The U.S. EPA Recommits to Environmental Justice

By releasing the EJ 2020 Action Agenda earlier this week, the U.S. EPA has taken on a more ambitious role in pursuing environmental justice.

1 minute read

October 28, 2016, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Flint

Barbara Kalbfleisch / Shutterstock

Ben Adler and Aura Bogada report on a new effort from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to recommit to the cause of environmental justice. The article breaks the news about a new four-year plan from E.S. EPA "to tackle lead poisoning, air pollution, and other problems."

"The effect would be to take environmental justice considerations into account at every step in the EPA’s rulemaking and enforcement process, from going after violators to issuing permits for polluting industries," according to Adler and Bogado.

The U.S. EPA released the EJ 2020 Action Agenda, as the plan is called, earlier this wee, and Adler and Bogada spoke with EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy in an exclusive interview prior to the release, touting the plan's ambitious scope.

The article notes that this isn't the U.S. EPA's first attempt at establishing a plan to tackle environmental justice, but the new plan seems to be "more ambitious and far-reaching" than Plan EJ 2014.

Thursday, October 27, 2016 in Grist

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Wood-framed multi-family building under construction with red crane behind it.

California Creates Housing-Focused Agency

Previously, the state’s housing and homelessness programs fell under a grabbag department that also regulates the alcohol industry, car mechanics, and horse racing.

45 minutes ago - CALmatters

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

2 hours ago - WTTV

Red and black pavilion with visitor information in public park in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Baker Creek Pavilion: Blending Nature and Architecture in Knoxville

Knoxville’s urban wilderness planning initiative unveils the "Baker Creek Pavilion" to increase the city's access to green spaces.

4 hours ago - Dezeen