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Welcome to the first issue of the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) EJ Newsletter in 2025!
Before we start, let us share a few highlights of our accomplishments last year.
- In 2024 the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) received 294 permits in Environmental Justice (EJ) areas, and 29 projects received public participation by OEJ. No projects were delayed because of the implementation of the EJ Policy and its enhanced public participation. These efforts reflect the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to increased community engagement while operating at the speed of business.
- OEJ also launched a proactive community outreach and engagement initiative across Pennsylvania. Our goal was to build long-lasting relationships with communities outside individual projects. We established a mechanism to build community trust through intentional action by increasing strategic community education, outreach, engagement, and capacity-building. In total, the OEJ team met with more than 230 community-based organizations and with more than 240 individual stakeholders and community leaders. At the same time, the OEJ team gave more than 70 presentations, attended more than 150 partner events, and hosted 18 events.
- OEJ’s proactive community engagement approach was recognized as a national model by EPA, which issued a $1 million grant for proactive community engagement. The Pennsylvania Engaging New Voices on Environmental Justice grant marks the first time DEP has received a grant focused solely on proactive community engagement.
- Proactive community engagement is a tool to improve permitting. OEJ developed a community-driven model to create and execute the Beaver County Environmental Mitigation Community Fund. After the project concluded, DEP leveraged the Fund’s community network to enhance public participation (EPP) in Shell’s permitting process. This EPP has empowered the Beaver County community to participate in the permitting process and allowed DEP to be more efficient in receiving public feedback. This community-driven effort was so successful that even the applicant is using DEP’s EJ policy and our mapping tool (PennEnviroScreen) to design their own community engagement plan.
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- Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley has been formally nominated by Governor Josh Shapiro to become the next Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.
- Mariana Fletcher is the new Director of OEJ. She joins us from Washington State with a background in environmental health. To see her bio visit DEP’s Executive page.
- Justin Dula is back with DEP with a new role. He joins OEJ as Senior Advisor.
Below are National, State, Regional, and Local Updates, EJAB information, Public Participation Opportunities, EJ Resources, and how to get in touch with our Office and regional coordinators.
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- Did you know that PennEnviroScreen has a feedback feature? Use the tool to explore EJ areas and their indices on PennEnviroScreen. On the top right between the Help button and Social Media Icons, click on the Feedback button to help us improve PennEnviroScreen! Stay tuned for the next PennEnviroScreen highlight focused on the tool’s functions, features and application.
DEP and the recipients of the EPA's Environmental Justice Government-Government Grant - G2G New Voices in Environmental Justice hosted their first community presentations in the past two months in Erie, Meadville, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, Scranton, Allentown, and Philadelphia, reaching over 200 community members and stakeholders.
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Regional Updates
Northwest In Action
- The Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Scholarship Fund hosted it’s first meeting with the Northwest Regional Coordinator, Elspeth Koehle, about DEP and the permitting process as part of the New Voices in Environmental Justice series on January 8, 2025.
- The Northwest Regional Coordinator tabled at the Meadville Middle School for the 7th annual “Beloved Community Fair” on February 19, 2025, along with agencies, government, and stakeholders.
- Erie Coke held two public community input sessions. OEJ informed the community, and DEP will share relevant updates as soon as it receives them from the Erie Port Authority and the EPA. More information will be updated and provided by the Erie Western Port Authority & Erie County Redevelopment Authority.
- DEP continues working with Homer City Development LLC on the redevelopment of a 3,500-acre site with a new, state-of-the-art natural gas-fired power plant (potential hydrogen fuel and HUB). This project will provide considerable investment and jobs for the local community that has historically supported the plant and industry. Only blasting applications have been submitted thus far.
Southwest In Action
- On March 11, 2025, the Southwest Regional Coordinator, Emily Green, and the DEP Southwest Regional Office hosted a public hearing to receive testimony on the draft Plan Approval permit for the MarkWest Harmon Creek Gas Plant. Visit the community information page for the latest updates.
- On March 20, 2025, the Southwest Regional Coordinator and the DEP Southwest Regional Office hosted a public hearing to receive testimony on the draft NPDES permit for Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill in Rostraver Township, Westmoreland County. DEP is accepting comments until April 3, 2025. More details are available on the community information page.
- In the upcoming spring and summer months, the Southwest Regional Coordinator and the DEP Southwest Regional Office will be hosting several public participation events related to the Beaver County Shell Petrochemical Complex (Shell). Shell has submitted an air quality Plan Approval application to reconcile discrepancies from the original proposed project and for compliance with new federal regulations. This pending application falls under the EJ Policy Trigger Permit. Shell also submitted an air quality Title V Operating Permit application, which has been given Opt-In status under the EJ Policy. Both applications will be given a separate public meeting and a public hearing, for a total of four public events. These dates will be announced in the PA Bulletin and on the community information page.
Northcentral in Action
- On February 8, 2025, the Northcentral Regional Coordinator, Jordi Comas, EJ Advisory Board member Bobby Hughes, and DEP Programs, participated in the Vernal Environmental Education Expo in Montour County. The expo featured 24 different hands-on booths run by a wide variety of state agencies, nonprofits and other groups committed to STEM, nature and hands-on learning such as macroinvertebrate bingo and puppets of river creatures. The Northcentral Regional Coordinator and the DEP Northcentral Regional Office Clean Water staff engaged a broad range of children, students, adults, and seniors on how hydrology and human activity interact using a scale model of the water table.
- On February 12, 2025, Rashida Lovely with the Northeast Pennsylvania Pan-African Coalition hosted the Northcentral Regional Coordinator and Northeast Regional Coordinator on their workshop “Bringing New Voices into Environmental Justice” as part of their housing jubilee event day at the University of Scranton with over 40 participants.
Southcentral in Action
- On March 12, 2025, the Southcentral Regional Coordinator, Ariana Genna, presented at Lancaster General Hospital, teaching residents about EJ issues and initiatives at DEP.
- The Lancaster Spanish American Civic Association hosted their their first New Voices in Environmental Justice at Tec Centro Lancaster (651 High St, Lancaster, PA) on March 26, 2025.
Northeast in Action
- On March 3, 2025, a RACT III meeting was held regarding Hazleton Generation. To receive updated information, anyone can sign-up for permit related updates as mentioned above. The Northeast Regional Coordinator, Maria Ocasio, is also available to provide updates and additional information.
Southeast in Action
- The Southeast Regional Coordinator, Amani Reid, along with the DEP Southeast Regional Office, hosted meetings and hearings on January 30 and February 18, 2025, related to the Monroe Energy Public Hearing and Energy Transfer Marketing & Terminals, L.P.’s (ETMT) Title V Permit Renewal. Visit the Community Information page for the latest updates.
- On March 10, 2025, the Southeast Regional Coordinator was interviewed with Alianza Latina regarding New Voices in Environmental Justice in Pennsylvania and to promote their upcoming community meeting related to DEP’s duties and functions later in March by Philatinos radio station.
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On February 6, 2025, the Environmental Justice Advisory Board (EJAB) hosted its first meeting in 2025. DEP requested EJAB present formal recommendations about the creation of a working group to maintain and improve PennEnviroScreen, and to develop a method to identify and measure the benefits of Enhanced Public Participation.
The next EJAB meeting will be held on May 13, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Visit DEP’s EJAB webpage for more details.
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DEP’s Energy Programs Office is hosting regional and virtual Community Climate Conversations with a series of in-person workshops throughout the state from March 17 to March 27, 2025, and virtually on April 17, 2025. The purpose of the workshop is to inform the public and receive input on the PA Climate Action Plan, gather feedback on the proposed emissions reduction strategies and how they relate to commonwealth residents, and provide resources and guidance on potential local initiatives. To attend, register here: DEP Climate Action Plan Workshop Registration Form.
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The Growing Greener Grant is Pennsylvania’s largest state investment for environmental issues. Applications for the 2025 grant will open in April. The program supports various projects including: farmland preservation, open space protection, state park improvements, abandoned mine cleanup, watershed restoration, recreational trails, and upgrading water and sewer systems. To receive direct notifications, sign-up on this webpage.
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OEJ continues to engage with communities living in EJ Areas, leaders, and stakeholders.
Reporting Environmental Incidents and Complaints is one way of informing the DEP regarding an emergency or disaster. Anyone can submit an anonymous complaint online or by calling the hotline at 1-866-255-5158. The hotline can accommodate callers with complaints in non-English languages. Complaints related to mining, blasting, and other issues and where to report can be found here.
Governor's Science and Technology Fellow
Harry Hoy
(717) 829-3301
hhoy@pa.gov
Southeast Regional Coordinator
Amani Reid
(717) 783-1086
amreid@pa.gov
Northeast Regional Coordinator
Maria Ocasio
(717) 772-4051
mocasio@pa.gov
Southcentral Regional Coordinator
Ariana Genna
(717) 461-6594
agenna@pa.gov
Northcentral Regional Coordinator
Jordi Comas
(570) 327-3656
jcomas@pa.gov
Southwest Regional Coordinator
Emily Green
(412) 442-4042
emgreen@pa.gov
Northwest Regional Coordinator
Elspeth Koehle
(814) 332-6101
ekoehle@pa.gov
Special Projects Coordinator
Dong Yoon Kim
(484) 250-5852
dokim@pa.gov
The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania's public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.
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Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, 400 Market Street Harrisburg, PA 17101
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