# National Advisory Council for **Environmental Policy and Technology**

**Charles Lee Director**  **Office of Environmental Justice Sept** **ember 27, 2010 Wa**  **shingt on, DC** 

# Presentation

• **Plan EJ 2014** • **Incorporating EJ in Rulemaking** 

Deliberative Pre-decisional Communication – Not Administration Policy- Do not release 23



## Administrator’s **Statement on Issuance of EJ**  **- Rulemaking**  **Guidance** I have called on this U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to change both the perception and the situation on the ground, by broadly expanding our conversation on environmentalism and developing policies that have a measurable effect on environmental justice challenges. This document is an important tool for answering that call.4



## Plan EJ 2014 Overview • **EPA’s overarching**  **strategy to**  **advance Administrator**  **Jackson’s environmental**  **justice priority** • **Named in recognition**  **of 20th**  **anniversary o** **f E.O. 12898**  • **Roadmap to help**  **EPA integrate**  **environmental justice into all of**  **our programs.** 

# Plan EJ 2014 Goals

• **Protect health in communities**  **over -** **burdened by pollution**  • **Empower communities to take action to improve their health and**  **environment** • **Establish partnerships with local, state, tribal and federal**  **organizations to achieve healthy**  **and sustainable communities.**  5

# Plan EJ 2014 Structure

• **Cross -** **Agency Focus Areas**  • **Tools Development** • **Program Initiatives**

6

# Plan EJ 2014 Cross **Agency**

**Focus Areas** • **Rulemaking** • **Permitting** • **Enforcement and Compliance** • **Community -** **Based Action**  • **Administration -** **Wide Action**  7

# Plan EJ 2014

**Tools Development** • **Science** • **Law** • **Information** • **Resources**
8

# Plan EJ 2104

**Program Initiatives**  • **OW: Urban Waters, MTM** • **OSWER: Community Engagement Imitative,**  **Brownfields Area**  **- Wide Planning**  • **OECA: National**  **Enforcement Initiatives, EPA** **- DOJ**  **Pilot** • **OCSPP: Pesticide Drift Rules** • **OAR: Air Toxics Rules**  • **OTIA: US**  **- Mexico Border Initiative**  9

# Next **Steps**

• **Comment period open until October**  **1, 2010** • **Finalize Plan**  **EJ 2014 in early**  **2011** • **Implementation will be an iterative process**  • **www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice** 10 C1**Slide 10**

**C1** Charles, 9/26/201011 

# EJ **Rulemaking Guidance**  **Overview** • **Goal: Integrate Consideration**  **of EJ into Fabric of EPA’s Action Development**  **Process (ADP)**  • **Two Components**

– Process Guidance (Who, What, When)

– Technical Guidance (How) 

### • **Process Guidance Developed**  **First**

– Seized Opportunity to build on past efforts

– Issued as Interim Final

– Finalize after assessing initial implementation and when Technical Guidance is available 

### • **Technical Guidance**  **in 2011** 12



# Guidance Overview • **Introduction, Overview, Background** 

– Administrator Message; Purpose of Guide

– Intended Audience; Organization of Guide 

### • **Part 1: Key C**  **oncepts About**  **EJ Concerns**

– What is EJ? EJ Statutory/Policy Framework

– Overview of EJ Concerns/Factors

– Integrating EJ into Analysis

– Achieving Meaningful Engagement 

### • **Part 2: Guidance for Each ADP Stage** 

– Determining Need to Evaluate EJ Concerns

– What to Do from beginning to end of the ADP13



# Guidance Overview • **EJ Concerns May** **B e Involved**  **If Disproportionate**  **Impacts on Minority ,**  **Low****** **Income or Indigenous Populations**  **Are:**

– Created by Actions

– Exacerbated by Actions

– Not Addressed by Actions Where they Could Be 

### • **Fair treatment includes not just**  **consideration of how**  **burdens are**  **distributed, but also the distribution of**  **benefits**14



# Guidance Overview • **Disproportionate Impact Factors To Be**  **Assessed for Minority** **, Low** **- Income**  **and Indigenous**  **Populations Include:** 

– Proximity and Exposure to Environmental Hazards

– Susceptible Populations

– Unique Exposure Pathways

– Multiple and Cumulative Effects

– Ability to Participate in Decision Making Process

– Physical Infrastructure 

### • **Some Factors Easier to Assess than Others** 15



# Guidance Overview **Approaches to Answering**  **Questions Will Vary**  **:**

– Quantitative and/or Qualitative Analyses • Increasing expectations for quantitative as capabilities grow through experience, development of Technical guidance

– Decision - Makers Determine Level of Analysis and Engagement Considering: • Stakeholder interest • Legal framework governing actions • Availability of data • Availability of resources and the timeline for developing actions, and • Impacts that EJ concerns are likely to have on actual decisions involving actions

– Level of Analysis and Engagement Decided early in the process • Key is balance: fulfill desire to consider EJ without slowing environmental progress16



# Guidance Overview **Guide Directs Rule Writers to Consider How**  **to Promote EJ Not**  **Only i**  **n Developing Actions, But**  **Also in Implementing Actions** 

– Does action support or enhance compliance assurance?

– Does action support enforcement against violators?

– Does action promote transparency and meaningful involvement during implementation?

– Does action encourage or require State, Local and Tribal governments to consider EJ as they implement EPA Actions?

– Does action provide good background information for permits writers?17



# Guidance Overview • **Achieving Meaningful**  **Engagement**

– Relying on minimum notice and comment is not enough • EJ populations are historically under- represented in EPA decision - making • Wide range of educational levels, literacy, or proficiency in English

– Links provided to EPA Public Participation guidance, advising: • Conveying issues in ways that are tailored • Bridging cultural and economic differences • Using techniques that enable more effective interaction • Developing partnerships on a one-to-one or small group basis • Developing trust between government and potentially affected populations • Developing community capacity18



# ADP Overview **General Stages of EPA Action Development**  **Process:**

– Commence Activity

– Develop Analytic Blueprint

– Conduct Analyses, Engage EJ Populations, Identify Options

– Options Selection, Prepare Action

– Final Agency Review

– Publish Proposal, Request Public Comment

– Review Public Comment, Finalize Rule19 

# ADP: Develop **Analytic Blueprint** • **Develop Preliminary** **B lueprint** 

– Identify potentially affected populations or tribes

– Outline plans, resource needs for meaningful involvement

– Describe plans, resource needs for evaluating impacts

– Identify available EJ assessment tools, need for data collection, expertise, and resources

– Identify issues to be raised to management 

### • **Obtain Early G**  **uidance from Decision**  **- Makers** 

– Develop Detailed Blueprint

– Obtain Decision - Maker Approval • Appropriate level of analysis and engagement determined • Compelling circumstances may cause revisiting determination20 

# ADP: Final Agency **Review Address**  **EJ Questions in Action**  **Memo:** • How did your public participation process provide transparency and meaningful participation for minority, low- income, indigenous populations, or tribes? • How did you identify and address existing and new disproportionate environmental and public health impacts on minority, low- income, or indigenous populations? • How did actions taken under #1 and #2 impact the outcome or final decision?21 

# ADP: Review/Address **Public Comments,**  **Finalize Rule** • **Do EJ assessments need**  **to be refined or revisited?**  • **Do comments raise new issues that warrant**  **consideration?** • **Follow Proposal process steps to finalize**  **rule**

– Provides additional opportunities for the workgroup to identify and address EJ concerns22



# Implementation • **Applies in Full to new rules**

– Rules under way apply to extent practicable 

### • **Senior Staff, Rule Writers, Other Agency Staff being**  **made aware of Guide, trained**

– Administrator issued All Hands Memo announcing release, asking for best efforts in implementing new process
– Assistant Administrators will be assuring implementation

– Training will be conducted for rule writers and managers 

### • **Agency w** **ebsite established for discussion, comment,**  **information sharing** 23



# Implementation • **Office of Policy a**  **nd OEJ to Oversee Implementation** 

– Use Regulatory Gateway to flag rules with EJ issues

– Monitor EJ analyses in conjunction with other analytical oversight

– Assess answers to key questions at FAR 

### • **Guidance Development**  **Workgroup will:** 

– Monitor/Assess implementation issues

– Provide assistance to rule writing teams

– Identify Best Practices to inform technical guidance 

### • **Agency -** **wide Collaboration**  **on Rules** 

– Push envelope on Disproportionate Impact science and data (e.g., cumulative effects)24



# Technical Guidance • **Interim Guide provides links to existing technical support** 

– Annotated list of 14 available guidance documents, tools, other resources for conducting analyses that incorporate EJ considerations 

### • **Significant progress being made on**  **advancing the science of EJ and**  **disproportionate impacts** 

– Strengthening Environmental Justice and Decision Making: A Symposium on the Science of Disproportionate Environmental Health Impacts conducted at DC Convention Center in March • Strengthening ability to quantify, characterize disproportionate environmental health impacts on minority and low income populations • Follow- up products will help rule-writers fulfill Guidance recommendations25 

# Outreach **During Interim Final** • **Administrator issued press release to**  **announce EJ in Rules Guidance**  **to public** • **External website established for public**  **comment:**

– http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/pol icy/ej - rulemaking.html 

### • **Other External Engagement**

– Present at State and Tribal forums

– Discuss through NPM Stakeholder networks, conferences26

**EPA’s Interim Guidance on Considering**  **Environmental Justice during the Development**

**of an Action** 

### • **Step -** **by -** **step guide**  • **Will help EPA staff determine whether regulatory** **a ctions**  **raise possible environmental**  **justice concerns** • **Encourages public participation**  **in the rulemaking process.**