February 2014 marks the 20th anniversary of Executive Order 12898 – Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, a.k.a. Environmental Justice.

Along with Climate Change, Environmental Justice, or EJ, is one of those highly polarizing topics in our industry. While the general public is not nearly as familiar with the latter, the regulated community is keenly aware of Environmental Justice.

What is Environmental Justice?

EJ, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is intended to address “facilities and pollution problems (that) have a disproportionate impact on minority, low-income, tribal, or indigenous communities.” So, if your manufacturing plant, farm operation, or other facility that may emit pollutants is located in an area where the surrounding communities are minorities and/or low income, your discharge permit may receive additional scrutiny.

In anticipation of the 20th anniversary of the EJ Executive Order, the EPA has developed EJ 2014 (the 189-page document can be found on the EPA’s website).

While EJ is not a rule or regulation, it can certainly impact those that are regulated or potentially regulated. In fact, according to the EPA, “Through Plan EJ 2014, EPA intends to focus and accelerate efforts to identify, assess, and address environmental justice concerns in program strategies, and enforcement and compliance activities.”

Environmental Compliance

We are not going to venture a guess as to how the EPA might use the anniversary of the EJ Executive Order this year to “accelerate efforts.” However, as always, we encourage you to avoid any unnecessary attention by doing the relatively simple things, such as remaining in compliance with the environmental regulations. To that end, we encourage our Michigan clients to download our Annual Environmental Compliance Calendar.

If you have questions about environmental compliance or need assistance, please contact Matthew Schroeder, P.E., or call 248-932-0228.