REVOKED: Environmental Justice

Title of Executive Order: Executive Order 12898
Date Signed: February 11, 1994
Signed by: President William J. Clinton

Executive Summary:

Executive Order 12898 directs federal agencies to identify and address the disproportionately high and adverse environmental and health effects of their programs, policies, and activities on minority and low-income populations. The order emphasizes the integration of environmental justice into federal agencies’ missions and creates accountability mechanisms through interagency coordination, data collection, and public engagement.

Key Provisions:

Section 1-1: Implementation

• Federal agencies are required to make environmental justice a core part of their mission and address disproportionately high health and environmental impacts on minority and low-income populations. This applies across U.S. territories and possessions. (Section 1-101)
• An Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice is established, led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to coordinate federal efforts and ensure consistency in addressing environmental justice. The group comprises representatives from various federal agencies and offices. (Section 1-102)
• Agencies must develop an environmental justice strategy within one year, detailing programs and policies to be revised, promoting public participation, improving research and data collection, and addressing specific concerns. Progress reports must be submitted periodically. (Section 1-103)

Section 2-2: Federal Program Responsibilities

• Federal agencies must conduct their programs in ways that ensure no discrimination based on race, color, or national origin and that they do not exclude or deny benefits to any populations. (Section 2-2)

Section 3-3: Research, Data Collection, and Analysis

• Agencies must include diverse and high-risk populations in environmental health research and analyses, identifying cumulative exposures whenever feasible. (Section 3-301)
• Agencies must collect and analyze data on environmental and human health risks affecting minority and low-income populations, making such information public unless prohibited by law. (Section 3-302)

Section 4-4: Subsistence Consumption of Fish and Wildlife

• Federal agencies must analyze patterns of subsistence consumption of fish and wildlife and communicate associated risks to populations relying on such resources. (Section 4-401)
• Agencies are to coordinate and develop guidance on evaluating health risks from consumption of pollutant-bearing fish and wildlife. (Section 4-402)

Section 5-5: Public Participation and Access to Information

• Federal agencies must ensure public participation, including translating key documents for non-English speakers, making documents accessible, and holding public meetings. (Section 5-5)