Air Quality & Environmental Justice

Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, Tribal affiliation, or disability with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies. EPA's AQAW is the perfect time to learn more about environmental justice and the work that EPA has done, and continues to do, to further address in equity of environmental harms and risks located in communities with environmental justice concerns.

Identify areas that may have higher environmental burdens and vulnerable populations by exploring EJScreen, an environmental justice screening tool developed by EPA which provides demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental information for specific geographic areas. Learn more about this tool by visiting EPA's EJScreen website.

EPA's goal is to provide an environment where all people enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to maintain a healthy environment for all of us to live, learn, and work in.

EPA's environmental justice mandate extends to all of the agency's work, including:

• Setting standards
• Permitting facilities
• Awarding grants
• Issuing licenses
• Regulations
• Reviewing proposed actions by the federal agencies