[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 22, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46994-46995]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-16613]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-8458-2]


National Environmental Justice Advisory Council; Notification of 
Public Meeting and Public Comment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notification of Public Meeting.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), Public 
Law 92-463, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hereby 
provides notice that the National Environmental Justice Advisory 
Council (NEJAC) will meet on the dates and times described below. All 
meetings are open to the public. Members of the public are encouraged 
to provide comments relevant to the specific issues being considered by 
the NEJAC. For additional information about registering for public 
comment, please see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Due to limited space, 
seating at the NEJAC meeting will be on a first-come basis.

DATES: The NEJAC meeting will convene Tuesday, September 18, 2007, from 
9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and reconvene Wednesday, September 19, 2007, from 
9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Thursday, September 20, 2007, from 9 a.m. to 3 
p.m. One public comment session relevant to the specific issues being 
considered by the NEJAC (see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION) is scheduled 
for Tuesday evening, September 18, 2007, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. 
All times noted are Eastern Time. Members of the public who wish to 
participate in the public comment period are encouraged to pre-register 
by Wednesday, September 12, 2007.

ADDRESSES: The NEJAC committee meeting will be held at the Tremont 
Grand Conference Center, 225 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 
21201, telephone 443-573-8444.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Correspondence concerning the meeting 
should be sent to Ms. Victoria Robinson, NEJAC Program Manager, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, at 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
(MC2201A), Washington, DC 20460; via e-mail at [email protected]; by telephone at (202) 564-6349; or by Fax at (202) 564-
1624. Additional information about the meeting is available at the 
Internet Web site: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/environmentaljustice/nejac/meetings.html
    Pre-registration for all attendees is recommended. To register 
online, visit the Web site above. Requests for pre-registration forms 
should be sent to Ms. Julianne Pardi of ICF International at: 9300 Lee 
Highway, Fairfax, Virginia 22031; Telephone: (703) 934-3873; E-mail: 
[email protected], or Fax: (703) 934-3270. Hearing-impaired individuals 
or non-English speaking attendees wishing to arrange for a sign 
language or foreign language interpreter may make appropriate 
arrangements using these numbers also.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Charter of the NEJAC states that the 
advisory committee shall provide independent advice to the 
Administrator on areas that may

[[Page 46995]]

include, among other things, ``advice about EPA's progress, quality and 
adequacy in planning, developing and implementing environmental justice 
strategies, projects and programs'' relating to environment justice.
    The meeting shall be used to receive comments, discuss, and provide 
recommendations regarding two major areas: (1) Strategies to identify, 
mitigate, and/or prevent the disproportionate burden on communities of 
air pollution resulting from goods movement activities; and (2) key 
issues related to integration of environmental justice considerations 
in EPA's programs, policies, and activities.
    A. Air Pollution Impacts of Goods Movement on Communities: 
Environmental pollution from the movement of freight is becoming a 
major public health concern at the national, regional and community 
level. Also known as ``goods movement,'' the distribution of freight 
involves diesel-powered vehicles and equipment almost every step of the 
way, resulting in significant emissions of particulate matter (PM), 
nitrogen oxides (NOX), hydrocarbons, and other air toxics 
throughout the process. A substantial body of scientific evidence 
asserts these emissions are or could be linked to respiratory 
disorders, cancer, heart disease, and premature death. Concern over 
goods movement has increased due to recent and projected increases in 
foreign trade require significant improvements to the essential 
infrastructure needed to move freight from coastal ports to the rest of 
the country. In most cases, goods movement involves an entire system of 
transportation facilities, including seaports, airports, railways, 
truck lanes, logistics centers, and border crossings. It is becoming 
increasingly important that these entities operate sustainably, i.e., 
economically viable, environmentally and socially responsible, safe, 
and secure.
    EPA has requested that the NEJAC provide advice and recommendations 
regarding how the Agency can most effectively promote strategies, in 
partnership with federal, state, tribal, and local government agencies, 
to identify, mitigate, and/or prevent the disproportionate burden on 
communities of air pollution resulting from goods movement activities.
    B. Key Issues Related to Integration of Environmental Justice 
Considerations in EPA's Programs, Policies and Activities: The Agency 
will provide briefings about two key initiatives to further its efforts 
toward environmental justice integration: (1) The Environmental Justice 
Strategic Enforcement Assessment Tool, and (2) Environmental Justice 
Program Reviews:
    (1) Environmental Justice Strategic Enforcement Assessment Tool 
(EJSEAT)'' identifies areas with potential environmental justice 
concerns based on indicators (e.g., health, environmental, compliance 
and social demographics) described in EPA's environmental justice 
guidance document, ``Toolkit for Assessing Potential Allegations of 
Environmental Injustice.'' EJSEAT enhances EPA's ability to protect 
minority and low-income communities and other burdened communities from 
adverse human health and environmental effects. EPA enforcement 
personnel will use EJSEAT to identify, in a more consistent and 
analytically rigorous manner, areas that may be disproportionately and 
adversely affected by environmental effects. EJSEAT will assist EPA's 
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assistance (OECA) to make fair and 
efficient resource deployment decisions. EPA will evaluate the 
potential for applying the tool in other Agency programs and 
activities.
    (2) Environmental Justice Program Reviews: On September 18, 2006, 
EPA's Inspector General (OIG) issued an evaluation report entitled, 
``EPA Needs to Conduct Environmental Justice Reviews of its Programs, 
Policies, and Activities.'' The OIG conducted this review to determine 
whether EPA performed environmental justice reviews of their program, 
policies, and activities as required by Executive Order 12898, and 
whether additional guidance is needed.
    The evaluation report identified four recommendations which EPA 
concurred with:
     Require the Agency's program and regional offices to 
identify which programs, policies, and activities need environmental 
justice reviews and require these offices to establish a plan to 
complete the necessary reviews.
     Ensure that environmental justice reviews determine 
whether the programs, policies, and activities may have a 
disproportionately high and adverse health or environmental impact on 
minority and low-income populations.
     Require each program and regional office to develop, with 
the assistance of the Office of Environmental Justice, specific 
environmental justice review guidance, which includes protocols, a 
framework, or directions for conducting environmental justice reviews.
     Designate a responsible office to: (a) Compile the results 
of environmental justice reviews, and (b) recommend appropriate actions 
to review findings and make recommendations to the decision-making 
office's senior leadership.
    Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock stated in a memorandum dated 
December 18, 2006, in response to the OIG report that, ``the Agency 
needs a more systematic, broader-scale approach to identifying and 
addressing disproportionate impacts to human health and the 
environment.'' Deputy Administrator Peacock then stated that EPA will 
begin by developing the necessary protocols to provide guidance on 
conducting environmental justice reviews of its programs, policies and 
activities.
    C. Public Comment: Individuals or groups making oral presentations 
during the public comment period will be limited to a total time of 
five minutes. Only one representative of a community, an organization, 
or a group will be allowed to speak. Any number of written comments can 
be submitted for the record. The suggested format for individuals 
making public comment should be as follows: Name of Speaker, Name of 
Organization/Community, Address/Telephone/E-mail, Description of 
Concern and its Relationship to the policy issue(s), and 
Recommendations or desired outcome. Written comments received by 
September 10, 2007, will be included in the materials distributed to 
the members of the NEJAC. Written comments received after that date 
will be provided to the NEJAC as logistics allow. All information 
should be sent to the address, e-mail, or fax number listed in the 
Contact section above.
    D. Information about Services for the Handicapped: Individuals 
requiring special accommodations at this meeting, including wheelchair 
access to the conference room, should contact Ms. Julianne Pardi at 
least five business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate 
arrangements can be made to facilitate their participation. For 
information about facilities or services for the handicapped or to 
request special assistance at the meetings, contact Ms. Pardi as soon 
as possible. All requests should be sent to the address, e-mail, or fax 
number listed in the Contact section above.

    Dated: August 9, 2007.
Charles Lee,
Designated Federal Officer, National Environmental Justice Advisory 
Council.
 [FR Doc. E7-16613 Filed 8-21-07; 8:45 am]
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