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# Basic Information

Environmental Justice is the fair treatment and me aningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Fair treatmentmeans that no group of people should bear a dispro portionate share of the negati ve environmental consequences resulting from industrial, governmental and commercial operations or policies. Meaningful involvementmeans that: (1) people have an opportunity to participate in decisions about activities that may affect their environment and/or health; (2) the publics contribution can influence the regulatory agency's decision; (3) their concerns will be considered in the decision making process; and (4) the decision makers seek out and facilitate the involvement of those potentially affected.

How Did the Environmental Justice Movement Ar ise? The environmental justice movement was started by individuals, primarily people of co lor, who sought to address the inequity of environmental protection in thei r communities. Grounded in the st ruggles of the 1960's Civil Rights Movement, this movement sounded the alarm abou t the public health dangers for their families, their communities and themselves.

Early in 1990, the Congressional Black Caucus, a bipa rtisan coalition of academic, social scientists and political activists met with EP A officials to discuss their findin gs that environmental risk was higher for minority and low-inco me populations. They alleged th at EPA's inspections were not addressing their communities' needs. In response , the EPA Administrator created the Environmental Equity Workgroup in July 1990 to address the alle gation that "racial mi nority and low-income populations bear a higher environmental ri sk burden than the general population."

The Workgroup produced a report, "Reducing Risk in All Communities", in June 1992 that supported the allegation and made ten recommendations for addressing the problem. One of the recommendations was to create an office to address these inequities. Thus, the Office of Environmental Equity was established November 1992. The name was changed to Office of Environmental Just ice (OEJ) in 1994.

On Feb 11, 1994, Presiden t Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Popu lations and Low-Income Populations", to focus federal attention on the environmental and human health co nditions of minority and low-income populations with the goal of achieving environmental protecti on for all communities. Th e Order directed federal agencies to develop environmental justice st rategies to help fede ral agencies address disproportionately high and adve rse human health or environmental effects of their programs on minority and low-income populations. The order is also intended to promote nondiscrimination in federal programs that affect huma n health and the environment. Itaims to provide minority and low-income communities access to pu blic information and public participation in matters relating to human health and the environment. The Presid ential Memorandum accompanying the order underscores certain provisions of existing law that can help ensure that all communities and persons across the nation live in a safe and healthy environment.

The executive order established an Interagency Working Group (IWG) on environmental justice



### Background 

## Environmental Justice htt p : // www.e p a. g ov/ com p liance / environmental j ustice / basics / ej back g round.htm l Last u p dated on Thursda y, Ma y 24 , 201 2 

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4 /24 /201 4 htt p ://www.e p a. g ov/comp liance/environmental j ustice/basics/e j background.htm lchaired by the EPA Administrator and comprised of the heads of 11 departments or agencies and several White House offices. These include the EP A, the Departments of Justice, Defense, Energy, Labor, Interior, Transportation , Agriculture, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, the Council on Environ mental Quality, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Domestic Policy Council, and the Council of Economic Advisors. The IWG meets on a monthly basis to continue the collaborative projects. Fifteen demonstration projects, alon g with additional proj ects to be selected each year, have been chosen to depict the provision.

The statutes that EPA implements provide the Agency with auth ority to consider and address environmental justice concerns. These laws encompass the breadth of the Agency's activities including setting standards, permitting facilities, making grants, issuing licenses or regulations, and reviewing proposed actions of ot her federal agencies. These laws often require the Agency to consider a variety of factors that generally includ e one or more of the following: public health; cumulative impacts; social costs; and welfare impacts. Moreover, so me statutory provisions, such as under theToxics Substances Contro l Act (TSCA), explicitly direct the Agency to target low-income populations for assistance. Other st atutes direct the Agency to consider vulnerable populations in setting standards. In all cases, the way in which the Agency choos es to implement and enforce its authority can have substantial effects on the achievement of environmental justice for all communities.

Since OEJ was created, there have been signific ant efforts across EPA to integrate environmental justice into the Agency's day-to-day operations. Information on these activities can be found throughout the Agency. Every regional and headquarter office has an environmental justice coordinator to serve as a focal point within the or ganization. This network of individuals provides outreach and educational opportunities to external as well as internal individuals and organizations.

To find out more about environmental justice, use the navigation links on the left side of the page. 

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