DENVER (March 9, 2022) —The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment (CDPHE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to coordinate enforcement actions that advance the
environmental justice goals of both agencies. Colorado is the second state in
the nation, following California, to develop a memorandum of understanding with
EPA on this topic. The memorandum further enhances the agencies’ shared efforts
to identify the most serious threats to public health and the environment in
communities that are disproportionately impacted by pollution.
Today’s announcement initiates a partnership between the two
agencies and expands collaborative activities related to enforcement,
inspections, compliance assistance, communication, community engagement, and
training to benefit public health and the environment in overburdened
communities. EPA and CDPHE will focus on compliance across various
environmental laws and regulations that secure clean air, water, soil, and
drinking water and protect people from exposure to hazardous waste and toxic
chemicals. These include urban and rural communities where people may be
exposed to pollution from multiple sources.
“We know the burdens of pollution are often heavier in
disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, which may result in significant
impacts on health and quality of life,” said KC Becker, EPA regional
administrator. “This agreement with Colorado focuses our compliance
assurance, communication, community engagement and training efforts to address
the disparities that exist in overburdened communities.”
“Environmental justice and health equity are core to
everything we do. Prioritizing enforcement of our environmental laws in areas
with the greatest health disparities is a direct step toward eliminating
systemic inequities that result in poorer health outcomes for too many
Coloradans,” said Jill Hunsaker Ryan, CDPHE executive director. “We are
going to work closely with communities to determine their priorities and
concerns so we can more effectively use resources to eliminate threats to
public health.”
Members of the State of Colorado’s EJ Action Task Force and
EJ Advisory Board also weighed in:
"The MOU created by CDPHE and the EPA Region 8 is an
important step forward for disproportionately affected communities. As a
lifelong Puebloan, taking steps to ensure our citizens have clean air, water,
and safe places to live and work should be everyone's top priority. I am
excited about the outreach portion of this MOU and the opportunity to have
tough conversations in areas outside the Denver Metro area. House Bill 21-1266
is going to open up even more doors for disproportionately impacted communities
and move us to a more equitable state. I am thrilled at the work that is
happening out of CDPHE and now the EPA Region 8 office,” said Josette
Jaramillo, co-chair, Environmental Justice Advisory Board.
"This new agreement is an important recognition that
our federal and state agencies must partner with disproportionately impacted
communities in an all-hands-on-deck approach to a pollution-free future for ALL
Coloradans. For generations, our communities — Latino, low-income, and Black,
Indigenous, and communities of color — have carried the burden of
pollution, to this day, we continue to fight unjust barriers to
eliminating the health and economic impacts of multiple sources of pollution in
our neighborhoods and workspaces. I applaud our federal and state leaders for
acknowledging and taking steps to reverse that harm,” said Beatriz Soto,
member, Environmental Justice Action Task Force.
"This is a critical step towards environmental justice
for those harmed by government permitted toxics. We must improve our
enforcement and compliance. We should always put health and safety first. This
should be step one for the EPA and CDPHE. Communities have long advocated for
stronger accountability. Impacted communities see the stark difference between
how the law is applied to our communities. As a member of the
Environmental Justice Action Taskforce, I am committed to the community and to
work with you and government agencies on real measures of accountability and
transparency,” said Hilda Nucete, member, Environmental Justice Action Task
Force.
The memorandum contains several provisions, including:
- Strategically
prioritizing inspections at facilities located in communities that are
disproportionately impacted by pollution.
- Enhancing
enforcement coordination between CDPHE and EPA to reduce pollution burdens
in disproportionately impacted communities.
- Expanding
transparency through public engagement about enforcement and compliance
actions in impacted communities.
The memorandum is set to run five years.
EPA and CDPHE will facilitate a series of community
listening sessions and meetings and provide many channels for receiving
community input on the scope of work and a concrete plan for
implementation.
CDPHE has made environmental justice a core priority,
recognizing that the department has an obligation to address long-standing
inequities throughout the state. In 2021, Governor Polis signed the
Environmental Justice Act (HB21-1266) into law. Later that year, Governor
Polis and CDPHE executive director Jill Hunsaker Ryan appointed members to
Colorado’s first Environmental Justice Advisory Board, and CDPHE launched the
new Environmental Justice Action Task Force.
In 2021, CDPHE also created a new Environmental Justice Unit
to reduce environmental health disparities for communities of color and
low-income communities across Colorado.
President Biden, Vice President Harris, and EPA
Administrator Regan have made environmental justice a priority across EPA’s
programs. Learn more about these efforts, including the EJ 2020 Action Agenda,
at: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice
Media Contacts:
U.S. EPA: Richard Mylott, mylott.richard@epa.gov
CDPHE: Gabi Johnston, cdphe.communications@state.co.us
