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EPA Announces 2010 Achievements in Environmental Justice / Partnerships address local environmental justice concerns and help improve health in disadvantaged communities

Release Date: 12/15/2010
Contact Information: Jalil Isa (Media Only), isa.jalil@epa.gov, 202-564-3226, 202-564-4355

WASHINGTON – Today, EPA recognized five partnerships for their contributions to advancing environmental justice in communities. The goal of the agency’s National Achievements in Environmental Justice Awards is to encourage communities to form partnerships, work together to solve problems, identify and take actions that directly benefit the community residents, and document successful activities that can be used in other communities to address significant environmental justice concerns.

“The recipients of this year’s environmental justice awards have developed projects that empower communities to participate in environmental decision-making and serve as models for other communities working to address environmental justice concerns,” said Lisa Garcia, senior advisor to the administrator and associate assistant administrator for environmental justice. “These partnerships help advance efforts to make our communities healthier and economically and environmentally sustainable.”

The 2010 awardees are:

EcoCenter at Heron’s Head Park Partnership, San Francisco, Calif.—for creating an environmental justice education center for use by the residents of San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point and other communities with environmental justice concerns.

ENLACE Caño Martín Peña, San Juan, Puerto Rico—for establishing and implementing a land use and comprehensive development plan to improve social, economic, and environmental conditions for eight communities in the Caño Martín Peña Special Planning District.

Lead Poisoning Prevention Citizen’s Advisory Task Force, San Diego, Calif.—for empowering communities to conduct lead hazard control work in environmental justice communities and ensuring the protection of children from the threat of lead-based paint and dust.

Oregon Environmental Justice Task Force, across Oregon—for effective implementation of the state’s environmental justice legislation and its ability to incorporate environmental justice considerations into state agency programs.

Transportation Equity/Stops for Us Coalition, St. Paul, Minn.—for its efforts to form a broad-based partnership to secure the construction of three new light rail transit stations, which will provide access for the transit dependent communities of East University Avenue, connecting residents to housing, jobs, education and the many amenities located throughout the Twin Cities metropolitan region.


More information on the National Achievements in Environmental Justice Awards: https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/awards/index.html