Environmental Justice (EJ) is necessarily a part of our mission and therefore continues to grow into a symbiotic relationship with DOI's activities. DOI has used its information and resources to help devise innovative solutions to environmental justice issues. DOI encourages involvement of minority and low-income communities in our decision making processes. DOI assures public access to our environmental information. Also, DOI strives to institutionalize the progress made in EJ and facilitates continued growth in EJ by appointing an Environmental Justice Coordinator in for each of DOI's eight bureaus. In furtherance of DOI's commitment to EJ, DOI prepared an official Environmental Justice Strategy. The Environmental Justice Strategy and a list of DOI's Environmental Justice Coordinators can be found at www.doi.gov/oepc/justice.html. Links to the EJ Coordinators are provided in the text below. Click here for a link to the EPA Environmental Justice home page.

Examples of DOI's Current or Planned Environmental Justice Programs, Policies and Activities

Examples of Environmental Justice Integrated into DOI's Programs, Policies and Activities

Examples of Human Health Research Related Activities

Examples of Use of natural Resources Among Populations

Examples of How DOI has Encouraged Greater Public Outreach, Education and Participation with Minority and/or Low Income Populations

Examples of How DOI has, Through its Policies, Programs and/or Activities, Indirectly Benefited Low Income and Minority Populations

List of EJ Coordinators in Each of DOI’s Bureaus

Examples of DOI's Current or Planned Environmental Justice Programs, Policies and Activities:

1) Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative. Under the Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative, a program in place since 1994, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM) provides "seed money" to States to assist local efforts to recover from environmental, economic and public health impacts associated with abandoned coalmines in low-income Appalachian communities. To date, sixty- eight "Clean Streams" projects have been approved in thirteen Eastern and Midwestern states.

OSM EJ Coordinator
SAM BAE
sbae@osmre.gov

2) Interagency Working Group. DOI is an active participant in the Interagency Working Group (IWG) established by EO 12898. The goal of the IWG is to increase the efforts of government agencies to identify and use Federal resources to the benefit of environmentally and economically distressed communities. DOI has partnered with several government agencies on four of the fifteen IWG Environmental Justice Demonstration Projects. These projects are:

Bridges to Friendship: Nurturing Environmental Justice in Southeast and Southwest Washington, D.C. The Bridges to Friendship is a community-based, sustainable development partnership of community organizations, local businesses, D.C. government agencies and federal government organizations that have come together in order to aid revitalization of the southern quadrants of Washington, D.C. This alliance focuses on enhancing the quality of life and preserving the natural and cultural heritage of these areas by promoting economic development and environmental protection. DOI will provide its expertise in design, development and implementation of "green space" beautification and landscaping projects; will assist in coordination and development of youth mentoring and job training programs; will work with the D.C. metro bus system to prevent the pollution of waterways by storm run-off; and will help modify the bus system to better accommodate low income populations.




NPS EJ Coordinator
Jake Hoogland
Jacob_Hoogland@nps.gov




Environmental Justice in Indian Country: A Roundtable to Addresses Conceptual, Political, and Statutory Issues. Federal agencies, in collaboration with tribes, tribal organizations, and other interested parties, conducted a roundtable discussion to identify a means to address the broad range of tribal cultural, religious, economic, social and legal issues, etc. which are related to EJ in Indian country. The DOI Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) played a major role in the planning of the roundtable.




BIA EJ Coordinator
Cliff Mahooty
CliffMahooty@bia.gov




Metlakatla Indian Community Environmental Justice Demonstration Project: The Metlakatla Indian Community (MIC) Environmental Justice Demonstration Project, held on the Annette Islands Reserve, partners federal, tribal and local organizations and government agencies in order to address polluted areas and to develop and implement the MIC Master Plan. The MIC has been devastated by high unemployment (85%) caused by the closure of their timber mill. MIC is seeking a new means of employment for its members.




A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was established between the MIC and the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The signatories to the MOU created a plan that outlines specific sites for a clean up, assigned federal agency leads and provided a clean-up schedule for each site.




BIA EJ Coordinator
Cliff Mahooty
CliffMahooty@bia.gov




New York City Alternative Fuel Vehicle Summit. A partnership of federal agencies, local officials, and community organizations will conduct a series of meetings culminating in an Alternative Fuel Vehicle Summit. The goal of this summit is to accelerate the conversion of vehicular fleets operating in NYC metropolitan area to cleaner fuels. This conversion to cleaner energies will ultimately mean better air quality for heavily congested environmental justice neighborhoods. DOI’s specific role is to organize these community and federal planning meetings




Office of Property Acquisition and Managment
Bob Jarcho
Robert_Jarcho@ios.doi.gov

Examples of Environmental Justice Integrated into DOI's Programs, Policies and Activities:

1) Region IX Environmental Justice Implementation Workshop. In May 1998, DOI's Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, partnered with US EPA, co-sponsored the Region IX Environmental Justice Implementation workshop. This unique one-day training and education exercise in Sacramento, CA allowed DOI representatives from all eight of DOI's bureaus throughout the region share their efforts on environmental justice while simultaneously gaining valuable training.

Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance
Regional Office in Oakland
Pat Port
Patricia_Port@ios.doi.gov

2) Department-Wide Environmental Conferences. Since 1994, Environmental Justice has been a featured subject for panel sessions and training opportunities at the Department-wide Environmental Conferences. During the 2003 Conference, there were two separate sessions offered to the more than 400 conference participants. The sessions were chaired by EPA's Office of Environmental Justice.

Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance
James Ortiz
James_Ortiz@ios.doi.gov

3) Environmental Justice Coordinators. All eight of DOI’s bureaus have designated Environmental Justice Coordinators. Each is identified on the “Environmental Justice Contact List.” In addition, many bureaus have made further contact designations in their field offices. For example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has established an environmental justice team in each of its seven regional offices. Training has been provided to each of the environmental justice teams and to project managers in each region. An invitation to participate in their training was extended to the State personnel as well.

List of EJ Coordinators:

BIA, Cliff Mahooty, CliffMahooty@bia.gov
BLM, Jordan Pope, Jordan_Pope@blm.gov
BOR, Adrienne Marks, amarks@usbr.gov)
BOR, Theresa Taylor, ttaylor@do.usbr.gov)
FWS, Kim Lambert, Kim_lambert@fws.gov
MMS, Rodney Cluck, Rodney.Cluck@mms.gov
NPS, Jake Hoogland, Jacob_Hoogland@nps.gov
OSM, Sam Bae, sbae@osmre.gov
USGS, Susan M. Marcus smarcus@usgs.gov

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Examples of Human Health Research Related Activities:

The Department of the Interior does not routinely conduct human health research per se. However, we are concerned with any potential effects that natural resource management polices may have on human health.

1) Navajo Sheep Dip Remediation. Using funds from DOI's Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Bureau of Indian Affairs is addressing hazardous substance contamination at numerous sheep dip sites on the Navajo Indian Reservation. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has deemed these sites to be a threat to public health. The funds support project management of the clean up, public communication and relations, remediation of contamination and the development of a web page based status report.

BIA EJ Coordinator,
Cliff Mahooty
CliffMahooty@bia.gov

2) Social Science Research for Alaskan Natives. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) conducts social science research relating to subsistence issues that affect Alaskan Natives at one of its field stations at the University of Washington. For example, studies were conducted in Denali National Park and Preserve on the traditional use of cabins and other shelters that had formerly been associated with trapping and other subsistence uses. The historic/traditional use of the structures was of particular interest to residents of the Athabaskan villages of Nikolai and Telida. USGS also studied the uses of plant materials by contemporary Native Alaskans at Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Residents of the communities of Nondalton, Newhalen, Illiamna, Pedro Bay, and Lime Village participated in the research. USGS also conducted research on the management of the Northwest Arctic Caribou herd through a cooperative effort by the IZupiat communities of Ambler, Kiana, Noatak, and Kotzebue. Separately, the cultural significance and historic patterns of the use of bird eggs by the Hoonah Indian Association were studied in relationship to natural resource issues in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.

USGS EJ Coordinator
Susan M. Marcus
smarcus@usgs.com

3) Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). DOI is working with tribes, NGO's, the State of Alaska and other federal agencies to address the problem of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and to help secure a treaty to ban their use around the world. A group of contaminants that includes PCBs, dioxin, DDT and other pesticides, POPs are an increasing concern among indigenous peoples, especially in Alaska. As these contaminants are passed along in the food chain, their concentration magnifies, posing potential risks to indigenous peoples who eat a traditional diet. Because of their disproportionate reliance on local sources of food including fish, seals, whales, caribou, and a variety of other animals, native tribes represent one of the groups that is most vulnerable to POPs exposure.

USGS, Arctic Council Secretariat

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