January 12, 2011

EJ at the EPA: Impacts of the New Priorities

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has made Expanding the Conversation on Environmentalism and Working for Environmental Justice a top priority. On July 26, 2010, Agency officials issued EPA’s Interim Guidance on Considering Environmental Justice During the Development of an Action that is intended to help Agency staff incorporate environmental justice considerations into the development and implementation of regulations. One day later, on July 27, the Agency issued the Draft Plan EJ 2014 and sought the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council’s advice on Incorporating Environmental Justice Concerns into the EPA Permitting Process. The panel discussed the ways and extent to which these initiatives are likely to impact EPA regulatory and permitting activities, and the questions that these initiatives have raised from various stakeholders in the legal and policy community.

Panelists:
Barry Hill, Visiting Scholar, Environmental Law Institute (moderator)
Sue Briggum, Vice President for Governmental Affairs, Waste Management, member of National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Lisa Garcia, Associate Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice, U.S. EPA
Vernice Miller-Travis, Maryland State Commission on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Communities, member of National Environmental Justice Advisory Council

Materials:
NEJAC reports containing advice and recommendations to the Agency
Environmental Injustice in the U.S. and Recommendations for Eliminating Disparities, a Collaborative Report by The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, June 2010
mp3 recording

An ELI Policy Seminar.