms have been reserved at the prevailing government rate, under the group code EPA-NEJAC. If you are planning to stay at the Westin Crown Center Hotel for the meeting, you must contact the hotel directly to reserve your room. Either click here to reserve online The Westin Crown Center, Kansas City or call 800-937-8461. EPA encourages you to book your hotel room using the online Website, which will allow us to better track the information "real time." To be eligible for the negotiated room block rate, you must contact the hotel by November 1.

Public Comment Sign-Up: Members of the public who wish to speak during the Public Comment period should pre-register by 11:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, November 1, 2010. Comments will be limited to five minutes to ensure that as many participants as possible wishing to provide a comment may do so. Only one representative of a community, organization or group will be allowed to speak. (On-site public comment sign-up will also be available; however, those who sign-up in advance will be called to speak first.)

Written comments can also be submitted for the record. The suggested format for individuals providing public comments is as follows: name of speaker; name of organization or community; city and state; telephone number; e-mail address; a brief description of the concern; and what you want the NEJAC to advise EPA to do. Written comments received by 11:00 a.m. Central Time on Monday, November 1, 2010, will be included in the materials distributed to the members of the NEJAC. Written comments received after that time will be provided to the NEJAC as time allows. All written comments should be sent to this email address.

For more information, please contact EPA Support Contractor, APEX Direct Inc., at 877-773-0779 or Meetings@AlwaysPursuingExcellence.com

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

EPA Hosts Historic Meeting on Environmental Justice


U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, left, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality reconvened the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (EJ IWG) in a meeting held at the White House. The meeting was attended by five cabinet members. This gathering marks a recommitment to advancing the mandate of Executive Order 12898, “Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations,” which states that each agency, with the law as its guide, should make environmental justice part of its mission.

The role of the EJ IWG is to guide, support and enhance federal environmental justice and community-based activities. By coordinating the expertise and resources of federal government agencies, the EJ IWG will work to identify projects where federal collaboration can support the development of healthy and sustainable communities. The EJ IWG will also seek opportunities to provide green jobs training in communities in need and promote a clean energy economy.

Attendees at the meeting included Attorney General Eric Holder, Department of Justice; Secretary Ken Salazar, Department of Interior; Secretary Shaun Donovan, Department of Housing and Urban Development; Secretary Ray LaHood, Department of Transportation; Administrator Martha Johnson, General Services Administration; Carol Browner, senior advisor to the president on energy and climate change; John Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Melody Barnes, director of the White House Office of Domestic Policy; and representatives from the following federal agencies: Labor, Health and Human Services, Energy, Education, Homeland Security, Commerce, Army, Agriculture and Defense, among others.

During the meeting, some immediate next steps for the EJ IWG group were identified; these include:

· Hold monthly EJ IWG meetings, including assigning senior officials from each agency to coordinate EJ activities.
· Organize regional listening sessions in 2011.
· Hold follow-up EJ IWG Principals Meetings in April and September 2011.
· Each agency will be tasked to develop or update their EJ strategy by September 2011.
· Plan a White House forum for EJ leaders and stakeholders on environmental justice.

Administrator Jackson highlighted examples of EPA’s environmental justice efforts:

· Plan EJ 2014—A four-year roadmap to help EPA develop stronger community relationships and increase the agency’s efforts to improve environmental and health conditions in overburdened communities. The plan includes three main sections: Cross-cutting Agency Strategies, Tools Development, and Program Initiatives.
· EJ in Rulemaking Guidance—The “Interim Guidance on Considering Environmental Justice During the Development of an Action” is a step-by-step guide that helps EPA staff consider environmental justice at key points in the rulemaking process.
· Sustainable Communities Partnership—A collaborative Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation, and EPA partnership to improve access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while protecting the environment in communities nationwide.

The principles of environmental justice uphold the idea that all communities overburdened by pollution – particularly minority, low income and indigenous communities – deserve the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, equal access to the decision-making process and a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. EPA serves as the lead for environmental justice issues in the federal government.

More information on the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice

View photos from the meeting

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

National Leadership Council Extends Comment Period


Work group report comment period extended through September 27!

The National Conversation Leadership Council will meet Tuesday, October 5, 2010 from 9:00am – 5:00pm (EDT) at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington D.C .

The Leadership Council will use this meeting to discuss key themes and recommendations to feature in the draft action agenda, drawing on draftwork group reports and the results of various stakeholder and public engagement activities. The meeting will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, limited by the space available. An opportunity for the public to listen to the meeting by phone will also be available. Please e-mail nationalconversation@cdc.gov if you are interested in observing the meeting in person or by phone.

As National Conversation on Public Health and Chemical Exposures draft work group reports are available for public comment. Comments will now be accepted through Monday, September 27, 2010. Six work group reports are posted, one on each of the following cross-cutting public health and chemical exposures topics:

Chemical EmergenciesEducation and Communication
MonitoringPolicies and Practices
Scientific Understanding
Serving Communities

The National Conversation is a collaborative initiative supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry through which many organizations and individuals are helping develop an action agenda for strengthening the nation’s approach to protecting the public’s health from harmful chemical exposures. RESOLVE, a non-profit independent consensus-building organization is facilitating the National Conversation process.

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Thursday, September 2, 2010

NEJAC Teleconference Meeting September 23, 2010


The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) will host a public teleconference meeting on Thursday, September 23, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The primary topics of discussion will be EPA’s charge to the NEJAC on incorporating Environmental Justice into the permitting process and EPA’s Plan EJ 2014. There will be a public comment period from 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

To Register

By E-mail:

“Register for the September NEJAC Teleconference” in the subject line.

Provide your name, organization, city and state, e-mail address, and telephone number for future follow-up.

By Phone or Fax: Send a fax (please print), or leave a voice message, with your name, organization, city and state, e-mail address, and telephone number to 877-773-1489. Remember to specify which meeting you are registering to attend (e.g. NEJAC-September meeting). State whether you would like to be put on the list to provide public comment, and whether you are submitting written comments before the September 20th deadline.

Members of the public who wish to attend or to provide public comment must pre-register by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time Monday, September 20, 2010. Individuals or groups making remarks during the public comment period will be limited to a total time of five minutes. Only one representative of a community, organization or group will be allowed to speak. Written comments can also be submitted for the record. The suggested format for written public comments is as follows:

Name of Speaker,
Name of Organization/Community,
City and State,
Telephone Number,
E-mail address,
a Brief Description of the Concern, and
What You Want the NEJAC to do.

Written comments received by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time Monday, September 20, 2010, will be included in the materials distributed to the members of the NEJAC. Written comments received after that time will be provided to the NEJAC as time allows.

All written comments should be sent to EPA’s support contractor, APEX Direct, Inc., via e-mail or fax at (877) 773-1489.