Pennsylvania Updates Environmental Justice Policy

Annapolis MD

31 March, 2022

4:40 PM

Description

By Ad Crable, the Chesapeake Bay Journal Mar 30, 2022 Pennsylvania is updating its 21-year-old environmental justice policy to include communities located near natural gas drilling and those disproportionately affected by climate change. The draft revisions also seek to improve the approval process for projects that could have environmental impacts in areas with minority and low-income residents, aiming to share information and collect feedback earlier in a project's development and not just during the state's permitting process. "Minority and low-income communities have been disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards in their communities and have not had equitable opportunities to participate in decisions that may adversely affect their environment," the revised policy says. In addition to requiring public meetings with project developers and government officials, the state Department of Environmental Protection said it will prioritize inspections and enforcement in environmental justice communities. It may also increase civil penalties in environmental justice areas. The state is making changes to the policy after several years of critiques from those communities. "I am honored to further efforts to expand and improve upon the existing plan," said Justin Dula, the new director of the Office of Environmental Justice. The draft revisions are open for public comment through May 11. Comments can be submitted in writing or at public hearings on April 5, April 12 and April 28. The current state policy defines such areas as communities where at least 20% identify as "a non-White minority," based on U.S. Census data. In the existing policy, which has been in effect since 2004, examples of projects that trigger environmental justice steps include sources of air pollution, trash-to-energy and medical waste incinerators, sludge-processing facilities, large sewage treatment plants, trash transfer stations, scrap metal facilities and landfills. In the revised policy, the state wants managers of fracking operations to host community meetings each year to review anticipated activities. It also instructs the Pennsylvania Climate Action Plan to inform environmental justice communities of strategies that will help mitigate the impacts of climate change in their locations. The Chesapeake Bay Journal is a nonprofit news organization covering environmental issues in the Bay region. Sign up for a free subscription at BayJournal.com.