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Environmental
Justice: Agency Summaries
Agency Summaries of Work and Needs Related to
Environmental Justice (September 2000)
U.S. Department of
Transportation |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Washington Department of Agriculture |
Washington Department of Ecology
Washington State Department of Health |
Washington State Board of Health
Washington State Department of Transportation
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U.S.
Department
of Transportation
1. Who are the
Environmental Justice contacts in your agency (include any departments that are working on
the issue)?
Since we are a Federal agency spread throughout the
United States, there are many contacts for environmental justice (EJ). For
our Federal Highway Administration office in Washington State, we have several individuals
who have a responsibility to address EJ in their day-to-day activities. We consider EJ in
all activities (right-of-way, design, planning, environment, etc.). This entails cooperation and collaboration from
all of our program areas/technical specialists.
Jodi
Peterson, Central contact
2. What kind of
work is your agency doing related to Environmental Justice?
As an agency, we (USDOT) are in the
process of developing an EJ toolkit to be used by recipients. This toolkit will ultimately be composed of such
things as an EJ website training
course (http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/ej2.htm) which will address EJ situations/issues, directory of EJ technical specialists,
etc.
3. What level of
commitment is your agency directing toward this issue (such as, resources, staff time)?
As EJ is considered a component under Title VI
(nondiscrimination), it is not a new issue for us--just the term and inclusion of low
income. For many years, we have had the
responsibility to monitor and enforce Title VI and the National Environmental Protection
Act (NEPA). Traditionally it has been a
compliance matter that has been managed by our Civil Rights staff. (Title VI compliance is one condition under which
our recipients receive Federal financial assistance.) Since EJ has been brought to the forefront, all program areas/technical
specialists are being trained to identify potential EJ situations and work together to
resolve them.
4. Are you (or
someone from your agency) willing to participate in an interagency workgroup on
Environmental Justice?
Yes, on an as-available basis.
5. What are your agency's learning needs related to
the subject of Environmental Justice?
Many seem to be struggling with how to determine
disproportionate impacts--what data to use and how to use it. Personally, I am not an advocate for solely
relying on Census Bureau data. I believe you
need to get more hands-on community identification.
6. Additional
Comments.
None.
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U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
1. Who are the
Environmental Justice contacts in your agency (include any departments that are working on
the issue)?
Joyce Kelly,
Director
Office for Civil Rights and Environmental Justice
USEPA Region 10
1200 6th Avenue, MS: CEJ-163
Seattle, Washington 98101
206-553-4029
Cecilia
Contreras
Office for Civil Rights and Environmental Justice
USEPA Region 10
1200 6th Avenue, MS: CEJ-163
Seattle, Washington 98101
206-553-2899
Monica Kirk
Oregon Operations Office
USEPA Region 10
811 SW 6th Avenue, 3rd Floor
Portland, Oregon
503-326-3269
Mike Letourneau
Office for Civil Rights and Environmental Justice
USEPA Region 10
1200 6th Avenue, MS: CEJ-163
Seattle, Washington 98101
206-553-1687
Victoria Plata
Office for Civil Rights and Environmental Justice
USEPA Region 10
1200 6th Avenue, MS: CEJ-163
Seattle, Washington 98101
206-553-8580
We also have an EJ Core Group--a
diverse group of Region 10 EPA employees representing every Office. Core Group members are considered the designated
Environmental Justice representatives for their office and act as one of the primary
regional contacts.
Region 10 Environmental Justice Core
Group
Richard Clark, Office of Ecosystems
and Communities
Peter Contreras, Office of Environmental Cleanup
Kathryn Davidson, Office of Management Programs
Bob Hartman, Office of Regional Council
Susan Hutcherson, Office of Environmental Cleanup
Rich McAllister, Office of Regional Council
Susan Morales, Office of Environmental Cleanup
Jill Nogi, Office of Water
Julius Nwosu, Office of Environmental Assessment
Debra Packard, Office of Ecosystems and Communities
Jan Palumbo, Office of Waste and Chemicals Management
Socorro Rodriguez, Office of Regional Council
Joseph Sarcone, Alaska Operations Office
Michael Watson, Office of Environmental Assessment
Allan Welch, Office of Ecosystems and Communities
Michelle Wright, Office of Enforcement
Pam Emerson, Office of External Affairs
Lucita Valiere, Office for Innovation
2. What kind of
work is your agency doing related to Environmental Justice?
We perform EJ analyses (for example, ID low-income and people
of color communities, determine disproportionate impacts, assure meaningful public
participation), review and participate in the development of Environmental Impact
Statements, develop GIS EJ applications, provide EJ training, perform public outreach, and
assure that internal work meets EJ requirements (for example, permit development and review). In addition, we award and manage EJ grants.
3. What level of
commitment is your agency directing toward this issue (such as, resources, staff time)?
Region 10 EPA established the Office for Civil Rights and Environmental
Justice (OCREJ) in the fall of 1998. OCREJ
has five individuals working full- to part-time on EJ issues. In addition, we have representatives from all Region 10 offices
participating on the EJ Core Group, and have intern and detail positions that perform EJ-related work.
4. 4. Are you (or
someone from your agency) willing to participate in an interagency workgroup on
Environmental Justice?
Yes. I will probably be the main point of contact, however, others may participate in
varying degrees.
5. What are your agency's learning needs related to
the subject of Environmental Justice?
We are interested in learning what others (external to EPA) are doing in the
area of EJ, how they are implementing it into their everyday activities, what are the
‘hot’ EJ issues in the various agencies, and how we can work together to get
limited resources to go further.
6. Additional Comments.
None.
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Washington
Department of Agriculture
1.
Who are the
Environmental Justice contacts in your agency (include any departments that are working on
the issue)?
Ann Wick, Program Manager, Pesticide Management
Bill Brookreson, Deputy Director
Mary Toohey, Assistant Director, Lab Services
Lee Faulconer, Assistant to the Director
Linda Crerar, Assistant to the Director
2. What kind of
work is your agency doing related to Environmental Justice?
-Pesticide Training for Spanish-speaking individuals, other languages as available.
-Housing for migrant farmworkers.
-Energy Site Evaluation Committee.
-State Environmental Policy Act Assessment.
-Pest Control Projects--Insects, Disease, Noxious Weeds.
3. What level of commitment is your agency directing
toward this issue (such as, resources, staff time)?
StafStaff are
involved in parts of many programs as required by their assignments--no specific staff
dedicated to Environmental Justice issues.
4. Are you (or
someone from your agency) willing to participate in an interagency workgroup on
Environmental Justice?
Yes--Ann Wick.
5. What are your agency's learning needs related to
the subject of Environmental Justice?
Understanding the scope of Environmental
Justice issues and how agency actions may unintentionally affect some groups disproportionally.
6. Additional Comments.
Need a good definition of Environmental Justice
in order to truly understand how different groups feel they are affected by agency
actions.
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Washington Department of Ecology
1. Who are the
Environmental Justice contacts in your agency (include any departments that are working on
the issue)?
John Ridgway, Environmental
Justice Coordinator
Phone: 360-407-6713
Joy St. Germain, Employee Services Program Manager (includes workforce
diversity and translation services oversight)
Phone: 360-407-6218
2. What kind of
work is your agency doing related to Environmental Justice?
At tThe Department of Ecology EJ policies
are being developed and implemented in specific areas that include: public outreach and
translation efforts; marketing and ranking public participation grants and applications;
providing a more understandable, open, and participatory rule-making process; coordination
with other Washington State agencies that are also concerned with EJ issues, public health, and
the environment; working with local (usually county) public health agencies; providing
comprehensive and cumulative environmental data to local residents and communities;
building EJ links with college/university faculty and their research efforts (mapping,
epidemiology, social sciences, public health, statistical analysis, etc.); and taking
demographics into greater account as a regular part of Ecology’s work throughout the
state. We are also actively working to stay
well linked with Washington's many Tribes on EJ issues, grant proposals, research
opportunities, facility siting/permitting challenges, and other EJ-related activities.
Although these
efforts are perhaps less noteworthy--in that they're not yet under an agency banner EJ
policy or a Governor's executive order, they are happening--and with very little
resistance or cost. They also have the
quality of being developed with the staff who work directly in these specific arenas and
can see the specific benefits in these EJ considerations that help them work better with
their respective stakeholders and communities.
3. What level of
commitment is your agency directing toward this issue (such as, resources, staff time)?
There is one full-time equivalent (FTE) devoted to EJ. In addition, there are others, who in the course
of their common duties also support the EJ effort at Ecology. They include staff working on sustainability,
public outreach, translations, mapping, rule-making, and policy development.
4. Are you (or
someone from your agency) willing to participate in an interagency workgroup on
Environmental Justice?
Yes, I am.
5. What are your agency's learning needs related to
the subject of Environmental Justice?
OnOne of my biggest needs is to better
know the many communities within Washington. They
include: EJ-related counterparts (particularly working with environmental and public
health issues) in other Washington agencies; the same at the local level--Tribal contacts,
federal
agencies, and local air authorities; as well as the many other communities within the
state.
6. Additional Comments.
I would like to see this group
continue. From it, I would like to see a set
of commonly understood terms and methodologies that are applied by Washington State
agencies to better address shared environmental justice issues. These would include a methodology for gauging
communities of ‘color’ and/or ‘low-income. They would also address the use of the new Census
demographic data, and making maps that use this and other information (from multiple
agencies) to better reflect public health and environmental factors in relation to
demographics. A mutually crafted approach for
addressing common EJ-related issues could (should) come from this working group. It could establish an ongoing workgroup, an
annual conference, an executive order, common agency polices, and/or other products of
mutual benefit to our respective organizations … and more importantly, to the public. We are in an ideal position to facilitate this.
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Washington
State Department of Health
1. 1. Who are the
Environmental Justice contacts in your agency (include any departments that are working on
the issue)?
The Washington State Department of Health does not have designated
Environmental Justice contacts. See # 4 below
for contacts working in this area.
2. What kind of
work is your agency doing related to Environmental Justice?
Office of
Environmental Health Assessments has considered ways of communicating with tribes,
Asian Pacific Islanders, and other ethnic groups through means other than posting signs and
developing pamphlets in various languages. For
example, respected elders endorsed a fish consumption questionnaire at a celebration of
the Buddhist new year. The office performs
environmental health assessments from potential exposure to contaminants in indoor and
outdoor air, drinking water, hazardous waste, and fish and shellfish. The
office considers susceptible populations which
frequently include ethnic groups who may be more susceptible to effects from exposure, or
individuals with greater exposure because of their socioeconomic status. Where people live often determines how exposed
they may be to sources of pollution in air, water, or soil, while need for food may lead
low-income or ethnic populations to eat fish or shellfish not consumed by the larger
population.
The Office of
Food Safety and Shellfish Program's mission is to prevent illness and death from
eating contaminated food and molluscan shellfish. Foodborne
illness complaints are tracked and investigated in this office, and technical assistance
is offered to local health jurisdictions and industry members on food safety issues. We also monitor the health of Puget Sound’s
waters and assess their suitability for safe shellfish harvest, both commercial and
recreational. Many target groups of both
programs are of varied ethnic backgrounds using a wide variety of languages. Special efforts have been made to communicate with
the non-English speaking public. Food safety
instruction booklets and Paralytic Shellfish Poison ("Red Tide”) warning signs
have been printed in a variety of languages. Contacts
have been established with Asian Pacific Islander media and community organizations, which
allows for the most effective dissemination of public health information to those
communities. Efforts are ongoing to increase
and improve methods of communication for groups that do not look to mainstream media for
information. Also, education and
communication efforts are made to inform groups that depend on subsistence shellfish
harvest of the status of harvest areas.
The
Non-Infectious Conditions Epidemiology Unit of the Office of Epidemiology works with
the Office of Environmental Health Assessments on many of the projects described above. For example, we served as technical consultants
for both the King County Asian Pacific Islander seafood consumption survey and for a
seafood consumption study conducted by the Tulalip and Squaxin Tribes. In responding to health concerns of
Washington’s citizens, we frequently identify environmental justice issues and we
encourage citizens to address situations as environmental justice issues independently of proving that
potential environmental hazards are directly related to health status. For example, we felt the Shoalwater Bay Indian
Tribe had a right to know what chemicals were oozing from an abandoned landfill without
first having to prove that the chemicals were making them sick. Likewise, in response to community concerns about
health around the SeaTac Airport, we helped the community frame their desire for air
monitoring as an environmental justice issue.
The DOH spatial
epidemiologist has developed methods that could be applied to EJ assessment. For example, we know how to model disease rates
around toxic sites or other areas that might be important with respect to potential
environmental exposures.
3. What level of
commitment is your agency directing toward this issue (such as, resources, staff time)?
Inv Investigating citizen health concerns is part of DOH’s mission. Since many of the health concerns are related to
potentially hazardous exposures among lower socioeconomic groups, issues of
environmental justice often
arise. Depending on the situation, we may
spend considerable staff resources investigating these health concerns.
Staff spend time and energy
establishing and maintaining relationships with ethnic community leaders and media
contacts. We regularly purchase and
distribute printed material in various languages, including food worker safety booklets,
shellfish warning signs, etc. Interpreting
services are obtained when needed for illness outbreak investigations and to assist with
translation and proofreading new/updated materials.
4. Are you (or
someone from your agency) willing to participate in an interagency workgroup on
Environmental Justice?
Harriet Ammann,
PhD, DABT Senior Toxicologist
Richard Hoskins, PhD, Spatial Epidemiologist
Juliet VanEenwyk, PhD, State Epidemiologist for Non-Infectious Conditions
Oscar Cerda, Office of the Secretary
5. What
are your agency's learning needs related to the subject of Environmental Justice?
We need more cultural education so as
to be able to communicate risk more effectively to various groups. This is especially vital during PSP and other high-risk
outbreaks in order to minimize the public health impact of these events.
Doing environmental justice
assessment is not straightforward. There are significant methodological issues involved in
determining whether or not there are health consequences of a minority population’s
living in a certain area. DOH would need to have some workshops for the scientists
involved to assess the various approaches that many investigators have proposed. For maximal benefit, this training would need to
be supported by a strong Geographic Information Systems unit.
6. Additional Comments.
None.
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Washington
State Department of
Transportation
1.
Who are the
Environmental Justice contacts in your agency (include any departments that are working on
the issue)?
DanDaniela Bremmer-Washington, Transportation Planning Office
Don McCulloch, Economics
Leni Oman,
Environmental Affairs Office
Jose Rivera, Office
of Equal Opportunity
Kojo Fordjour, Northwest Region
2. What kind of
work is your agency doing related to Environmental Justice?
a. Development
of a screening tool to help assess potential environmental justice (EJ) issues resulting from
the Washington Transportation Plan. This
information will be used to prepare appropriate public processes and costs
in project development. (Leni/Daniela)
b. We
are contracting with a consultant to write a white paper on EJ laws, policies, and
procedures related to EJ. This will help us
update our current EJ guidelines and establish the current baseline. (Leni)
c. Responding
to the proposed CFR 771 rewrite prepared by the Federal Highway Administration.
(Daniela)
d.
WSDOT has been offering EJ education
opportunities to its environmental and civil rights technicians through training and
informational meetings. Additionally, the
Department published the environmental Justice Guidelines in June 1998 to assist WSDOT
staff in addressing EJ issues in all phases of the environmental analysis process. WSDOT is currently participating in an EJ Baseline
Group along with FHWA representatives to assess the Department’s EJ implementation
initiatives and identify opportunities for improvement. (Jose)
3. What level of
commitment is your agency directing toward this issue (i.e., resources, staff time)?
Staff time is difficult
to assess at this time but is probably equivalent to 1 FTE or less across all positions
listed above. A consultant contract is being
developed to establish a better baseline on environmental justice for WSDOT. (Leni)
In my opinion, USDOT, and
WSDOT for that matter, have been proactively disseminating EJ information to all concerned
technicians as well as developing policies and procedures for its implementation within
the highway construction process. I believe WSDOT's Executive Management is committed to
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Executive Order 12898 compliance but, they
rely heavily on the technical staff to provide them with strategies for implementation and
compliance monitoring. (Jose)
4. Are you (or
someone from your agency) willing to participate in an interagency workgroup on
Environmental Justice?
Yes. (Leni)
Yes, I am willing to
participate in an interagency workgroup on EJ issues. (Jose)
Yes. (Daniela)
5. What are your agency's learning needs related to
the subject of Environmental Justice?
The concept of
environmental justice is relatively new. Lists
of relevant laws, case histories, definitions, programs, and tools relevant to the state of
Washington would be beneficial (thank you for the progress you have already made toward
this).
In addition, while
information on what we are trying to achieve is available, data and tools to help deliver
this do not seem to be very available. WSDOT
would benefit from GIS layers that identify low-income and minority populations so that we
can use this to avoid impact, provide equivalent benefits, and plan public outreach
events. Because our responsibility is
statewide and environmental justice is only one of a number of laws with which we must
comply, statewide information such as that described above would help us target our
limited resources.
Recommendations on the
type of environmental information that communities are interested in would be helpful. This will, of course, vary by community. However, a checklist that might help communities
and implementing agencies identify issues for discussion could help improve communication. Also,
examples of effective communication formats would be appreciated. (Leni)
More than anything, WSDOT
needs specific strategies to address environmental justice issues and a well organized interdisciplinary
group of technicians exchanging knowledge in
the different elements of the environmental analysis (social, economic, and
environmental
impacts of our projects) and compliance. (Jose)
6. Additional Comments.
None.
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Washington State Board of
Health
1.
Who are the
Environmental Justice contacts in your agency (include any departments that are working on
the issue)?
Carl Osaki, Board
Sponsor for the EJ priority project
360-236-4104
Joe Finkbonner,
Board Sponsor for the EJ priority project
360-384-5521
Janice Englehart, Board staff dedicated to
EJ and environmental health issues in general
360-236-4103
2. What kind of
work is your agency doing related to Environmental Justice?
The SBOH
identified Environmental Justice as one of its five priority areas for 2000. After an initial scoping effort, the Board made
several recommendations that now define its current workplan: (1) raise awareness about the issue and set
guidelines for practice in state government and within the public health community,
(2)
create a clearinghouse of Environmental Justice information housed on the SBOH
Web site,
and (3) encourage state agencies and local health jurisdictions to incorporate Environmental
Justice principles into their daily activities. Additional Board activities related to EJ
include:
·
Identifying relevant EJ players in Washington.
· Assessing Current EJ activities/needs in the
state.
·
Collecting information regarding EJ work in
other states.
· Facilitating interagency workgroup.
· Convening public forum on EJ.
3. What level of
commitment is your agency directing toward this issue (such as, resources, staff time)?
The Board has committed a portion of one .5 FTE to this issue for
1 year.
4. Are you (or
someone from your agency) willing to participate in an interagency workgroup on
Environmental Justice?
Yes. Janice, Carl, and Joe will participate.
5. What are your agency's learning needs related to
the subject of Environmental Justice?
-What are other agencies doing regarding EJ?
-What are the publics interests regarding EJ?
-What are examples of successful state programs?
-How can government work effectively with CBOs to develop a meaningful state
policy?
6. Additional Comments.
None.
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