Abstract |
The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) is a formal federal advisory committee of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Its charter states that the NEJAC is to provide advice and recommendations on matters related to environmental justice to the EPA Administrator. The EPA Office of Environmental Justice requested that NEJAC examine how the innovative use of pollution prevention can help alleviate pollution problems in environmental justice communities. This report and recommendations grew out of a fifteen month long examination of the following question: How can EPA promote innovation in the field of pollution prevention, waste minimization, and related areas to more effectively ensure a clean environment and quality of life for all peoples, including low-income, minority and tribal communities. In response to the request from the EPA Office of Environmental Justice, the NEJAC established Pollution Prevention Work Group. This Work Group is composed of representatives of diverse stakeholder groups, including community and tribal organizations, business and industry, state and local government, and academia. In addition, the NEJAC conducted an issue-oriented public meeting on pollution prevention in Baltimore, Maryland on December 9-12, 2002. This meeting received comments on, discussed and analyzed innovative approaches to use pollution prevention concepts to advance environmental justice. |