Last week, the White House announced that pursuant to a “Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898” (EJ MOU)Federal agencies have agreed to develop environmental justice strategies to protect the health of people living in communities overburdened by pollution and provide the public with annual progress reports on their efforts.
Administrator Lisa Jackson explained that “Every agency has a unique and important role to play in ensuring that all communities receive the health and environmental protections they deserve. Our broad collaboration will mean real progress for overburdened communities.” Lisa Sutley, head of the Commission on Environmental Quality noted that “The Memorandum of Understanding helps integrate environmental justice into the missions of Federal agencies, demonstrating our commitment to ensuring America truly is a country of equal opportunity for all.” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Katherine Sebelius said, “Today, we understand better than ever that our health is not just determined by what happens in the doctor’s office. It is affected by where we live, work, go to school and play, by what we eat and drink, and by the air we breathe.”
According to the press release, “The signing of the EJ MOU is the latest in a series of steps the Obama Administration has taken to elevate the environmental justice conversation and address the inequities that may be present in some communities. Last September, Jackson and Sutley reconvened the Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice (EJ IWG) for the first time in more than a decade. In December, at the White House Environmental Justice Forum, Cabinet Secretaries and other senior Administration officials met with more than 100 environmental justice leaders from across the country to engage advocates on issues that are affecting their communities, including reducing air pollution, addressing health disparities, and capitalizing on emerging clean energy job opportunities. The EJ MOU reflects the dialogue, concerns and commitments made at the forum and other public events.”
The press release continues:
“The EJ MOU broadens the reach of the EJ IWG to include participant agencies not originally named in Executive Order 12898 and adopts an EJ IWG charter, which provides the workgroup with more structure and direction. It also formalizes the environmental justice commitments that agencies have made over the past year, providing a roadmap for agencies to better coordinate their efforts. Specific areas of focus include considering the environmental justice impacts of climate adaptation and commercial transportation, and strengthening environmental justice efforts under the National Environmental Policy Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The MOU also outlines processes and procedures to help overburdened
communities more efficiently and effectively engage agencies as they
make decisions.
The following agencies signed the EJ MOU: Environmental Protection
Agency; White House Council on Environmental Quality; Department of
Health and Human Services; Department of Justice; Department of
Agriculture; Department of Commerce; Department of Defense; Department
of Education; Department of Energy; Department of Homeland Security;
Department of Housing and Urban Development; Department of Interior;
Department of Labor; Department of Transportation; Department of
Veterans Affairs; General Services Administration; and Small Business
Administration.”
The EJ MOU can be accessed here: http://epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/interagency/ej-mou-2011-08.pdf
For more information on the EJ IWG see: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/ej/interagency/index.html
