Updated Environmental Justice Policy is Available for Public Comment
We have reached another significant milestone in the timeline towards the adoption of a new EJ policy: it is now your turn to comment on the revisions.
The changes that we have been discussing and devising with stakeholders for years are now assembled in a draft policy that has eight sections.
- General Information includes definitions, history and background, a description of the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ), and the Environmental Justice Advisory Board (EJAB).
- Permit Review Process is the process around implementing additional public input around particular permits when they are submitted.
- Community Input describes a range of opportunities for public input throughout and before the permit review process.
- Oil and Gas Public Engagement was a major need identified by community members and was included in the fourth section.
- Inspections, Compliance, and Enforcement guidance helps the policy move beyond public participation in the permitting process and are covered in the fifth section.
- Climate Initiatives spells out ways that EJ can be included in the climate action plan and other efforts.
- Community Development and Investments look to ways to financially assist communities facing environmental justice issues in the seventh section.
- Policy Updates, the final section, specifies that the policy should be reviewed for updates regularly to ensure that the policy continues to address community concerns.
At the request of stakeholders, this policy goes beyond the current policy’s scope of public participation and meetings during the review of permit applications. This policy integrates environmental justice into more of the Department’s functions including climate initiatives, penalties (Inspections, Compliance, and Enforcement), and grantmaking (Community Development and Investments).
Three virtual public hearings will be held to provide an opportunity to learn more about the policy and provide and opportunity to give verbal public comment. Virtual public hearing times and information on how to sign up can be found on the EJ policy revision webpage.
