FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

EPA - 1717 - National Environmental Justice Advisory Council - Agency Authority

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	National Environmental Justice Advisory Council	Agency Name	Environmental Protection Agency
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	1717
Original Establishment Date	7/23/1993	Committee Status	Terminated
Actual Termination Date	3/1/2025	Committee URL	https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/nation...
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	33
Terminated This FY	Yes	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	DFO
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix
Current Charter Date	6/24/2024	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Paula
Date Of Renewal Charter	6/24/2026	Designated Federal Officer Middle Name
Projected Termination Date	3/1/2025	Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Flores-Gregg
Exempt From Renewal*	No	Designated Federal Officer Suffix
Specific Termination Authority	Executive Order 14217	Designated Federal Officer Phone*	(214) 665-8123
Establishment Authority*	Agency Authority	Designated Federal Officer Fax*
Specific Establishment Authority*	Request for Approval	Designated Federal Officer Email*	flores.paula@epa.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	7/23/1993
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Non Scientific Program Advisory Board

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Terminate
Legislation to Terminate Required	No
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*
How is membership balanced?*
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	There were no meetings in FY 2025.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*
Why close or partially close meetings?	There have been no closed or partially closed meetings.
Recommendation Remarks	Consistent with the President’s Executive Order 14217: "Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy" and pursuant to the directive by the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 41 CFR 102-3.55(a)(2), and all other applicable authorities, this committee is terminated. This order commences a reduction in the elements of the federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary. Reducing the size of the federal government will minimize government waste and abuse, reduce inflation, and promote American freedom and innovation.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	Yes	Action Reorganize Priorities*	Yes
Outcome Trust In Government	Yes	Action Reallocate Resources	Yes
Outcome Major Policy Changes	Yes	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	No	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	No	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	No
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	Yes	Action Other	Yes
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	Yes	Action Comment	The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) was established by EPA on September 30, 1993, to provide independent advice to the EPA Administrator on broad, cross-cutting issues related to environmental justice. Over the course of its history, NEJAC has provided a crucial forum for the discussion and elevation of issues critical to the environmental justice movement and the integration and consideration of environmental justice within the work of EPA and the larger Federal family. NEJAC’s influence has spanned the environmental justice spectrum from foundational issues of meaningful involvement and land use to future direction on science and fundamental policy issues related to regulations and rules. NEJAC has convened meetings on all three coasts and many points in between. Its members have ranged from leaders of business and industry to leaders of tribal governments, citizen advocates, world-renowned scholars and, most importantly, residents of communities facing their own environmental justice challenges. The products and presence of this body have made an undeniable impact upon the Agency it serves, and an impact which continues to generate progress on environmental justice through its past advice and current endeavors. It has also served as a place of convening for the many citizens, advocates and supporters of environmental justice throughout the United States. Though perhaps easily overlooked, this is one of the most important aspects of NEJAC – as a consistent space where officials from EPA and other Federal agencies can convene with a broad spectrum of those working to support environmental justice not only to hear advice and recommendations, but to come together as individuals in a spirit of friendship, collaboration and mutual respect. The ability to come together has always been a hallmark of the strength of environmental justice as a movement, and similarly grounds and supports EPA’s continuing efforts to further environmental justice within and throughout the federal family. In the 30 years since its creation, the NEJAC, through its deliberations, has brought to EPA decision making an outside perspective from diverse stakeholders that EPA managers and staff otherwise would not have access to. It has helped bring together a group of diverse stakeholders and the Agency in constructive ways to address environmental justice issues. In addition, the NEJAC has played a significant role in educating and sensitizing EPA managers and staff about Environmental Justice. NEJAC recommendations have called for a collaborative problem-solving approach to address environmental justice issues and have enabled EPA program and regional offices to become more aware of, and better informed about, community concerns to devise proactive approaches to addressing these concerns. NEJAC recommendations have played a role in the creation of EPA's CARE Program, the Diesel Retrofit Program, various environmental justice grant programs, the multi-agency Brownfields and Superfund Job Training Initiatives, and other EPA Initiatives. The NEJAC also has helped to sensitize EPA to the needs of Tribal government and Indigenous communities, farmworkers, and improved NEPA training.
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	Yes	Grants Review*	No
Outcome Other	No	Number Of Grants Reviewed	0
Outcome Comment	N/A	Number Of Grants Recommended	0
Cost Savings*	Unable to Determine	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$0.00
Cost Savings Comment	N/A	Grants Review Comment	N/A
Number Of Recommendations*	1,082	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	In the 31 years since the NEJAC was chartered, it has issued 67 formal reports of recommendations and letters of advice, as well as nearly 40 resolutions to the Agency.	Access Agency Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	35.00%	Access Committee Website	Yes
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	NEJAC has provided advice and recommendations to EPA on a large and diverse number of environmental justice issues over a 31-year period. Its recommendations have served to influence every EPA program area and had a tremendous impact on the maturation of environmental justice within EPA and throughout the United States due to the critical leadership role EPA plays on environmental justice issues nationally. Thanks to the advice and recommendations provided by NEJAC, the Council has often been at the forefront of important environmental justice issues, e.g., brownfields redevelopment, cumulative risks and impacts, urban revitalization, and the impact of climate change on communities. The result is that NEJAC has helped to achieve a visible difference in communities across the United States. The exact percentage of recommendations above that have or will be fully implemented is difficult to estimate because the nature of policy recommendations is such that it often takes a several years to implement new policy due to changing agency priorities and resources. To our best estimate, approximately a third of the NEJAC's recommendations have been or are currently being implemented. Furthermore, all regional and program offices, as well as many other federal and state government agencies, have sought to address the site-specific issues raised during the NEJAC's deliberations and the public comment periods. Finally, the NEJAC's recommendations and meetings have been instrumental in the widespread education of EPA senior managers and staff regarding the environmental and public health concerns of disadvantaged, under-served, and environmentally overburdened communities and tribes. This education has brought about significant behavioral change within the Agency and a commensurate increase in the public's trust in and goodwill toward the Agency. The NEJAC’s influence and impacts have benefited EPA and other stakeholders in the following key areas: PRACTICING MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT Throughout its existence, NEJAC has stressed and strongly encouraged the need to meaningfully engage communities, especially underserved, overburdened, and underrepresented populations. NEJAC's work in this area includes: o Developing the pioneering Model Plan for Public Participation; o Convening a roundtable to discuss environmental justice issues in the U.S.-Mexico Border region to include Colonias and disadvantaged unincorporated communities; and o community engagement issues around federal facilities, grant program implementation, and climate justice challenges. ENCOURAGING EQUITABLE DEVELOPMENT, REVITALIZATION, AND LAND USE NEJAC understands that environmental justice is not limited to community engagement and community clean-up. Equally important, the Council realizes sensitivities to environmental justice carry through to community recovery and redevelopment. NEJAC work in this area includes: o Ensuring that environmental justice concerns were incorporated into EPA’s Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative and associated grants program; and o Addressing community concerns about unintended adverse impacts that resulted during EPA’s, redevelopment, and revitalization efforts. COMMUNITY CAPACITY FOR PROBLEM-SOLVING NEJAC believes that building the capacity of communities and enhancing their ability to meaningfully participate in the improvement of their communities is critical to any effort to address environmental justice concerns. NEJAC work in this area includes: o Supporting the EPA Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program; and o Examining mechanisms to monitor air toxics in school communities and best practices for ensuring that school communities are engaged about efforts to identify and address air toxics. EXPANDING RESEARCH AND ASSESSING RISKS NEJAC stresses that effective research and an assessment of risks are critical to addressing environmental justice. The Council's work in this area includes: o Addressing cumulative risks and impacts in response to EPA’s Cumulative Risk Assessment Framework; and o Identifying ways to integrate environmental justice into EPA’s Research Enterprise. ENHANCING REGULATORY AUTHORITIES AND POLICIES NEJAC has urged EPA to enhance and improve its regulatory authorities and policies to protect the health of vulnerable communities. Examples of the cutting edge NEJAC work in this area include: o Outlining best practices for developing a Superfund Permanent Relocation Policy for low-income and minority residents living in proximity to toxic waste sites; o Advising on the development of guidance on the siting and operations of waste transfer stations in disadvantaged communities; o Urging EPA to define legal authorities under its various environmental statues to address environmental justice issues; o Urging the development of nationally consistent environmental justice screening tools; and o Advising on how to better integrate environmental justice into permitting programs and made recommendations for improvements for the worker protection standards for farmworkers. IMPROVING RELATIONS WITH TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLES NEJAC has assisted EPA in developing effective government to government relationships with federally recognized tribes, and in developing effective relationships with all other indigenous peoples to address their environmental justice concerns. This work includes: o Producing a Guide on Consultation and Collaboration with Indian Tribal Governments and Indigenous Peoples, and the Public Participation of Indigenous Groups and Tribal Members in Environmental Decision Making; o Outlining how EPA could assist tribes in providing meaningful public involvement as they develop and implement federally approved tribal environmental regulatory programs; o Reviewing EPA's draft Policy on Environmental Justice for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples; and o Advice on Fostering Environmental Justice for Tribes and Indigenous Peoples draft policy on EJ for tribes and indigenous peoples EPA Policy on Environmental Justice for Working with Federally Recognized Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. PROMOTING STRATEGIES TO REDUCE THE IMPACTS OF GOODS MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES NEJAC focused on ways in which EPA can support reducing pollution and its impacts on communities with environmental justice concerns living near facilities. NEJAC advised EPA on ways in which it could: o Reduce air pollution from goods movement, with a focus on the pollution impacts on communities with environmental justice concerns living near goods movement facilities. IMPROVING EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, PREVENTION, AND RESPONSE In the aftermath of the 2005 Gulf Coast Hurricanes, NEJAC provided advice and recommendations to help EPA better address concerns of communities that have been, as well as may be in the future, impacted by emergency events and disasters. NEJAC has provided critical advice to EPA regarding: o Changing EPA emergency management procedures to ensure environmental justice concerns are adequately addressed for future major emergency events; o Ensuring communities are engaged in the planning and response to such events, and o Improving Agency preparedness and response to chemical plant disasters. CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH In recent years, NEJAC has provided constructive advice about the public health dangers of climate change, particularly for vulnerable communities. NEJAC work in this area includes: o Taking proactive action to address the effects of storm surges on industrial waterfront communities; and o Addressing climate change as part of on green business and sustainability efforts, working with indigenous communities, and as part of EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Agency Feedback Comment* In addition to feedback to Council members at meetings of the Council, the Agency uses a more systematic process for reviewing and reporting back to the Administrator about the recommendations of the NEJAC. The Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) works in consultation with the relevant program offices to respond to the recommendations within three to four months. The process focuses on the development of a review plan through which program offices will review and describe to the Office of the Administrator how the Agency will respond to recommendations, including actions taken and future commitments. The intent of the process is to provide maximum flexibility for the Agency to respond to the intent, spirit, and the specific content of a set of recommendations, both as a whole and/or individually. This review results in a Summary Response Document and subsequently is distributed to the committee. This Response Document also is posted to the NEJAC website.	Access GSA FACA Website	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	35.00%	Access Publications	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	See recs fully implemented comment.	Access Other	No
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment	N/A
Agency Feedback Comment*	In addition to feedback to members at meetings of the council, the Agency uses a more systematic process for reviewing and reporting back to the Administrator about the recommendations of the NEJAC. The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) works in consultation with the relevant program offices to respond to the recommendations within three to four months. The process focuses on the development of a review plan through which program offices will review and describe to the Office of the Administrator how the Agency will respond to recommendations, including actions taken and future commitments. The intent of the process is to provide maximum flexibility for the Agency to respond to the intent, spirit, and the specific content of a set of recommendations, both as a whole and/or individually. This review results in a Summary Response Document and subsequently is distributed to the committee. This Response Document also is posted to the NEJAC website.	Narrative Description*	During FY 2024, NEJAC held one hybrid meeting and two virtual meetings. The NEJAC had three workgroups and one consultation team addressing various environmental justice challenges including Farmworker Protection, Cumulative Impacts, Civil Rights, Title VI, and the TCTACs, respectively. NEJAC provides independent advice and recommendations to the Agency on matters related to environmental justice and focuses on key areas that include evaluation of a broad range of strategic, scientific, technological, regulatory, community engagement, and economic policy issues related to environmental justice. This includes EPA priorities to build on the Agency’s core mission work, address the needs of our partners through cooperative federalism and attend to both the rule of law and the process. Engaging stakeholders through the NEJAC supports several goals of EPA’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, but Goal 2: (Take Decisive Action to Advance Environmental Justice and Civil Rights) is a key goal for the work of the NEJAC.EPA will continue to communicate and partner with key stakeholders including those who have been underrepresented, to achieve more innovative and sustainable outcomes. EPA recognizes that minority and/or low-income communities may be more frequently and disproportionately exposed to environmental harms and risks. Moreover, EPA believes that ensuring environmental justice means that all people are given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Integrating environmental justice considerations into the Agency’s outreach activities, public policies, science, data collection, regulatory development, and enforcement and compliance decisions is difficult. To address this difficult task, the Agency has sought input from the various multi-stakeholder entities that comprise the NEJAC. Hence, an external advisory group with the experience and sensitivity to environmental justice issues is critical to the Agency’s goal of integrating environmental justice considerations into its policies, programs, and activities. As a committee consisting of representatives of academia, community-based organizations, business and industry, state and local government, non-governmental organizations, and tribal governments and indigenous organizations, the NEJAC has provided consensus advice to the Agency for creative strategies to better address the human health and environmental protection needs of all people, including minority and low-income communities, as well as tribal populations and indigenous groups and organizations, and to ensure that the goal of environmental justice is being integrated in Agency policies, programs, and priorities. The NEJAC continues to serve as a valuable resource to Agency program and regional offices, several of which sponsor NEJAC work groups. NEJAC meetings also serve as a forum for public dialogue on ways that other federal agencies, state, local, tribal governments and business and industry can better address environmental justice concerns.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*		1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*
2. Payments to Federal Members*		2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*
3. Payments to Federal Staff*		3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*
4. Payments to Consultants*		4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*		5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*		6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*		7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*		8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*
10. Other Costs		10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*
11. Total Costs	$0.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified	2/19/2025 10:17 AM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*		Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks

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