University of Maryland EJ Symposium

First Annual Symposium On Environmental Justice And Environmental Health Disparities In Maryland And DC - Details

The Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health and the Program on Community Engagement, Environmental Justice and Health (CEEJH) are pleased to announce "First Annual Symposium on Environmental Justice and Environmental Health Disparities in Maryland and Washington, DC". The Symposium will be held on Saturday December 1, 2012, 9:00-AM to 4:00-PM; at the Adele H. Stamp Student Union Building at University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

This symposium will serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas among community members, researchers, public health practitioners, policymakers, students, and advocates on environmental justice issues and health disparities the region. The goal of this symposium is to establish and sustain a community engaged research enterprise on critical environmental health disparities and environmental justice issues, to raise the visibility of racial and ethnic environmental health disparities and feasible solutions with Marylanders, DC residents, and regional stakeholders, and facilitate action for change. In addition, this meeting will focus on intergenerational leadership development on environmental justice and health issues with a series of activities for youth from the region. A major outcome of this meeting is seeding the establishment of a community-driven regional environmental justice network.

This meeting is being sponsored by Hoff Funding Board, an organization that promotes the creation of community by providing the highest quality programming, services, and resources that meet the unique needs of students, staff, faculty, and visitors.

This meeting is sponsored by the Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health (MIAEH) Program on Community Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health (CEEJH), Maryland Environmental Health Network (MEHN), Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Children's Environmental Health Network (CEHN), Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF), United States Environmental Protect Agency (USEPA), State of Maryland, Office of Minority Health, Anacostia Watershed Society, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, the Hoff Funding Board, and Dance Exchange. (CEEJH)

View the Agenda

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Sacoby Wilson, PhD, MS - swilson2@umd.edu This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Laura Dalemarre, MPH - ldalemar@umd.edu This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 301-405-5706

Webinar on EPA's Environmental Job Training Program

You are cordially invited to join

Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator of the Office of Solid Waste & Emergency Response of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

for a

Webinar & Conversation on EPA's Environmental Job Training Program Friday, September 21^st,  3:00 p.m. EDT

The webinar will highlight EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Grant Program that provides funding to recruit, train, and place unemployed individuals residing in waste-impacted communities with the skills needed to secure employment in the environmental field. In addition to the Assistant Administrator, participants will learn about the program from previous grantee and program leaders.

If you are able to attend, please register by 3pm, Wednesday, September 19th. Upon receipt of your rsvp, you will receive a confirmation email with more details.

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Note: Prospective applicants include government entities, states, tribes, nonprofit organizations, community colleges and workforce investment boards. For more information on EPA’s Environmental Workforce Development & Job Training Grant Program, please visit www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm

EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable

Learn about technical assistance available through EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program

On Friday, Sept. 21, join EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities for an overview of free technical assistance available to communities through EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program. This program provides short-term, targeted technical assistance to help communities implement smart growth development approaches, such as creating a green streets strategy, linking land use to water quality, or conducting a walking audit.

This webinar will focus on assistance available directly from EPA and from four EPA grantees:

ForTerra, Project for Public Spaces, Smart Growth America, and Global Green. Participants will learn about the types of assistance available and how to apply. EPA’s call for letters of interest will be released the day before this webinar. This round, EPA will be offering assistance to help local governments and community organizations support equitable development. Assistance recipients will learn about locally relevant approaches to provide housing and transportation choices for residents of all income levels, preserve and strengthen diverse local businesses, enhance access to jobs, and ensure that revitalization is fair and inclusive.

Webinar Details Friday, Sept. 21, 2012, 1:00-2:30 Eastern

No pre-registration is required. Call 1-888-850-4523. Participant passcode: 719661.

This conference has a maximum audio capacity of 299 callers, so participants may wish to share lines.

• Please test your computer prior to attending the meeting 

• The Connection Test checks your computer to make sure all system requirements are met. If you pass the first three steps of the test, then you are ready to participate in a meeting.

Warren County, NC EJ Legacy Celebration Announcement

On Saturday, September 15, 2012 the citizens of Warren County, North Carolina will commemorate and celebrate their legacy as the birthplace of the environment justice movement. Thirty years ago, the state of North Carolina dumped 40,000 cubic yards of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated soil in the Afton Community of Warren County. It was thought that the mostly black, rural, and low wealth residents would not fight back. Well they did, and they were joined by people from all over the country as they marched on Raleigh, laid in front of dump trucks, and brought national attention to environmental injustice everywhere. Their actions started a movement that has spread around the world.

This unique PCB Landfill Protest Reunion and Environmental Justice Birthplace 30th Anniversary Celebration - Theme: "Telling Our Story - Building Our Future" will be held at the Coley Springs Missionary Baptist Church, 224 Parktown Road, Warrenton, NC 27589 Saturday, September 15, 2012 starting at 8:00 am, and continue until 2:00 pm. For more information please contact Bill Kearney (252) 257-1491, email address: handsincorporated@earthlink.net 

EPA Environmental Justice Community Outreach Call

September 20, 2012 at 5 p.m. ET

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has made Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice one of EPA's top priorities. In support of this priority, EPA invites environmental justice advocates to participate on the next Environmental Justice Community Outreach Call, which will take place on Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 5 p.m. ET.

The purpose of these calls is to provide information to participants about the Agency's EJ activities and maintain an open dialogue with EJ advocates. As EPA continues to advance Plan EJ 2014, the Agency hopes that these calls will better inform the public about EPA's EJ work and enhance opportunities to take advantage of federal activities. Listen to, or read about, previous calls.

EPA is  taking suggestions on agenda topics for the upcoming call. After receiving your suggestions, we will select the topic(s) that are of general concern to communities. Please keep in mind that the call will only last one hour, so the number of topics discussed will be limited. Submit a topic.

For more information about the Administrator's priorities

For more information about Plan EJ 2014

NEJAC Teleconference Meeting Sept 21, 2012

The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) will host a public teleconference meeting on Friday, September 21, 2012, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The primary topic of discussion will be an update from the NEJAC's Indigenous Peoples Work Group. This NEJAC public teleconference meeting is open to the public. There will be a public comment period from 2:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Members of the public are encouraged to provide comments relevant to the topic of the meeting. Specifically, comments should respond to how best to:

1. What activities and mechanisms should EPA conduct and develop to work collaboratively with indigenous community-based/grassroots organizations to identify and address environmental justice concerns?
2. What organizational, regulatory, or policy hurdles exist that impede, complicate, or discourage tribal governments and indigenous organizations from effectively working together to address environmental and public health concerns.
3. What are the recommended means and mechanisms for EPA to coordinate and collaborate with other federal agencies to effectively provide environmental justice for indigenous people?

To Register

• By email: Send an email to with "Register for the NEJAC-September 2012, Teleconference" in the subject line. Please provide your name, organization, city and state, email 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, email address, and telephone number to 877-773-1489. Please specify which meeting you are registering to attend (e.g., NEJAC-September 2012 Teleconference). Please also state whether you would like to be put on the list to provide public comment, and whether you are submitting written comments before the Monday, September 17 deadline. Non-English speaking attendees wishing to arrange for a foreign language interpreter may also make appropriate arrangements using the email address or telephone/fax number.

Members of the public who wish to attend or to provide public comment must pre-register by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, September 17, 2012. Individuals or groups making remarks during the public comment period will be limited to five minutes. To accommodate the large number of people who want to address the NEJAC, only one representative of a community, organization, or group will be allowed to speak. The suggested format for written public comments is as follows: A brief description of the concern, and what you want the NEJAC to advise EPA to do; name of speaker; name of organization/community; city and state; and email address.

Written comments received by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday, September 17, 2012, will be included in the materials distributed to the members of the NEJAC prior to the teleconference meeting. 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.

Information about Services for Individuals with Disabilities:

For information about access or services for individuals with disabilities, please contact Ms. Estela Rosas, APEX Direct, Inc., at 877-773-1489 or via e-mail.

EJ Implications of DC Stormwater Retention Program

In addition to evaluating stormwater retention, the DC Department of the Environment (DDOE) considered how the program might create or exacerbate stormwater pollution hotspots. For the purposes of this analysis, DDOE considered stormwater pollution hotspots to be parts of waterbodies with disproportionate stormwater pollution impacts, either in terms of erosive volumes or the pollutants in that volume. Several important points support DDOE’s conclusion that stormwater retention credits (SRC) trading is not likely to have a net negative impact, and may have a net positive impact, in terms of hotspots.

 

First, off-site retention will result in the installation of more BMPs retaining stormwater from developed areas that currently have little or no retention. In addition to providing more overall retention, as discussed above, the volume retained by these BMPs will be more heavily composed of first-flush volume. First-flush volume is the volume that washes off a site during the beginning of a rainstorm, and it tends to have higher concentrations of pollutants than the volume washing off at later points in the storm.

Second, with or without off-site retention, all regulated development sites in the District will achieve significantly more retention than is currently being achieved under the status quo (DDOE’s existing regulations do not require retention).

Third, the location of off-site retention BMPs is likely to provide more protection for the relatively vulnerable non-tidal tributaries to the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers and Rock Creek, as compared to strict on-site retention. DDOE assumes a typical off-site retention scenario would shift retention from regulated sites with high retention costs in the densely developed downtown to retrofit sites outside of the downtown core, where the cost of retention is significantly lower. These sites outside of the downtown core typically drain into the relatively vulnerable tributaries. By contrast, much of the District’s downtown core drains into the tidal Anacostia and Potomac Rivers. Because of their size and tidal mixing, these waters are generally less sensitive to erosive flow and localized pollutant impacts than the tributaries. In short, off-site retention is likely to result in a further increase in protection for the District’s tributaries (its most vulnerable waters), compared to strict on-site retention. 

DDOE also evaluated the potential impact of off-site retention in terms of Environmental Justice (EJ). DDOE does not expect a negative EJ impact and sees the potential for a positive EJ impact. For the reasons discussed above, DDOE expects that high-cost retention sites in the densely developed and relatively affluent parts of the downtown business district would be relatively likely to forego on-site retention in favor of purchasing SRCs from low-cost retrofit sites in less densely developed and less affluent areas. This could provide a net increase in the installation of aesthetically pleasing green infrastructure in less affluent parts of the District. In addition to these aesthetic benefits, these retention BMPs would provide more protection for the waterbodies in those communities, helping to make them better resources for community members.  (DDOE Proposed Regulations)
 

EPA Region 4 EJ Conference

EPA Region 4’s 2012 Southeast Regional Environmental Justice Conference theme was, “Promoting Environmental Justice through Effective Education, Collaboration, and Mobilization”

ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4, Office of Environmental Justice hosted the Regional Environmental Conference on August 16-17, 2012. The conference was held at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center in Atlanta, GA. The conference goals are:

1. To develop tangible solutions to address environmental, health, and social impacts affecting communities with environmental justice concerns;
2. To educate the attendees on the environmental, health, and social impacts affecting communities with environmental justice concerns; and
3. To provide networking opportunities for environmental justice leaders and organizations.

Over 150 people, representative of all stakeholder groups, attended the conference and built relationships that will benefit their communities and promote sustainable growth. Workshops and sessions were led by experts in their field. Conference Schedule

Purpose:
This conference promoted environmental justice by:

• Identifying the presence and impact of health problems in environmental justice communities;
• Increasing stakeholder understanding of the public health impacts of unequal distribution of environmental pollution;
• Helping stakeholders to identify their problems, develop and implement creative solutions and share project success stories;
• Identifying tools and strategies environmental justice organizations can use to sustain themselves once federal and state funding have ceased;
• Using environmental justice, within each state, as a theme to build partnerships with state and local government officials, community groups, academics, industry and others; and
• Providing technical assistance, such as grant writing training, to help stakeholders advance their environmental justice efforts.

Although the federal government has taken measures to ensure environmental equality, an effective strategy must incorporate perspectives from a diverse group of impacted stakeholders. This conference promoted education, collaboration and mobilization among environmental justice community groups; environmental organizations; federal, state and local government officials; academic institutions; and other interested stakeholders to help us all better identify and implement solutions for communities that are most overburdened by environmental pollution.

Audience:

Communities, States, Local Businesses, Colleges, and Universities in GA, AL, MS, TN, KY, FL, SC and NC

CO-SPONSORS

Alabama Department of Environmental Management
Cardno TBE
Center for Sustainable Communities
DIRTT Environmental Solutions
Emory University, Office of Sustainability Initiatives
Green Group Holdings
MDB, Inc.
Restoration Services, Inc.
Southface
Spelman College
U.S. Climate Action Network
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Secretary for Health
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service

Dana Alston

Remembering An Envirnmental Justice Heroine

Dana Alston

Dana died on August 7, 1999 and the environmental justice movement will never be the same.  This EJ activist worked tirelessly for social and environmental justice. Dana was 47 years old when she died.

Dana Alston received a Bannerman Fellowship in 1992 in recognition of her leadership in the development of the environmental justice movement. The Bannerman Fellowship Program was founded in 1987 on the belief that the most effective approach to achieving progressive social change is by organizing low-income people at the grassroots level. In 2002, the Fellowship Program was renamed the Alston/Bannerman Fellowship Program in honor of Dana Alston. Dana died on August 7, 1999 at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

Dana was a native of New York and lived in Washington, D.C. She was in San Francisco for treatment of kidney disease and consequences of a stroke when she died. Her beloved son, Khalil Alston-Cobb, resides in Washington, D.C.

(More)

Is Fracking An Environmental Justice Issue?

Hydraulic fracturing may be one of the top environmental controversies of the moment -- but is it also an environmental justice problem?

It is one of the most high-profile questions facing the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council and a debate that highlights the difficulty in drawing a clear line on what qualifies as an EJ issue.

Earlier this week, the council put the question to Nancy Stoner, U.S. EPA's acting assistant administrator for water. Her office recently released draft guidance on the extraction process, interpreting requirements for wells in which diesel fuel is used in fracking fluid.

Fracking affects the rural poor -- who qualify under the environmental justice definition of a community overburdened with environmental hazards. It is an issue of grave importance in a lot of rural areas to the rural poor and particularly people who rely on well water for their drinking water.  (E&E Publishing, 7/27/2012)

EPA EJ Hot Spots Mapping Tool

The U.S. EPA's "Plan EJ 2014" is a road map for incorporating the needs of poor, minority and overburdened communities in the government's day-to-day activities. Enter EJ Screen is an EPA mapping tool designed to help the agency spot pockets of people whose health has suffered disproportionally over the years because of environmental factors. The database uses census data, poverty levels, toxic emissions and documented pollution events to assign a score to 217,000 geographic "block groups" around the country. The program represents both the advances and the limitations of EPA's effort to bring clarity to the environmental justice effort.

EJ Screen overlays minority and low-income demographics on a map of 217,000 block groups, each having 500 to 5,000 people. (An alternative method under consideration includes additional demographic data including the percentage of people in a block group with less than a high school education, the percentage who speak English, and the number under the age of 5 and over the age of 64.)

EPA then puts that information over a map of environmental factors.  Among the 12 factors EPA has selected for its first version of EJ Screen is air pollution -- including ozone levels and soot from diesel exhaust and smokestacks. The agency also includes data on a community's proximity to environmental hazards including Superfund dumps, water discharge facilities, high traffic areas and buildings built before 1960 that have a high risk for lead paint.

The result is a graphic illustration showing each block group's ranking nationwide for each environmental factor. And the maps can also be used to show how block groups compare by state or by region when it comes to each factor.

But the maps are also limited, EPA. They don't, for example, combine all the environmental factors to show cumulative impacts. For instance, how does one scientifically weigh a person's proximity to a lead paint structure against exposure to particulate matter in the air?  (E&E Publishing, 7/27/2012)

National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC)

Public Meeting: Select Sessions Available via Teleconference

July 24-25, 2012

*REGISTRATION CLOSES JULY 18*

During the upcoming public meeting of the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) on July 24 and 25, 2012, the following three sessions will be available via audio teleconference to those unable to attend in person:

Teleconference Session 1 (Tuesday, July 24, 1:15-3:45 p.m. Eastern Time)

* EJ in Permitting: Public Engagement Best Practices (1:15-2:00 p.m.)
* EJ/Children's Health Key Performance Indicators Initiative (2:00-2:15 p.m.)
* Nail Salon Worker Health Exposures (2:15-2:45 p.m.)
* Hydraulic Fracturing (2:45-3:45 p.m.)
Teleconference Session 2 (Wednesday, July 25, 9:15-10:15 a.m. Eastern Time)
* ORD 101: An Overview of EPA’s Research Programs
Teleconference Session 3 (Wednesday, July 25, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
* EPA Tribal Program: An Overview

Separate phone lines will be used for each session, so please be specific about which sessions you want to attend when registering. There will be not be a public comment period during these sessions.
Please note that a limited number of lines will be available. Those who are pre-registered will be given priority over others on a first-come basis, as capacity allows. Participating individuals will be able to hear “real time” presentations and NEJAC member discussions on the topics specified above. The teleconference will be audio only, in an effort to minimize cost.

You can register as follows:

* By E-mail with “Register for the NEJAC-July Teleconference” in the subject line. Please provide your name, organization, city, state, e-mail address, and telephone number for future follow-up; and specify the teleconference session number(s) that you will attend. That is, if you intend to call in for all three teleconference sessions, you must state that. Separate lists will be kept for each teleconference session (1, 2, and 3).

* By Phone or Fax to 877-773-0779 with your name, organization, city, state, e mail address, and telephone number. Please specify “NEJAC-July Teleconference“ and the teleconference session number(s) that you will attend in your fax or voice message.

For more information, please contact or 877-773-0779.

Interagency Working Group Town Hall Meeting.

Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice Announces a Town Hall Meeting in Durham, North Carolina

The Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice will hold a community stakeholder meeting in conjunction with the Department of Health and Human Services and other federal partners on Monday, July 16, 2012, from 7pm - 9pm at the Hyati Heritage Center, 804 Old Fayetteville Street, Durham, NC.

These meetings provide an opportunity for stakeholders to discuss best practices and model programs to create more healthy and vibrant communities. Stakeholders include grassroots communities; federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies; business/industry; academics and other interested parties. These regional meetings also provide an opportunity to explore how the federal government can meet its responsibilities and work effectively with communities experiencing environmental justice issues.



Doors open at 6:00 pm.


This events are open to the public.

The Washington Times Reports on EJ Conference

Environmental justice: A new movement to restrict your movement



Environmental justice: Hope and change, or power and control?

Southeast Regional Environmental Justice Conference

 

Registration Now Open

Conference Information

When: August 16-17, 2012

Where: Atlanta Federal Center - Sam Nunn Bldg.
61 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta, GA 30303

Cost: FREE

Audience: communities, states, local businesses, colleges, and universities in GA, AL, MS, TN, KY, FL, SC, NC

There are three easy ways to register:

• Online: https://epa.connectsolutions.com/e5t4ysila62/event/registration.html
• By Email: Send an email to mclendon.ella@epa.gov with "Register for the Regional EJ Conference" in the subject line. Please provide your name, organization, mailing address, email address, telephone number, and workshop selections for breakout sessions 1 and 2.
• By Phone: Please call Ella McLendon at 404-562-8316. On the voice message system, please say and spell your name, organization, mailing address, email address, telephone number, and workshop selections for breakout sessions 1 and 2.

Mark your calendars for the Southeast Regional Environmental Justice Conference, to be held in Atlanta, GA on August 16-17, 2012. This conference is essential for promoting environmental justice and equality in EPA Region 4. Registration is now open and will be available through August 10, 2012.

• Learn about tangible solutions to address environmental, social, and health Impacts associated with environmental pollution
• Engage in networking opportunities with environmental justice leaders and organizations
• Participate in various interactive workshops

For more information, contact Sheryl Good (good.sheryl@epa.gov), (404) 562-9559

NEJAC Community Conference Call

 

Intended Audience: Environmental Justice and Tribal Communities or Organizations

  When: June 27, 2012

 Time: 1:00pm-2:00pm EST

 Conference Line: 1-866-299-3188; code: 919-541-5624#

(To participate, please plan to join the call at least 10 minutes prior to the start time. The phone line is limited to 125 participants on a first-come first-served basis)

Purpose: To provide information on upcoming activities in EPA's Air Programs and foster a dialog with communities on their air quality issues. This call will provide updates on the:

• National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) Meeting scheduled for July 24-25, 2012
• Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities
• New features of the Ultraviolet Index and how it differs from EPA's Air Quality Index
• Air emissions and associated health impacts as a result of shale gas drilling, fracturing and production
• EPA's Air Programs and Regulations
• • Federal Implementation Plan and Revisions to Regional Haze
  • Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards (PM NAAQS)
  • Portland Cement-Amendments in Response to Reconsideration
  • Polyvinyl Chloride and Copolymers Production (PVC) NESHA

For more information, contact Lena Epps-Price (epps-price@epa.gov), (919) 541-5573.

EPA EJ Title VI Comment Period Ends June 19th

Advancing Environmental Justice through Title VI Plan EJ 2014 Draft Supplement Comment Period Ends June 19th.  Administrator Jackson has made improving EPA's civil rights program a priority. Complying with EPA's statutory civil rights obligations is a critical part of the Agency's efforts to advance environmental justice. As part of this effort, EPA is pursuing long overdue, vigorous, robust, and effective implementation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other nondiscrimination statutes.

The Office of Civil Rights (OCR), in consultation with the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) and the Office of General Counsel (OGC), have developed a draft supplemental implementation plan, "Advancing Environmental Justice through Title VI", for Plan EJ 2014. The draft focuses on Title VI of Civil Rights Act and its integration with Plan EJ 2014.
EPA continues to ask for your comments on the Title VI Draft Supplement. Please visit  to review and provide comments on the supplement.

As a reminder, the opportunity to submit comments via the internet, by email and through postal mail will end at 11:59 p.m. (EST) on Tuesday June 19, 2012.

EPA Environmental Justice Blog

Mustafa Ali

Agency's EJ Blog Launched on April 17th

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN ACTION

By Mustafa Ali

Nothing brings about change faster than when local communities get involved and organize to improve the conditions in their cities, towns, and neighborhoods. Over the years, I have travelled to communities across the country, where the impacts of pollution and public health problems are all too real. On each of these visits, I have been struck by what a difference it makes when residents are involved in the environmental decision-making and have a voice in designing a vision for the future in the places they call home.

Community engagement is a key tenant of environmental justice and why it is so important that we have a place to share our stories, or successes, and our expertise. It is our hope that this blog will support the online community of advocates working for environmental justice and create a space where we can highlight the positive activities happening in communities to reduce environmental and health disparities. Organizations, businesses and citizens throughout America are trying a wide range of approaches to advance environmental justice. We want to capture these good ideas and connect them to others across the country.

Additionally, many government agencies offer resources for overburdened communities, but it can seem daunting to locate them all. And, since EPA’s Administrator, Lisa P. Jackson, promoted environmental justice as one of her top priorities, there has been important progress at EPA and other federal agencies to address environmental justice concerns and expand the benefits of government programs in low-income and minority communities. Environmental Justice in Action! will also serve as a space where we can share information about the resources, tools, and programs available to help achieve healthy and sustainable communities.

My goal for this blog is to make this a resource for you and to provide an opportunity for everyone to join the conversation on environmentalism. So, it is important that we hear from you! Let us know what types of information would be most useful and interesting to you.What do you want to learn more about? Please post your thoughts and comments here and on future posts to help us better design this blog to meet your needs. While the government can provide support and assist in building capacity in communities, putting environmental justice into action takes you!

About the author: Mustafa Ali currently serves as the Associate Director of Communications for EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice. He has been a national speaker, trainer and facilitator on social justice issues for the past 20 years and focused on the issue of environmental justice for the past 19 years.

EPA EJ Office's New Video Series

EPA's Office of Environmental Justice has officially launched its 20th Anniversary Video Series. These videos feature federal and local government officials, non-profit leaders and students who share stories about the lessons that they have learned over their time working on environmental justice. They will be featured on the Environmental Justice in Action Blog.

The first video available on the blog today features Vernice Miller-Travis. Watch the video, share it, and let EPA know your thoughts in the comments section. Also, be sure to add your e-mail to the subscribe link on the upper right side of the blog's home page to receive EPA's weekly posts. Clicking the "Like" button is another way to let your friends know about this great resource.

California Cap & Trade Discrimination Complaint To EPA

The Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment has filed a complaint with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday on behalf of a coalition of environmental justice and civil rights activists alleging that cap-and-trade provisions in California's pioneering program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions discriminate against people of color.

The groups, which represent minority communities, accused the California Air Resources Board of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it agreed to allow polluters in low-income areas to use carbon offsets to buy their way out of pollution reduction under the state's global warming reduction plan. Cap and trade allows them to buy allowances from other facilities or offsets from out of state or even internationally, denying communities next to refineries and other polluting businesses the benefits that would occur through direct regulationwhich filed the complaint.

The groups assert that it is discrimination because these communities, which are overwhelmingly populated by people of color are very close to cap-and-trade facilities. In particular, the African American population is disproportionately affected.

The groups fought against oil companies and global warming skeptics to support - AB32, the landmark law passed in 2006 that requires California to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.  However, the groups opposed the cap and trade provision of AB32 and want to see the benefits on site in the communities that suffer from disproportionately large numbers of pollution-caused illnesses. The EPA complaint mirrors a lawsuit previously filed by the same groups that is still pending in state court.

The Air Resources Board believes efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, including cap-and-trade provisions, will benefit every community, but the goal of AB32 was to reduce statewide carbon emissions, not localized smog. There are separate regulations, he said, that control diesel emissions from buses and trucks and restrict smokestack pollution in ports and rail yards.

The EPA's Office of Civil Rights now has 20 days to decide whether to accept the complaint. If it is accepted, then regulators will have 180 days to investigate the case and make a preliminary finding. The complaint cites studies that show that people of color make up 66 percent of the state's population most heavily hit by pollution, with African Americans making up the vast majority of the victims. (San Francisco Chronicle, 6/12/2012)