I 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5132 

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 

establish an Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice to 

provide guidance to Federal agencies on the development of criteria 

for identifying disproportionately high and adverse human health or 

environmental effects on minority populations and low-income populations, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 23, 2008 

Ms. SOLIS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 

Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish an Interagency Working Group 

on Environmental Justice to provide guidance to Federal 

agencies on the development of criteria for identifying 

disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority populations and low-income populations, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Environmental Justice 

3 Renewal Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis7 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ8 mental Protection Agency. 

9 (2) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Advisory 

10 Council’’ means the National Environmental Justice 

11 Advisory Council established by the Administrator 

12 under section 9(a). 

13 (3) CLEARINGHOUSE.—The term ‘‘clearing14 house’’ means the Environmental Justice Clearing15 house developed by the Administrator under section 

16 10(a). 

17 (4) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

18 the Director of the National Institute of Environ19 mental Health Sciences. 

20 (5) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.—The term ‘‘en21 vironmental justice’’ means the fair treatment and 

22 meaningful involvement of all individuals regardless 

23 of race, color, national origin, educational level, or 

24 income with respect to the development, implementa25 tion, and enforcement of environmental laws (includ26 ing regulations) to ensure that— 


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1 (A) minority and low-income populations 

2 have access to public information relating to 

3 human health and environmental planning, reg4 ulations, and enforcement; and 

5 (B) no minority or low-income population 

6 shall be exposed to a disproportionate burden of 

7 the negative human health and environmental 

8 impacts of pollution or other environmental 

9 hazards. 

10 (6) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY.— 

11 The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 

12 a community with significant representation of racial 

13 or ethnic minorities or low-income populations that 

14 experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, a signifi15 cant or disproportionate burden of environmental 

16 stressors, risks, adverse human health effects, or en17 vironmental effects. 

18 (7) FAIR TREATMENT.—The term ‘‘fair treat19 ment’’ means the conduct of policies and practices to 

20 ensure that no group of individuals (including racial, 

21 ethnic, or socioeconomic groups) experiences a dis22 proportionate burden of high and adverse human 

23 health or environmental effects resulting from any 

24 program, activity, or policy of a Federal agency. 


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1 (8) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

2 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

3 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

4 Act (25 U.S.C. 450b). 

5 (9) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 

6 (A) a State; 

7 (B) a territory or possession of the United 

8 States; and 

9 (C) a tribal government. 

10 (10) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘tribal 

11 government’’ means the governing body of an Indian 

12 tribe. 

13 (11) WORKING GROUP.—The term ‘‘Working 

14 Group’’ means the Interagency Working Group on 

15 Environmental Justice established by the Adminis16 trator under section 3(a). 

17 SEC. 3. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON ENVIRON18 MENTAL JUSTICE. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 

20 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

21 establish a working group to be known as the ‘‘Inter22 agency Working Group on Environmental Justice’’. 

23 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Working Group 

24 are— 


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1 (1) to provide guidance to Federal agencies on 

2 the development of the guidance document under 

3 subsection (f)(1) for identifying disproportionately 

4 high and adverse human health or environmental ef5 fects on— 

6 (A) minority populations; and 

7 (B) low-income populations; 

8 (2) to coordinate with, provide guidance to, and 

9 serve as a clearinghouse for, each Federal agency 

10 during the development by each Federal agency of 

11 an environmental justice strategy; 

12 (3) to ensure that the administration, interpre13 tation, and enforcement of each applicable program, 

14 activity, and policy of each Federal agency is under15 taken in a manner that minimizes or eliminates dis16 proportionately high and adverse human health or 

17 environmental effects on racial minority, ethnic mi18 nority, or low-income populations; 

19 (4) to assist in the coordination of research 

20 conducted by, and stimulate cooperation among— 

21 (A) the Agency; 

22 (B) the Department of Health and Human 

23 Services; 

24 (C) the Department of Housing and Urban 

25 Development; 


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1 (D) the Department of Transportation; 

2 and 

3 (E) any other Federal agency that con4 ducts research or any other activity relating to 

5 the study of human health and environmental 

6 research and analysis; 

7 (5) to assist in the coordination of data collec8 tion activities conducted by each Federal agency de9 scribed in paragraph (4); 

10 (6) to examine each study and available data 

11 with respect to issues relating to environmental jus12 tice in existence as of the date of enactment of this 

13 Act; 

14 (7) to hold public meetings to conduct fact-find15 ing, receive public comments, and conduct inquiries 

16 concerning issues relating to environmental justice, 

17 the summaries of the comments and recommenda18 tions from which shall be made available to the pub19 lic; 

20 (8) to develop interagency model projects on 

21 issues relating to environmental justice that evidence 

22 cooperation among Federal agencies; 

23 (9) to engage in regular consultation with the 

24 Advisory Council, but not less than once per year; 


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1 (10) to assess and review the activities of the 

2 Federal Government (including any policy or pro3 gram of the Federal Government in existence as of 

4 the date of enactment of this Act) to minimize and 

5 eliminate disproportionately high and adverse human 

6 health or environmental effects on racial minority, 

7 ethnic minority, or low-income populations; and 

8 (11) to seek advice from community-based orga9 nizations and academic experts who are engaged in 

10 environmental justice research and other activities. 

11 (c) COMPOSITION.—The Working Group shall be 

12 composed of— 

13 (1) the Administrator (or a designee); 

14 (2) the Secretary of Defense (or a designee); 

15 (3) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv16 ices (or a designee); 

17 (4) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel18 opment (or a designee); 

19 (5) the Secretary of Labor (or a designee); 

20 (6) the Secretary of Agriculture (or a designee); 

21 (7) the Secretary of Transportation (or a des22 ignee); 

23 (8) the Attorney General (or a designee); 

24 (9) the Secretary of the Interior (or a des25 ignee); 


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1 (10) the Secretary of Commerce (or a des2 ignee); 

3 (11) the Secretary of Energy (or a designee); 

4 (12) the Secretary of Homeland Security (or a 

5 designee); 

6 (13) the Director of the Office of Management 

7 and Budget (or a designee); 

8 (14) the Director of the Office of Science and 

9 Technology Policy (or a designee); 

10 (15) the Deputy Assistant to the President for 

11 Environmental Policy (or a designee); 

12 (16) the Assistant to the President for Domes13 tic Policy (or a designee); 

14 (17) the Director of the National Economic 

15 Council (or a designee); 

16 (18) the Chairman of the Council of Economic 

17 Advisers (or a designee); and 

18 (19) any other official of the Federal Govern19 ment that the President may designate. 

20 (d) CHAIRPERSON.—The President (or a designee) 

21 shall serve as the Chairperson of the Working Group. 

22 (e) REPORT TO PRESIDENT.—The Working Group 

23 shall report to the President through— 

24 (1) the Deputy Assistant to the President for 

25 Environmental Policy; or 


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1 (2) the Assistant to the President for Domestic 

2 Policy. 

3 (f) UNIFORM CONSIDERATION GUIDANCE DOCU4 MENT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—To ensure that there is a 

6 common level of understanding of terminology used 

7 in dealing with environmental justice issues, not 

8 later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

9 Act, the Working Group shall develop and publish in 

10 the Federal Register a guidance document that out11 lines the ways in which the following considerations 

12 will be taken into account in defining communities 

13 as environmental justice communities: 

14 (A) A disproportionate burden of adverse 

15 human health or environmental impacts, or the 

16 potential for those impacts. 

17 (B) Aggregation of risk. 

18 (C) Cumulative sources of risk. 

19 (D) Additional elements in the community 

20 that indicate vulnerability, such as a high inci21 dence of disease and lower income levels. 

22 (E) The capacity of communities to ad23 dress environmental concerns. 

24 (2) PUBLIC COMMENT.—For a period of not 

25 less than 30 days, the Working Group shall seek 


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1 public comment on the guidance document developed 

2 under paragraph (1). 

3 (3) DOCUMENTATION.—Not later than 90 days 

4 after the date of publication of the guidance docu5 ment under paragraph (1), the head of each Federal 

6 agency participating in the Working Group shall 

7 document the ways in which the Federal agency will 

8 incorporate guidance from the document into the en9 vironmental justice strategy of the Federal agency. 

10 (g) DEVELOPMENT OF INTERAGENCY FEDERAL EN11 VIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

13 the date on which the environmental justice strate14 gies of the Federal agencies are finalized under sec15 tion 4(b)(3)(A)(i), after notice and opportunity for 

16 public comment, the Working Group shall develop 

17 and promulgate a coordinated interagency Federal 

18 environmental justice strategy. 

19 (2) CONSIDERATION.—In carrying out para20 graph (1), the Working Group shall consider each 

21 environmental justice strategy developed by each 

22 Federal agency under section 4(b)(3)(A)(i). 

23 (h) REPORT TO PRESIDENT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

25 after the date described in subsection (g)(1), the 


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1 Working Group shall, through the Chairman of the 

2 Council on Environmental Quality and the Assistant 

3 to the President for Domestic Policy, submit to the 

4 President a report that contains— 

5 (A) a description of the implementation of 

6 the interagency Federal environmental justice 

7 strategy; and 

8 (B) a copy of the finalized environmental 

9 justice strategy of each Federal agency. 

10 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The head of each 

11 Federal agency shall make the report described in 

12 paragraph (1) available to the public (including by 

13 posting a copy of the report on the website of each 

14 Federal agency). 

15 SEC. 4. RESPONSIBILITIES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

16 (a) CONDUCT OF PROGRAMS.—Each Federal agency 

17 shall conduct each program, policy and activity of the Fed18 eral agency that adversely affects or has the potential to 

19 affect human health or the environment in a manner that 

20 ensures that each program, policy, and activity does not 

21 have an effect of excluding any individual from partici22 pating in, denying any individual the benefits of, or sub23 jecting any individuals to discrimination or disparate im24 pact under any program, policy, or activity of the Federal 


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1 agency because of the race, color, national origin, or in2 come level of the individual. 

3 (b) FEDERAL AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

4 STRATEGIES.— 

5 (1) DEVELOPMENT.—Each Federal agency that 

6 participates in the Working Group shall develop an 

7 agency-wide environmental justice strategy that— 

8 (A) identifies and addresses any dispropor9 tionately high or adverse human health or envi10 ronmental effects of each program, policy, and 

11 activity of the Federal agency on— 

12 (i) minority populations; and 

13 (ii) low-income populations; and 

14 (B) complies with each requirement de15 scribed in paragraph (2). 

16 (2) CONTENTS.—Each environmental justice 

17 strategy developed by a Federal agency under para18 graph (1) shall contain— 

19 (A) an assessment that identifies each pro20 gram, policy, planning and public participation 

21 process, enforcement activity, and rulemaking 

22 procedure relating to human health or the envi23 ronment that the Federal agency determines 

24 should be revised— 


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1 (i) to ensure the enforcement by the 

2 Federal agency of each health or environ3 mental statute relating to— 

4 (I) minority populations; and 

5 (II) low-income populations; 

6 (ii) to ensure greater and more mean7 ingful public participation; 

8 (iii) to improve the conduct by the 

9 Federal agency of research and data collec10 tion activities relating to the health and 

11 environment of— 

12 (I) minority populations; and 

13 (II) low-income populations; 

14 (iv) to facilitate the identification of 

15 differential development patterns and ac16 cess to natural resources among— 

17 (I) minority populations; and 

18 (II) low-income populations; 

19 (v) to integrate environmental justice 

20 into the activities of the Federal agency; 

21 and 

22 (vi) to ensure that the Federal agency 

23 undertakes activities to reduce or eliminate 

24 disproportionately high and adverse human 

25 health or environmental effects on racial 


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1 minority, ethnic minority, and low-income 

2 populations; and 

3 (B) a timetable for the completion of— 

4 (i) each revision identified under sub5 paragraph (A); and 

6 (ii) an assessment of the economic 

7 and social implications of each revision 

8 identified under subparagraph (A). 

9 (3) FINALIZATION; IMPLEMENTATION.— 

10 (A) FINALIZATION OF AGENCY-WIDE ENVI11 RONMENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY.— 

12 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 

13 year after the date of enactment of this 

14 Act, after notice and opportunity for public 

15 comment, each Federal agency shall final16 ize the environmental justice strategy of 

17 the Federal agency. 

18 (ii) IDENTIFICATION OF PROJECTS.— 

19 During the period described in clause (i), 

20 as part of the environmental justice strat21 egy finalized under that clause, each Fed22 eral agency shall— 

23 (I) identify each project that 

24 could be promptly carried out by the 

25 Federal agency to address any reviVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:27 Jan 24, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5132.IH H5132

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1 sion identified under paragraph (2); 

2 and 

3 (II) develop a schedule for car4 rying out each project identified by 

5 the Federal agency under subclause 

6 (I). 

7 (iii) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.— 

8 In carrying out clause (ii), each Federal 

9 agency shall coordinate the activities of the 

10 Federal agency with the Working Group to 

11 minimize the duplication of, and maximize 

12 the effectiveness of, the activities of each 

13 Federal agency. 

14 (iv) REPORTS.— 

15 (I) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not 

16 later than 2 years after the date of 

17 enactment of this Act, and annually 

18 thereafter, each Federal agency shall 

19 submit to the Working Group a report 

20 describing the progress of the Federal 

21 agency in implementing the environ22 mental justice strategy of the Federal 

23 agency. 

24 (II) PERIODIC REPORTS.—In ad25 dition to the annual reports described 


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1 in subclause (I), upon the receipt of a 

2 request from the Working Group, a 

3 Federal agency shall submit to the 

4 Working Group a report that contains 

5 such information as the Working 

6 Group may require. 

7 (B) REVISION OF AGENCY-WIDE ENVIRON8 MENTAL JUSTICE STRATEGY.—Not later than 5 

9 years after the date of enactment of this Act, 

10 each Federal agency shall— 

11 (i) evaluate the environmental justice 

12 strategy of the Federal agency; and 

13 (ii) submit to the Working Group a 

14 copy of the revised version of the environ15 mental justice strategy of the Federal 

16 agency. 

17 (4) PETITION.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The head of a Federal 

19 agency may submit to the President a petition 

20 for an exemption of any requirement described 

21 in this section with respect to any program or 

22 activity of the Federal agency. 

23 (B) AVAILABILITY TO PUBLIC.—Each peti24 tion submitted by a Federal agency to the 

25 President under subparagraph (A) shall be 


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1 made available to the public (including through 

2 a description of the petition on the website of 

3 the Federal agency). 

4 (C) CONSIDERATION.—In determining 

5 whether to grant a petition for an exemption 

6 submitted by a Federal agency to the President 

7 under subparagraph (A), the President shall 

8 consider whether the granting of the petition 

9 would likely— 

10 (i) result in disproportionately high 

11 and adverse human health or environ12 mental effects on racial minority, ethnic 

13 minority, or low-income populations; or 

14 (ii) exacerbate any disproportionately 

15 high and adverse human health or environ16 mental effect on any racial minority, ethnic 

17 minority, or low-income population. 

18 (D) APPEAL.— 

19 (i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 

20 days after the date on which the President 

21 approves a petition under this paragraph, 

22 an individual may appeal the decision of 

23 the President to approve the petition. 

24 (ii) WRITTEN APPEAL.— 


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1 (I) IN GENERAL.—To appeal a 

2 decision of the President under clause 

3 (i), an individual shall submit a writ4 ten appeal to— 

5 (aa) the Deputy Assistant to 

6 the President for Environmental 

7 Policy; or 

8 (bb) the Assistant to the 

9 President for Domestic Policy. 

10 (II) CONTENTS.—A written ap11 peal shall contain a description of 

12 each reason why the exemption that is 

13 the subject of the petition is unneces14 sary. 

15 (iii) REQUIREMENT OF PRESIDENT.— 

16 Not later than 90 days after the date on 

17 which an official described in clause (ii)(I) 

18 receives a written appeal submitted by an 

19 individual under that clause, the President 

20 shall provide to the individual a written no21 tification describing the decision of the 

22 President with respect to the appeal. 

23 SEC. 5. OMBUDSMEN. 

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es25 tablish within the Environmental Protection Agency a poVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:27 Jan 24, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5132.IH H5132

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1 sition of Environmental Justice Ombudsman to receive, 

2 review, and process complaints and allegations with re3 spect to environmental justice programs and activities of 

4 the Environmental Protection Agency. 

5 (b) REPORTING.—The Environmental Justice Om6 budsman shall— 

7 (1) report directly to the Administrator; and 

8 (2) not be required to report to the Office of 

9 Environmental Justice. 

10 (c) REGIONAL STAFF.— 

11 (1) AUTHORITY OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

12 OMBUDSMAN.—The Administrator shall allow the 

13 Environmental Justice Ombudsman to hire such 

14 staff as the Environmental Justice Ombudsman de15 termines to be necessary to carry out at each re16 gional office of the Environmental Protection Agency 

17 the responsibilities of the Environmental Justice 

18 Ombudsman described in subsection (a). 

19 (2) FULL-TIME POSITION.—Each individual 

20 hired by the Environmental Justice Ombudsman 

21 under paragraph (1) shall be hired as a full-time 

22 employee of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

23 SEC. 6. TRAINING OF EMPLOYEES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

24 (a) INITIAL PERIOD OF TRAINING.—Not later than 

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1 istrator shall offer to each employee of the Environmental 

2 Protection Agency an opportunity to participate in an en3 vironmental justice training program to ensure that each 

4 employee of the Environmental Protection Agency— 

5 (1) has received training in environmental jus6 tice; and 

7 (2) is capable of— 

8 (A) appropriately incorporating environ9 mental justice concepts into the daily activities 

10 of the employee; 

11 (B) addressing the needs of environmental 

12 justice communities; and 

13 (C) increasing the meaningful participation 

14 of individuals from environmental justice com15 munities in the activities of the Environmental 

16 Protection Agency. 

17 (b) MANDATORY PARTICIPATION.—Effective on the 

18 date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this 

19 Act, each individual hired by the Environmental Protec20 tion Agency after that date shall be required to participate 

21 in environmental justice training. 

22 (c) REQUIREMENT RELATING TO CERTAIN EMPLOY23 EES.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to each Fed25 eral agency, not later than 30 days after the date on 


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1 which an individual is appointed to the position of 

2 environmental justice coordinator, environmental 

3 justice ombudsman, or any other position the re4 sponsibility of which involves the conduct of environ5 mental justice activities, the individual shall be re6 quired to possess documentation of the completion 

7 by the individual of environmental justice training. 

8 (2) EFFECT.—If an individual described in 

9 paragraph (1) fails to meet the requirement de10 scribed in that paragraph, the Federal agency at 

11 which the individual is employed shall transfer the 

12 individual to a different position until the date on 

13 which the individual completes environmental justice 

14 training. 

15 (3) EVALUATION.—Not later than 3 years after 

16 the date of enactment of this Act, the Inspector 

17 General of the Environmental Protection Agency 

18 shall evaluate each training program of the Environ19 mental Protection Agency to determine if the Envi20 ronmental Protection Agency has improved the rate 

21 of training of the employees of the Environmental 

22 Protection Agency to ensure that each employee has 

23 received environmental justice training. 

24 SEC. 7. GRANT PROGRAMS. 

25 (a) SMALL GRANT PROGRAM.— 


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1 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 

2 establish a program under which the Administrator 

3 shall provide grants to eligible entities to assist the 

4 eligible entities in— 

5 (A) building capacity to address issues re6 lating to environmental justice; and 

7 (B) carrying out any activity described in 

8 paragraph (4). 

9 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 

10 small grant under paragraph (1), an eligible entity 

11 shall be a nonprofit, community-based organization 

12 that conducts activities to reduce the dispropor13 tionate health impacts of environmental pollution in 

14 the environmental justice community at which the 

15 eligible organization proposes to conduct an activity 

16 that is the subject of the application described in 

17 paragraph (3). 

18 (3) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

19 small grant under paragraph (1), an eligible entity 

20 shall submit to the Administrator an application at 

21 such time, in such manner, and containing such in22 formation as the Administrator may require, includ23 ing— 


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1 (A) an outline describing the means by 

2 which the project proposed by the eligible entity 

3 will— 

4 (i) with respect to environmental and 

5 public health issues at the local level, in6 crease the understanding of the community 

7 at which the eligible entity will conduct the 

8 project; 

9 (ii) improve the ability of the commu10 nity to address each issue described in 

11 clause (i); and 

12 (iii) facilitate collaboration and co13 operation among various stakeholders (in14 cluding members of the community); 

15 (B) a proposed budget for each activity of 

16 the project that is the subject of the applica17 tion; 

18 (C) a list of proposed outcomes with re19 spect to the proposed project; 

20 (D) a description of the ways by which the 

21 eligible entity may leverage the funds of the eli22 gible entity, or the funds made available 

23 through a small grant under this subsection, to 

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1 tained beyond the period of the small grant; 

2 and 

3 (E) a description of the ways by which the 

4 eligible entity is linked to, and representative 

5 of, the community at which the eligible entity 

6 will conduct the project. 

7 (4) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that re8 ceives funds through a small grant under paragraph 

9 (1) shall use the funds to carry out culturally and 

10 linguistically appropriate activities that are tailored 

11 to the needs of the community to address environ12 mental justice concerns and improve the health or 

13 environment of the community, including activities— 

14 (A) to create or develop collaborative part15 nerships; 

16 (B) to educate and provide outreach serv17 ices to the community at which the eligible enti18 ty proposes to conduct the project; 

19 (C) to identify, and implement projects to 

20 address, environmental or public health con21 cerns; or 

22 (D) to develop a comprehensive under23 standing of environmental or public health 

24 issues. 

25 (5) REPORT.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

2 after the date of enactment of this Act, and an3 nually thereafter, the Administrator shall sub4 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

5 a report describing the ways by which the grant 

6 program has helped community-based nonprofit 

7 organizations address issues relating to environ8 mental justice. 

9 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Adminis10 trator shall make the report required under 

11 subparagraph (A) available to the public (in12 cluding by posting a copy of the report on the 

13 website of the Environmental Protection Agen14 cy). 

15 (6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

17 this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2009 through 2013. 

19 (b) COLLABORATIVE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

20 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 

21 establish a program under which the Administrator 

22 shall provide not more than 20 collaborative grants 

23 to eligible entities that propose, through an applica24 tion submitted by each eligible entity, to address 

25 local environmental or public health issues through 


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1 the use of the environmental justice collaborative 

2 problem-solving model established by the Environ3 mental Protection Agency. 

4 (2) ELIGIBILITY.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara6 graph (B), to be eligible to receive a collabo7 rative grant under paragraph (1), an eligible 

8 entity shall be a nonprofit, community-based or9 ganization that conducts activities to reduce the 

10 disproportionate health impacts of environ11 mental pollution in the community in which the 

12 eligible organization is located. 

13 (B) LIMITATION.—The Administrator shall 

14 select not more than 2 grantees from each re15 gion of the United States, as determined by the 

16 Administrator. 

17 (3) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

18 collaborative grant under paragraph (1), an eligible 

19 entity shall submit to the Administrator an applica20 tion at such time, in such manner, and containing 

21 such information as the Administrator may require, 

22 including a description of— 

23 (A) the means by which— 


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1 (i) the eligible entity will use the envi2 ronmental justice collaborative problem3 solving model; and 

4 (ii) the activities of the eligible entity 

5 will incorporate relevant statutes; 

6 (B) the ways by which the eligible entity is 

7 linked to, and representative of, the community 

8 at which the eligible entity will conduct the ac9 tivities proposed by the eligible entity; and 

10 (C) the activities that the eligible entity 

11 shall undertake to reduce or eliminate dis12 proportionately high and adverse human health 

13 or environmental effects on the community in 

14 which the eligible entity is based. 

15 (4) USE OF FUNDS.— 

16 (A) COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM-SOLVING

17 ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity that receives 

18 funds through a collaborative grant under para19 graph (1) shall use the funds to carry out col20 laborative problem-solving activities— 

21 (i) to address environmental justice 

22 concerns and improve the health or envi23 ronment of the community; and 

24 (ii) through the use of not less than 

25 2 statutes described in subparagraph (B). 


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1 (B) AUTHORIZED STATUTES.—In carrying 

2 out an activity described in subparagraph (A), 

3 an eligible entity may use any appropriate stat4 ute, including— 

5 (i) the Federal Water Pollution Con6 trol Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.); 

7 (ii) the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

8 U.S.C. 300f et seq.); 

9 (iii) the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 

10 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.); 

11 (iv) the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 

12 7401 et seq.); 

13 (v) the Toxic Substances Control Act 

14 (15 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.); 

15 (vi) the Federal Insecticide, Fun16 gicide, and Rodenticide Act (7 U.S.C. 136 

17 et seq.); 

18 (vii) the Marine Protection, Research, 

19 and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 

20 1401 et seq.); 

21 (viii) the Comprehensive Environ22 mental Response, Compensation, and Li23 ability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et 

24 seq.); 


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1 (ix) the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.); 

3 (x) the Emergency Planning and 

4 Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986 

5 (42 U.S.C. 11001 et seq.); 

6 (xi) Federal pollution prevention stat7 utes; 

8 (xii) the National Environmental Pol9 icy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); 

10 and 

11 (xiii) any other statute relating to— 

12 (I) the use of tribal land, terri13 tories, or artifacts; or 

14 (II) environmental justice (in15 cluding the Civil Rights Act of 1964 

16 (42 U.S.C. 2000a et seq.)). 

17 (5) REPORT.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

19 after the date of enactment of this Act, and an20 nually thereafter, the Administrator shall sub21 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

22 a report describing— 

23 (i) the implementation of the collabo24 rative grant program established under 

25 paragraph (1); and 


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1 (ii) the impact of the collaborative 

2 grant program in addressing environmental 

3 justice concerns in communities. 

4 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Adminis5 trator shall make the report required under 

6 subparagraph (A) available to the public (in7 cluding by posting a copy of the report on the 

8 website of the Environmental Protection Agen9 cy). 

10 (6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

11 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

12 this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

13 2009 through 2013. 

14 (c) INTERAGENCY COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT PRO15 GRAM.— 

16 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator, in 

17 cooperation with appropriate Federal agencies, shall 

18 establish a program under which the Administrator 

19 shall enter into not more than 20 cooperative agree20 ments with eligible entities to carry out interagency 

21 activities that address issues relating to environ22 mental justice in communities. 

23 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 

24 (A) PARTNERSHIP REQUIREMENT.—To be 

25 eligible to enter into a cooperative agreement 


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1 with the Administrator under paragraph (1), an 

2 eligible entity shall be a partnership comprised 

3 of 2 or more entities described in subparagraph 

4 (B). 

5 (B) ELIGIBLE PARTNERS.—A partnership 

6 described in subparagraph (A) may be com7 prised of 1 or more— 

8 (i) Federal agencies; 

9 (ii) State or local governmental agen10 cies; 

11 (iii) community-based organizations 

12 that conduct activities relating to environ13 mental justice issues; 

14 (iv) representatives of accredited insti15 tutions of higher education; 

16 (v) local businesses and representa17 tives of the private sector; and 

18 (vi) appropriate entities, as deter19 mined by the Administrator. 

20 (3) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that re21 ceives funds through a cooperative agreement under 

22 paragraph (1) shall use the funds to carry out any 

23 activity that the Administrator determines would ad24 vance the objectives of the environmental justice 


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1 strategy developed by the Working Group under sec2 tion 3(g)(1). 

3 (4) REPORT.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, and 

6 every 2 years thereafter, the Administrator 

7 shall submit to the appropriate committees of 

8 Congress a report describing— 

9 (i) the implementation of the coopera10 tive agreement program established under 

11 paragraph (1); and 

12 (ii) the impact of the cooperative 

13 agreement program on addressing issues 

14 relating to environmental justice in com15 munities. 

16 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Adminis17 trator shall make the report required under 

18 subparagraph (A) available to the public (in19 cluding by posting a copy of the report on the 

20 website of the Environmental Protection Agen21 cy). 

22 (5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

23 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

24 this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

25 2009 through 2013. 


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1 (d) STATE GRANT PROGRAM.— 

2 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall 

3 establish a program under which the Administrator 

4 shall provide grants to States to enable the States— 

5 (A) to establish culturally and linguistically 

6 appropriate protocols, activities, and mecha7 nisms for addressing issues relating to environ8 mental justice; and 

9 (B) to carry out culturally and linguis10 tically appropriate activities to reduce or elimi11 nate disproportionately high and adverse human 

12 health or environmental effects on environ13 mental justice communities in the State. 

14 (2) ELIGIBILITY.— 

15 (A) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to re16 ceive a grant under paragraph (1), a State shall 

17 submit to the Administrator an application at 

18 such time, in such manner, and containing such 

19 information as the Administrator may require, 

20 including— 

21 (i) a plan that contains a description 

22 of the means by which the funds provided 

23 through a grant under paragraph (1) will 

24 be used to address issues relating to envi25 ronmental justice at the State level; and 


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1 (ii) assurances that the funds pro2 vided through a grant under paragraph (1) 

3 will be used only to supplement the 

4 amount of funds that the State allocates 

5 for initiatives relating to environmental 

6 justice. 

7 (B) ABILITY TO CONTINUE PROGRAM.—To 

8 be eligible to receive a grant under paragraph 

9 (1), a State shall demonstrate to the Adminis10 trator that the State has the ability to continue 

11 each program that is the subject of funds pro12 vided through a grant under paragraph (1) 

13 after the date of receipt of the funds. 

14 (3) REPORT.— 

15 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, and an17 nually thereafter, the Administrator shall sub18 mit to the appropriate committees of Congress 

19 a report describing— 

20 (i) the implementation of the grant 

21 program established under paragraph (1); 

22 (ii) the impact of the grant program 

23 on improving the ability of each partici24 pating State to address environmental jus25 tice issues; and 


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1 (iii) the activities carried out by each 

2 State to reduce or eliminate disproportion3 ately high and adverse human health or 

4 environmental effects on environmental 

5 justice communities in the State. 

6 (B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Adminis7 trator shall make the report required under 

8 subparagraph (A) available to the public (in9 cluding by posting a copy of the report on the 

10 website of the Environmental Protection Agen11 cy). 

12 (4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

13 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

14 this subsection $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 

15 2009 through 2013. 

16 (e) COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH

17 GRANT PROGRAM.— 

18 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator, in 

19 consultation with the Director, shall establish a pro20 gram under which the Administrator shall provide 

21 not more than 25 multiyear grants to eligible enti22 ties to carry out community-based participatory re23 search— 

24 (A) to address issues relating to environ25 mental justice; 


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1 (B) to improve the environment of resi2 dents of environmental justice communities; and 

3 (C) to improve the health outcomes of resi4 dents of environmental justice communities. 

5 (2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 

6 multiyear grant under paragraph (1), an eligible en7 tity shall be a partnership comprised of— 

8 (A) an accredited institution of higher edu9 cation; and 

10 (B) a community-based organization. 

11 (3) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

12 multiyear grant under paragraph (1), an eligible en13 tity shall submit to the Administrator an application 

14 at such time, in such manner, and containing such 

15 information as the Administrator may require, in16 cluding— 

17 (A) a detailed description of the partner18 ship of the eligible entity that, as determined by 

19 the Administrator, demonstrates the participa20 tion of members of the community at which the 

21 eligible entity proposes to conduct the research; 

22 and 

23 (B) a description of— 

24 (i) the project proposed by the eligible 

25 entity; and 


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1 (ii) the ways by which the project 

2 will— 

3 (I) address issues relating to en4 vironmental justice; 

5 (II) assist in the improvement of 

6 health outcomes of residents of envi7 ronmental justice communities; and 

8 (III) assist in the improvement of 

9 the environment of residents of envi10 ronmental justice communities. 

11 (4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

13 this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

14 2009 through 2013. 

15 SEC. 8. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE BASIC TRAINING PRO16 GRAM. 

17 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es18 tablish a basic training program to increase the capacity 

19 of residents of environmental justice communities to iden20 tify and address disproportionately high and adverse 

21 human health or environmental effects by providing cul22 turally and linguistically appropriate— 

23 (1) training relating to— 


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1 (A) basic and advanced techniques for the 

2 detection, assessment, and evaluation of the ef3 fects of hazardous substances on human health; 

4 (B) methods to assess the risks to human 

5 health presented by hazardous substances; 

6 (C) methods and technologies to detect 

7 hazardous substances in the environment; and 

8 (D) basic biological, chemical, and physical 

9 methods to reduce the quantity and toxicity of 

10 hazardous substances; and 

11 (2) short courses and continuation education 

12 programs for residents of communities who are lo13 cated in close proximity to hazardous substances to 

14 provide— 

15 (A) education relating to— 

16 (i) the proper manner to handle haz17 ardous substances; 

18 (ii) the management of facilities at 

19 which hazardous substances are located 

20 (including facility compliance protocols); 

21 and 

22 (iii) the evaluation of the hazards that 

23 facilities described in clause (ii) pose to 

24 human health; and 


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1 (B) training on environmental and occupa2 tional health and safety with respect to the pub3 lic health and engineering aspects of hazardous 

4 waste control. 

5 (b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

6 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—In carrying out the 

7 training program, the Administrator may provide 

8 grants to, or enter into any contract or cooperative 

9 agreement with, an eligible entity to carry out any 

10 training or educational activity described in sub11 section (a). 

12 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—To be eligible to receive 

13 assistance under paragraph (1), an eligible entity 

14 shall be an accredited institution of education in 

15 partnership with— 

16 (A) a community-based organization that 

17 carries out activities relating to environmental 

18 justice; 

19 (B) a generator of hazardous waste; 

20 (C) any individual who is involved in the 

21 detection, assessment, evaluation, or treatment 

22 of environmental waste; 

23 (D) any owner or operator of a facility at 

24 which hazardous substances are located; or 

25 (E) any State or local government. 


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1 (c) PLAN.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis4 trator, in consultation with the Director, shall de5 velop and publish in the Federal Register a plan to 

6 carry out the basic training program described in 

7 subsection (a). 

8 (2) CONTENTS.—The plan described in para9 graph (1) shall contain— 

10 (A) a list that describes the relative pri11 ority of each activity described in subsection 

12 (a); and 

13 (B) a description of research and training 

14 relevant to environmental justice issues of com15 munities adversely affected by pollution. 

16 (3) COORDINATION WITH FEDERAL AGEN17 CIES.—The Administrator shall, to the maximum ex18 tent practicable, take appropriate steps to coordinate 

19 the activities of the training program described in 

20 the plan with the activities of other Federal agencies 

21 to avoid any duplication of effort. 

22 (d) REPORT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

24 the date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years 

25 thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the apVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:27 Jan 24, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5132.IH H5132

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1 propriate committees of Congress a report describ2 ing— 

3 (A) the implementation of the training pro4 gram established under subsection (a); and 

5 (B) the impact of the training program on 

6 improving training opportunities for residents 

7 of environmental justice communities. 

8 (2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Administrator 

9 shall make the report required under paragraph (1) 

10 available to the public (including by posting a copy 

11 of the report on the website of the Environmental 

12 Protection Agency). 

13 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

14 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

15 $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2013. 

16 SEC. 9. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ADVISORY 

17 COUNCIL. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator shall es19 tablish an advisory council to be known as the ‘‘National 

20 Environmental Justice Advisory Council’’. 

21 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Council shall be 

22 comprised of 26 members who have knowledge of, or expe23 rience relating to, the effect of environmental conditions 

24 on racial minority, ethnic minority, or low-income commu25 nities, including— 


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1 (1) representatives of— 

2 (A) community-based organizations that 

3 carry out initiatives relating to environmental 

4 justice; 

5 (B) State and local governments; 

6 (C) Indian tribes and other indigenous 

7 groups; 

8 (D) nongovernmental and environmental 

9 organizations; and 

10 (E) private sector organizations (including 

11 representatives of industries and businesses); 

12 and 

13 (2) experts in the fields of— 

14 (A) socioeconomic analysis; 

15 (B) health and environmental effects; 

16 (C) exposure evaluation; 

17 (D) environmental and civil rights law; and 

18 (E) environmental health science research. 

19 (c) SUBCOMMITTEES; WORKGROUPS.— 

20 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Advisory Council 

21 may establish any subcommittee or workgroup to as22 sist the Advisory Council in carrying out each duty 

23 of the Advisory Council described in subsection (d). 

24 (2) REPORT.—Upon the request of the Advisory 

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1 lished by the Advisory Council under paragraph (1) 

2 shall submit to the Advisory Council a report that 

3 contains— 

4 (A) a description of each recommendation 

5 of the subcommittee or workgroup; and 

6 (B) any advice requested by the Advisory 

7 Council with respect to any duty of the Advi8 sory Council. 

9 (d) DUTIES.—The Advisory Council shall provide 

10 independent advice and recommendations to the Adminis11 trator with respect to issues relating to environmental jus12 tice, including advice— 

13 (1) to help develop, facilitate, and conduct re14 views of the direction, criteria, scope, and adequacy 

15 of the scientific research and demonstration projects 

16 of the Environmental Protection Agency relating to 

17 environmental justice; 

18 (2) to improve the manner by which the Envi19 ronmental Protection Agency and other entities par20 ticipate, cooperate, and communicate within the En21 vironmental Protection Agency and between other 

22 Federal agencies, State and local governments, In23 dian tribes, environmental justice leaders, interest 

24 groups, and the public; 


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1 (3) requested by the Administrator to help im2 prove the response of the Environmental Protection 

3 Agency in securing environmental justice for com4 munities of color and low-income citizens of the 

5 United States; and 

6 (4) on issues relating to— 

7 (A) the developmental framework of the 

8 Environmental Protection Agency with respect 

9 to the integration by the Environmental Protec10 tion Agency of socioeconomic programs into the 

11 strategic planning, annual planning, and man12 agement accountability of the Environmental 

13 Protection Agency to achieve environmental jus14 tice results throughout the Environmental Pro15 tection Agency; 

16 (B) the measurement and evaluation of the 

17 progress, quality, and adequacy of the Environ18 mental Protection Agency in planning, devel19 oping, and implementing environmental justice 

20 strategies, projects, and programs; 

21 (C) any existing and future information 

22 management systems, technologies, and data 

23 collection activities of the Environmental Pro24 tection Agency (including recommendations to 

25 conduct analyses that support and strengthen 


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1 environmental justice programs in administra2 tive and scientific areas); 

3 (D) the administration by the Adminis4 trator of grant programs relating to environ5 mental justice assistance; and 

6 (E) the awareness of, and educational, 

7 training, and other outreach activities con8 ducted by, the Environmental Protection Agen9 cy relating to environmental justice. 

10 (e) MEETINGS.— 

11 (1) FREQUENCY.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara13 graph (B), the Advisory Council shall meet bi14 annually. 

15 (B) AUTHORITY OF ADMINISTRATOR.—The 

16 Administrator may require the Advisory Council 

17 to conduct additional meetings if the Adminis18 trator determines that the conduct of any addi19 tional meetings are necessary. 

20 (2) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.— 

21 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara22 graph (B), each meeting of the Advisory Coun23 cil shall be open to the public to provide the 

24 public an opportunity— 


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1 (i) to submit comments to the Advi2 sory Council; and 

3 (ii) to appear before the Advisory 

4 Council. 

5 (B) AUTHORITY OF ADMINISTRATOR.—The 

6 Administrator may close any meeting, or por7 tion of any meeting, to the public. 

8 (f) FACA.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 

9 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Advisory Council. 

10 (g) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The Administrator may 

11 provide to any member of the Advisory Council travel ex12 penses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 

13 authorized for an employee of an agency under subchapter 

14 I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away 

15 from the home or regular place of business of the member 

16 in the performance of the duties of the Advisory Council. 

17 SEC. 10. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CLEARINGHOUSE. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 

19 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

20 establish an internet-based clearinghouse to be known as 

21 the ‘‘Environmental Justice Clearinghouse’’. 

22 (b) CONTENTS.—The clearinghouse shall be com23 prised of culturally and linguistically appropriate mate24 rials, including— 


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1 (1) information describing the activities con2 ducted by the Environmental Protection Agency to 

3 address issues relating to environmental justice; 

4 (2) copies of training materials provided by the 

5 Administrator to help individuals and employees un6 derstand and carry out environmental justice activi7 ties; 

8 (3) links to webpages that describe environ9 mental justice activities of other Federal agencies; 

10 (4) a directory of individuals who possess tech11 nical expertise in issues relating to environmental 

12 justice; 

13 (5) a directory of nonprofit and community14 based organizations that address issues relating to 

15 environmental justice at the local, State, and Fed16 eral levels (with particular emphasis given to non17 profit and community-based organizations that pos18 sess the capability to provide advice or technical as19 sistance to environmental justice communities); and 

20 (6) any other appropriate information, as deter21 mined by the Secretary. 

22 (c) CONSULTATION.—In developing the clearing23 house, the Administrator shall consult with individuals 

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1 tions who have expertise in issues relating to environ2 mental justice. 

3 (d) ANNUAL REVIEW.—The Advisory Council shall— 

4 (1) conduct a review of the clearinghouse on an 

5 annual basis; and 

6 (2) recommend to the Administrator any up7 dates for the clearinghouse that the Advisory Coun8 cil determines to be necessary for the effective oper9 ation of the clearinghouse. 

10 SEC. 11. PUBLIC MEETINGS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

12 date of enactment of this Act, and biennially thereafter, 

13 the Administrator shall hold public meetings on environ14 mental justice issues at each regional office of the Envi15 ronmental Protection Agency to gather public input with 

16 respect to the planning of future environmental justice ac17 tivities of the Environmental Protection Agency. 

18 (b) REQUIRED ATTENDANCE OF CERTAIN EMPLOY19 EES.—In holding a public meeting under subsection (a), 

20 the Administrator shall ensure that at least 1 employee 

21 of the Environmental Protection Agency at the level of As22 sistant Administrator is present at the meeting to serve 

23 as a representative of the Environmental Protection Agen24 cy. 


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1 SEC. 12. SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS FOR 

2 ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. 

3 The Administrator shall ensure that all supplemental 

4 environmental projects developed as part of a settlement 

5 relating to violations in an environmental justice commu6 nity— 

7 (1) are developed through consultation with, 

8 and with the meaningful participation of, individuals 

9 from the affected environmental justice community; 

10 and 

11 (2) result in a quantifiable improvement to the 

12 health or well-being of individuals in the affected en13 vironmental justice community. 

14 SEC. 13. EVALUATION BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF THE 

15 UNITED STATES. 

16 Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

17 of this Act, and biennially thereafter, the Comptroller 

18 General of the United States shall submit to the relevant 

19 committees of Congress a report that contains an evalua20 tion of the effectiveness of each activity carried out in ac21 cordance with this Act, including, for the period covered 

22 by the report, an evaluation of— 

23 (1) the ways by which the Working Group has 

24 developed and implemented environmental justice 

25 strategies; 


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1 (2) the effectiveness of each grant program car2 ried out under this Act; and 

3 (3) the effectiveness of the Environmental Pro4 tection Agency in carrying out the meeting and re5 porting requirements under this Act. 

Æ 


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