A Community Guide to Using Alternative Dispute Resolution to Secure Environmental Justice

May 2011

This handbook is a compilation of materials developed for Using Environmental Laws and Alternative Dispute Resolution to Address Environmental Justice, a project funded by the U.S. EPA Office of Environmental Justice under assistance agreement No. TJ-83300001. The views expressed herein should not be attributed to EPA, nor should any official endorsement be inferred.

Table of Contents

• Preface
• Introduction
• Part 1: Preparing for ADR
• Part 2: Getting a Seat at the Table
• Part 3: Crafting your Negotiation Strategy
• Part 4: Working through the Negotiation Process
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• Appendix A: Databases Established for Environmental Laws
• Appendix B: How to Make a Freedom of Information Act Request
• Appendix C: Sample Freedom of Information Act Request Letter
• Appendix D: Organizations Active in Environmental Justice
• Appendix E: Publications and Web Resources on Community-Based Research
• Appendix F: Web Resources on Grants
• Appendix G: Sample Letter to Initiate ADR