Environmental Justice

• Goal
• Background
• Strategies

Goal

To strengthen community-based programs to engage overburdened communities and build partnerships that promote healthy, sustainable, and green communities.

Read the implementation plan on community-based action (PDF) (18 pp, 810K, About PDF).

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Background

The Agency has learned that communities must be the driver for local solutions. However, far too many communities lack the capacity to truly change environmental conditions for the better. As a result, many low-income, minority, tribal, and indigenous communities in the United States live near areas affected by some of the nation’s worst pollution.

EPA has implemented programs to support community empowerment and provide benefits ranging from basic educational and leadership development to comprehensive approaches. These programs include:

• Financial assistance programs: Environmental Justice, Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE), Brownfields Area-Wide Planning, Lead, and Tribal grants
• Community-based programs: Local Climate and Energy, Childhood Asthma, Sustainable Communities and Smart Growth, Urban Waters, Superfund, and Brownfields

Plan EJ 2014 builds upon EPA’s efforts to improve the effectiveness of community-based programs through better information access, coordination, and leveraging to support community empowerment. In these activities, EPA also builds upon its expertise in implementing community-based programs. With this approach, Plan EJ 2014 will help communities achieve environmental, health, and economic improvements.

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Strategies

1. Advance environmental justice principles by building strong state and tribal partnerships through the National Environmental Performance Partnership System and National Program Manager guidance.
   
   
2. Identify scalable and replicable elements of successful Agency community-based programs and align multiple EPA programs to address the needs of overburdened communities.
   
   
3. Promote an integrated One EPA presence to engage communities in the Agency’s work to protect human health and the environment.
   
   
4. Foster community-based programs modeled on CARE principles.
   
   
5. Explore how EPA funding, policies and programs can inform or help decision-makers to maximize benefits and minimize adverse impacts from land use decision-making, planning and siting.
   
   
6. Promote equitable development opportunities for all communities.

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