[Federal Register: August 22, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 162)]
[Notices]
[Page 46994-46995]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22au07-95]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-8458-2]
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notification of
Public Meeting and Public Comment
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notification of Public Meeting.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public
Law 92-463, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hereby
provides notice that the National Environmental Justice Advisory
Council (NEJAC) will meet on the dates and times described below. All
meetings are open to the public. Members of the public are encouraged
to provide comments relevant to the specific issues being considered by
the NEJAC. For additional information about registering for public
comment, please see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Due to limited space,
seating at the NEJAC meeting will be on a first-come basis.
DATES: The NEJAC meeting will convene Tuesday, September 18, 2007, from
9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and reconvene Wednesday, September 19, 2007, from
9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday, September 20, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 3
p.m. One public comment session relevant to the specific issues being
considered by the NEJAC (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION) is scheduled
for Tuesday evening, September 18, 2007, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
All times noted are Eastern Time. Members of the public who wish to
participate in the public comment period are encouraged to pre-register
by Wednesday, September 12, 2007.
ADDRESSES: The NEJAC committee meeting will be held at the Tremont
Grand Conference Center, 225 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland
21201, telephone 443-573-8444.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Correspondence concerning the meeting
should be sent to Ms. Victoria Robinson, NEJAC Program Manager, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
(MC2201A), Washington, DC 20460; via e-mail at
environmental-justice-epa@epa.gov; by telephone at (202) 564-6349; or by Fax at (202) 564-
1624. Additional information about the meeting is available at the
Internet Web site: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/nejac/meetings.html
Pre-registration for all attendees is recommended. To register
online, visit the Web site above. Requests for pre-registration forms
should be sent to Ms. Julianne Pardi of ICF International at: 9300 Lee
Highway, Fairfax, Virginia 22031; Telephone: (703) 934-3873; E-mail:
jpardi@icfi.com, or Fax: (703) 934-3270. Hearing-impaired individuals
or non-English speaking attendees wishing to arrange for a sign
language or foreign language interpreter may make appropriate
arrangements using these numbers also.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Charter of the NEJAC states that the
advisory committee shall provide independent advice to the
Administrator on areas that may
[[Page 46995]]
include, among other things, ``advice about EPA's progress, quality and
adequacy in planning, developing and implementing environmental justice
strategies, projects and programs'' relating to environment justice.
The meeting shall be used to receive comments, discuss, and provide
recommendations regarding two major areas: (1) Strategies to identify,
mitigate, and/or prevent the disproportionate burden on communities of
air pollution resulting from goods movement activities; and (2) key
issues related to integration of environmental justice considerations
in EPA's programs, policies, and activities.
A. Air Pollution Impacts of Goods Movement on Communities:
Environmental pollution from the movement of freight is becoming a
major public health concern at the national, regional and community
level. Also known as ``goods movement,'' the distribution of freight
involves diesel-powered vehicles and equipment almost every step of the
way, resulting in significant emissions of particulate matter (PM),
nitrogen oxides (NOX), hydrocarbons, and other air toxics
throughout the process. A substantial body of scientific evidence
asserts these emissions are or could be linked to respiratory
disorders, cancer, heart disease, and premature death. Concern over
goods movement has increased due to recent and projected increases in
foreign trade require significant improvements to the essential
infrastructure needed to move freight from coastal ports to the rest of
the country. In most cases, goods movement involves an entire system of
transportation facilities, including seaports, airports, railways,
truck lanes, logistics centers, and border crossings. It is becoming
increasingly important that these entities operate sustainably, i.e.,
economically viable, environmentally and socially responsible, safe,
and secure.
EPA has requested that the NEJAC provide advice and recommendations
regarding how the Agency can most effectively promote strategies, in
partnership with federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies,
to identify, mitigate, and/or prevent the disproportionate burden on
communities of air pollution resulting from goods movement activities.
B. Key Issues Related to Integration of Environmental Justice
Considerations in EPA's Programs, Policies and Activities: The Agency
will provide briefings about two key initiatives to further its efforts
toward environmental justice integration: (1) The Environmental Justice
Strategic Enforcement Assessment Tool, and (2) Environmental Justice
Program Reviews:
(1) Environmental Justice Strategic Enforcement Assessment Tool
(EJSEAT)'' identifies areas with potential environmental justice
concerns based on indicators (e.g., health, environmental, compliance
and social demographics) described in EPA's environmental justice
guidance document, ``Toolkit for Assessing Potential Allegations of
Environmental Injustice.'' EJSEAT enhances EPA's ability to protect
minority and low-income communities and other burdened communities from
adverse human health and environmental effects. EPA enforcement
personnel will use EJSEAT to identify, in a more consistent and
analytically rigorous manner, areas that may be disproportionately and
adversely affected by environmental effects. EJSEAT will assist EPA's
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance (OECA) to make fair and
efficient resource deployment decisions. EPA will evaluate the
potential for applying the tool in other Agency programs and
activities.
(2) Environmental Justice Program Reviews: On September 18, 2006,
EPA's Inspector General (OIG) issued an evaluation report entitled,
``EPA Needs to Conduct Environmental Justice Reviews of its Programs,
Policies, and Activities.'' The OIG conducted this review to determine
whether EPA performed environmental justice reviews of their program,
policies, and activities as required by Executive Order 12898, and
whether additional guidance is needed.
The evaluation report identified four recommendations which EPA
concurred with:
Require the Agency's program and regional offices to
identify which programs, policies, and activities need environmental
justice reviews and require these offices to establish a plan to
complete the necessary reviews.
Ensure that environmental justice reviews determine
whether the programs, policies, and activities may have a
disproportionately high and adverse health or environmental impact on
minority and low-income populations.
Require each program and regional office to develop, with
the assistance of the Office of Environmental Justice, specific
environmental justice review guidance, which includes protocols, a
framework, or directions for conducting environmental justice reviews.
Designate a responsible office to: (a) Compile the results
of environmental justice reviews, and (b) recommend appropriate actions
to review findings and make recommendations to the decision-making
office's senior leadership.
Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock stated in a memorandum dated
December 18, 2006, in response to the OIG report that, ``the Agency
needs a more systematic, broader-scale approach to identifying and
addressing disproportionate impacts to human health and the
environment.'' Deputy Administrator Peacock then stated that EPA will
begin by developing the necessary protocols to provide guidance on
conducting environmental justice reviews of its programs, policies and
activities.
C. Public Comment: Individuals or groups making oral presentations
during the public comment period will be limited to a total time of
five minutes. Only one representative of a community, an organization,
or a group will be allowed to speak. Any number of written comments can
be submitted for the record. The suggested format for individuals
making public comment should be as follows: Name of Speaker, Name of
Organization/Community, Address/Telephone/E-mail, Description of
Concern and its Relationship to the policy issue(s), and
Recommendations or desired outcome. Written comments received by
September 10, 2007, will be included in the materials distributed to
the members of the NEJAC. Written comments received after that date
will be provided to the NEJAC as logistics allow. All information
should be sent to the address, e-mail, or fax number listed in the
Contact section above.
D. Information about Services for the Handicapped: Individuals
requiring special accommodations at this meeting, including wheelchair
access to the conference room, should contact Ms. Julianne Pardi at
least five business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate
arrangements can be made to facilitate their participation. For
information about facilities or services for the handicapped or to
request special assistance at the meetings, contact Ms. Pardi as soon
as possible. All requests should be sent to the address, e-mail, or fax
number listed in the Contact section above.
Dated: August 9, 2007.
Charles Lee,
Designated Federal Officer, National Environmental Justice Advisory
Council.
[FR Doc. E7-16613 Filed 8-21-07; 8:45 am]
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