Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times
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2020 National Environmental Justice Conference
& Training Program
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
Addressing Environmental Justice
in Uncertain Times
October 20-21, 2020
thenejc.org
NOTICE The National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc., prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Persons who need special accommodations to fully participate in the conference, workshops, or training programs, and persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the Conference Coordinator at (202) 827-2224. Due to chemical sensitivities of many people, we are requesting that attendees wear unscented toiletry items. Images of NEJC participants may be captured by conference photographers and published or distributed.
2020 National Environmental Justice Conference
& Training Program
Message from the Chairman of the Board of Directors
of the National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc.
Dear Friends and Attendees:
We are so pleased you have chosen to join with us at the 2020 National Environmental Justice Conference
and Training Program. Because of COVID-19, our conference and program will be virtual this year.
We look forward to seeing you face-to-face in Washington, D.C., next year.
It is an honor and privilege to participate in this national gathering of leaders who have come together
to engage communities as full partners in collaborative solutions to the many major issues and challenges
affecting the nation today. As I write this message, we are in the final seven weeks of a brusing presidential
campaign. Environmental regulations have seen rollbacks in recent years. I can think of few, if any, times
in our history when our work as an environmental justice (EJ) community is more critical to ensure EJ.
Climate change is now embracing climate justice. Moreover, the promise of new legislation in the form
of the Environmental Justice Act of 2019, the Environmental Justice for All Act of 2020, and the Climate
Equity Act of 2020 bode well for the future.
This year’s conference theme, Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times, builds upon the past
13 annual conferences and recognizes the rapidly changing and diversifying landscape in which we live.
We have filled these two days with thought-provoking panels and workshops, and numerous opportunities
to hear from young people, activists, and others from all over the country who are engaged and committed
to the principles of EJ.
We have brought together individuals with unique backgrounds and different experiences. We are here
because we believe EJ cannot exist without an informed citizenry and informed communities. We are here
because we believe all Americans are entitled to live in a healthy environment. And, we are here because
we believe that empowerment is the key to advancing any important cause that could improve the lives
and quality of life for everyone, especially for those in underserved and underrepresented communities.
This conference has done much over the past 13 years to highlight the issue of EJ, but we have more to do
in our efforts to prepare our youth and future EJ leaders to take the mantle in developing capacity-building
techniques, education, training, outreach, research, policies, collaborations, and projects and activities
for today and tomorrow. Thus, as we engage and share knowledge with one another over these two days,
I challenge us all to leave this virtual conference with a renewed commitment to continuing cooperation,
forging partnerships, and taking advantage of all appropriate opportunities to build and sustain viable safe
and healthy communities.
Together, we can do great things! We can make a real difference in the lives of millions of our fellow citizens.
Sincerely,
Benjamin F. Wilson, Esq.
Chairman, Board of Directors
National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc.
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Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
National Environmental Justice Conference
& Training Program Sponsors
Kim Lambert
NAVARRO Environmental Justice
Coordinator, U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service
Office of Research and Development Office of Civil Rights Office of Environmental Justice
2
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times
October 20, 2020
Greetings Everyone,
Welcome to the 2020 National Environmental Justice Conference and Training Program in the nation’s capital.
For more than 13 years, NEJC has provided an extraordinary platform for people from the U.S. and abroad
to come together and discuss vital issues related to environmental justice, social justice, economic propensity,
and much more. As we continue to grow and expand the conference, we know that we must be unwavering
in our approach to the difficult conversations, while also defining new and innovative solutions. The impact
of the environmental justice movement has played a significant role in the trajectory of American history.
Listen and partake in a plethora of forums as speakers contribute their experiences, knowledge, and opinions
to a broader, national dialogue. Enjoy!
Dr. Kim Lambert, Philanthropist
Washington D.C. | Durham, NC
www.michaeldbaker.com
T: 202-331-0060
MDB is a strategic consulting firm providing environmental
science, worker training, public health, and environmental justice
mission support to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and other clients.
Our services include program management and evaluation, program
training support, data research and analysis, communications
and outreach, program mission support, conference planning and
meeting support, facilitation and mediation services, and support to
minority academic institutions.
Joy Lee Michael Baker Tim Fields
3
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
FULLY FOCUSED
We’re not an “everything” law firm. We’re the
environmental law firm - fully focused on
the environmental, natural resource, and
sustainability issues and disputes businesses
face today.
> Learn more about our work, including our
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA • SEATTLE, WA • WASHINGTON, DC
4
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times
AGENDA
DAY 1 – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. Opening Remarks
Conference Facilitator/Producer
Ms. Carolyn Sawyer
Communications Strategist
Tom Sawyer Company
Mr. Benjamin F. Wilson, Esq.
Chairman, Beveridge & Diamond, P.C.
Chairman, Board of Directors, National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc.
Dr. Melinda Downing
Environmental Justice Program Manager
U.S. Department of Energy
Mr. Carlos M. Brown, Esquire
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Dominion Energy Services
Glen Allen, Virginia
9:45 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Panel Educate, Motivate, Innovate: Building the Next
Generation of Environmental Justice Leaders (The Federal
Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice’s
“Educate, Motivate and Innovate (EMI) Environmental
Justice Initiative”)
Joanna Mounce Stancil
EMI Chair
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
How Can Plants Enhance Our Quality of Life?
This presentation will explore the wonders of nature by emphasizing
the ability of plants to increase air quality and remove contaminants
from soil and water. We will explore how planting vegetation could
enhance the quality of air, water, and soil in Fort Valley, Georgia, to
combat EJ issues due to the Blue Bird bus company.
Shakeena B. Reeves
Senior, Agriculture Economics
Fort Valley State University
Continued on page 6
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Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
(continued)
Community-Led Air Quality Monitoring: Turning Victims into
Advocates
This project is focused on Pleasantville, Texas, where the lack of zoning
laws has affected air qualty — mostly of low-income minority families.
Through the use of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA)
EJSCREEN database, variables were selected to show health risks
and air toxins in the area at state and national levels.
Gabriella Mabayyed
Junior, Biology
Tennessee State University
Democratizing Geospatial Technology: A Model for Providing
Technical Assistance in Community-Based Participatory
Mapping to Environmental Justice Stakeholder Communities
This presentation will explore how EJ stakeholders themselves are
best equipped to produce spatial data visualizations of their
communities. The primary goal of this project is the development of
a community-based participatory mapping tutorial model that can
be replicated for use by grassroots organizations employing
geospatial data visualizations to support their efforts to attain and
sustain EJ.
Olivia J. Harbison
Masters, Geographic Information Systems
Tennessee State University
6
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times
A COMMITMENT
THAT GROWS
EVERY DAY
Powering a cleaner and brighter future for our
customers and communities is a vital part of our
everyday work. We are proud to support the
National Environmental Justice Conference and
Training Program and join in their commitment
of promoting environmental stewardship and
conservation to our local communities.
pepco.com
© Potomac Electric Power Company, 2020
Pepco_NEJC_2020_7.5x9.75_Ad.indd 1 3/6/20 1:51 PM
7
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
OUR MISSION
STARTS
WITH THE
COMMUNITIES
WE SERVE.
The National Environmental
Justice Conference and
Training Program is a
unique opportunity to
imagine a better, more
just world - and what
we can do together to
achieve it. It is an honor
to support this dialogue.
To find out more,
visit wm.com
8
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Panel: Paving the Way: Diabetes Supplies for Hurricane Relief
in Puerto Rico: An innovative, powerful humanitarian
approach to assist persons during and after natural disasters.
This demonstration project is an example of how effective
collaboration can work to marshal resources to address critical
health needs in a community at no cost to the federal government.
It complements the emergency assistance provided before, during,
and after natural disasters by making resources readily available
through storage in safe areas for usage as the need arises.
This effort serves as a model for other rural communities in areas
prone to natural disasters. This panel discussion will convey the
authentic relationship between the private and public sectors on
their journey to assist persons with diabetes in Puerto Rico still
recovering from the 2017 hurricane season in hopes it can shed
light on how other U.S. communities affected by natural disasters
can duplicate these efforts. Genuine lessons were learned from this
project, and they will be used to monitor progress going forward.
More importantly, partnerships and high levels of communication
in real life contexts were established, and those involved better
understand the necessary cultural sensitivity needed when involved
with specific locations and associated natural disasters.
Dr. Kim Lambert
Co-Chair of Rural Communities Committee
Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice
(EJ IWG)
Carol Atkinson
Insulin for Life
Dr. Lourdes González
Presidenta Colegio de Optómetras de Puerto Rico
Diana Wahler
Project Coordinator
Office of Environmental Justice
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
9
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Panel: Federal Government Capacity Building, Training, and
Technical Assistance for Vulnerable Communities in Natural
Disaster Preparedness, Response, and/or Recovery
This session will provide conference participants with a background
on the federal EJ IWG and its Environmental Justice (EJ) and Natural
Disasters Subcommittee and its goals and activities. The session
will also explore what capacity building, training, technical assistance,
or other support government agencies (federal, state, local, and
tribal) can provide to vulnerable communities in natural disaster
preparedness, response, and/or recovery. Panelists will also discuss
coordination between federal government emergency management
and EJ offices in supporting at-risk communities related to natural
disater preparedness, response, and recovery, and capture model
partnerships and alliances between federal, state, local, and tribal
government agencies, and local vulnerable communities to help
ensure that EJ perspectives and concerns are incorporated into the
disaster response and recovery process for all levels of government.
Joseph “Chip” Hughes, Jr.
Director, Worker Training Program, National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences; and Chair, EJ IWG and Natural Disasters Subcommittee,
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
Marsha Minter
Associate Director, Office of Environmental Justice
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.
Matt Campbell
National Coordinator for the Community Planning
and Capacity Building Recovery Support Function
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Cheryl Levine
Senior Advisor, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and
Response, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C.
Sharon Beard
Industrial Hygienist, Worker Training Program,
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
10
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain TimesNavarro Research and Engineering, Inc. is a woman-
and minority-owned small business providing support
services to government and commercial clients.
Consistently ranked a top environmental firm by
Engineering News Record, Navarro is proud to be
DOE Legacy Management’s prime contractor.
Navarro Research
and Engineering, Inc. We partner with the Office of Legacy Management to
achieve its mission of fulfilling DOE’s post-closure
A woman-owned small business
responsibilities and ensuring the protection
of human health and the environment.
Our range of specialized professional and technical services includes:
♦ Environmental remediation and ♦ Surveillance and maintenance
deactivation and decommissioning and long-term monitoring
♦ Waste management ♦ Environmental compliance
♦ Nuclear services ♦ Facilities management
♦ Remediation systems operation ♦ National security
and optimization
For more information, please visit www.Navarro-inc.com
11
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical AssistanceCSUMB's College of Health
Sciences and Human Services is
honored to support the National
Environmental Justice Conference
and Training Program.
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Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain TimesAGENDA
DAY 2 – TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2020
TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING PROGRAMS
10:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Training
This session aims to provide participants with a brief
overview of Title VI and a more detailed discussion of the
requirement to provide meaningful access to persons with
limited-English proficiency.
Title VI Committee
Federal Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Workshop on Environmental Justice and National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Methods
The purpose of the workshop is to increase understanding of
opportunities to advance consideration of EJ in the NEPA review
process. The specific focus is the importance of meaningful
engagement and involvement with EJ communities particularly
using virtual tools due to the need for social distancing during
the pandemic. The goal is to provide information that provides
participants with a better understanding of the interconnection
between EJ communities, current health, and environmental
and economic challenges facing our country from the pandemic.
The onset of the pandemic has expedited the need for us to
examine and implement different strategies or methods for
public engagement based on who we want to reach, engage,
and connect with the healthcare and social service sectors.
Two tools of the NEPA Committee of the federal EJ IWG,
“Promising Practices for EJ Methodologies in NEPA Reviews”
(Promising Practices Report) and the “Community Guide
to Environmental Justice and NEPA Methods (Community
Guide),” a companion document to the Promising Practices
Report will be utilized in this session.
Continued on page 14
13
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance(continued)
The workshop is designed to foster collaboration among
the federal family and the public. Ultimately, the workshop
will give participants a better knowledge of what practices
federal agencies use to evaluate environmental impacts to
minority and low-income populations and how citizens can
be more effective advocates for their communities in agency
decision-making, during the “new normal” under the “new
NEPA” regulations.
Denise C. Freeman, MS
Co-chair, NEPA Committee of the EJ IWG
Senior Advisor
Environmental Justice Program, Office of Legacy Management
U.S. Department of Energy
Carolyn L. Nelson, P.E.
NEPA Committee of the EJ IWG
Civil Engineer, Project Development/Environmental Specialist
Office of Project Development and Environmental Review
U.S. Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration
Elizabeth Poole, MS
NEPA Committee of the EJ IWG
Environmental Scientist
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region V
B. Suzi Ruhl, JD, MPH
Immediate Past Co-chair, NEPA Committee of the EJ IWG
Senior Research Scientist, Elevate Policy Lab
Assistant Clinical Professor, Yale Child Study Center
14
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Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical AssistanceStudy STEM at
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or e-mailing tlsamp@tnstate.edu
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Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Using U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Tools to Meet
Low-Income Energy Goals
Representatives from the DOE will share resources and data
that can help state and local governments, non-profits, and
utilities build and expand their low- and moderate-income
energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.
Participants will learn how DOE’s Low-Income Energy
Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool and resources from the Clean
Energy for Low-income Communities Accelerator (CELICA)
Online Toolkit can be utilized to assess and address energy
burden in their communities. Launched in 2019, the LEAD Tool
is an online, interactive platform for users to customize charts
and maps of household energy data based on income, energy
expenditures, energy burden, fuel type, and housing type
across the national, state, county, city, or census tract levels.
The LEAD Tool was designed to help stakeholders make data-
driven decisions by improving their understanding of low- and
moderate-income household energy characteristics in the
areas they serve. The CELICA Toolkit provides an overview of
resources and models for developing low-income energy
efficiency and renewable energy programs based on a two-
year partnership with more than 30 stakeholders from the
public, private, and nonprofit sectors.
Ookie Ma
Physical Scientist
U.S. Department of Energy
Shelby DuPont
Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy
4:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. Closing Remarks and Environmental Justice
Awards Presentations
Dr. Melinda Downing
Environmental Justice Program Manager
U.S. Department of Energy
17
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical AssistanceHere at EPA, we believe that all people have a right to
live, work and play in healthy communities.
Sign up for the EJ Listserv to learn more
about federal grants, resources, tools and
trainings related to environmental justice:
https://lists.epa.gov/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=epa-ej
For direct inquiries, please contact the EJ Hotline at
1.800.962.6215 or by email (ejhotline@epa.gov)
https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice
18
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain TimesNOTICE:
The National Environmental Justice Conference, Inc., prohibits discrimination in all its
programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and
sex. Persons who need special accommodations to fully participate in the conference,
workshops, or training programs, and persons with disabilities who require alternative
means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.)
should contact the Conference Coordinator at 202-827-2224. Because of chemical
sensitivity of many people, we are requesting that attendees wear unscented toiletry
items. Images from this conference may be captured, published and distributed.
19
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance2020 National Environmental Justice Conference
& Training Program
Addressing Environmental Justice in Uncertain Times
Enhancing Communities Through Capacity Building and Technical Assistance
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