Agenda

• State-of-the-Science Commissioned Paper Panel: Proximity (Room 150A)

Purpose: To explore and define how proximity to environmental health hazards and their sources contributes to disparities in environmental health impacts among ethnic and racial minority and disadvantaged populations and discuss opportunities to incorporate this information into the environmental policy decision-making process.

• State-of-the-Science Commissioned Paper Panel: Multiple and Cumulative Impacts/Effects (Room 150B)

Purpose: To explore the contribution of exposure to multiple and cumulative environmental stressors to adverse environmental and health impacts, and also to disparities in environmental health impacts among ethnic and racial minority and disadvantaged populations and discuss opportunities to incorporate this information into the environmental policy decision-making process.

• State-of-the-Science Commissioned Paper Panel: Susceptibility and Vulnerability (Room 152A)

Purpose: To explore the relationship between vulnerability/susceptibility factors (including social factors) and disparities in environmental health impacts among ethnic and racial minority and disadvantaged populations. In particular, summarize how vulnerability modifies the relationship between environmental agents and health impacts and discuss opportunities to incorporate this information quantitatively into environmental risk assessment and the policy decision-making process.

• State-of-the-Science Commissioned Paper Panel: Unique Exposures (Room 152B)

Purpose: To elucidate how unique exposure pathways contribute to disparities in environmental health impacts among ethnic and racial minority and disadvantaged populations and discuss opportunities to incorporate this information into the environmental policy decision- making process.

• Data and Methodology Needs: Proximity (Poster Discussion Format) (Room 150A)

Purpose: The purpose of this session is to explore methodological approaches used in proximity analysis, environmental and health effects studies using such approaches as the development and application of novel proximity measures, and the application of proximity analysis in environmental policy decision making.

• Data and Methodology Needs: Multiple and Cumulative Impacts/Effects (Poster Discussion Format) (Room 152AB)

Purpose: The purpose of this session is to explore data needs and methodological approaches for assessing cumulative impacts/burdens/exposures/risks among minority, low-income, tribal, and other population groups. This session also explores the development and application of novel cumulative impact measures, and the application of information on cumulative impact/risk analysis in environmental/environmental health policy decision making.

• Data and Methodology Needs: Susceptibility and Vulnerability (Poster Discussion Format) (Room 150B)

Purpose: The purpose of this session is to explore methodological and data needs for incorporating vulnerability considerations into decision-making frameworks such as risk assessment, health impact assessment, etc. Specifically, this session includes an overview of data and methods for identifying vulnerable/susceptible populations.

• Data and Methodology Needs: Unique Exposures (Poster Discussion Format) (152B)

Purpose: Some individuals, communities, and population groups may experience unique environmental exposures due to socioeconomic status, occupation, geographic location, life stage, or cultural practices. In this session, presenters will highlight data sources, methods, approaches, frameworks, and analytical tools for incorporating information on uniquely exposed populations in environmental/environmental health policy and regulatory decision making.

• State-of-the-Science Commissioned Paper Panel: Psychosocial Stress (Room 150A)

Purpose: To explore how psychosocial stress contributes to disparities in environmental health impacts among ethnic and racial minority and disadvantaged populations and discuss opportunities to incorporate this information into the environmental policy decision-making process.

• State-of-the-Science Commissioned Paper Panel: Physical Infrastructure (Room 150B)

Purpose: To elucidate how physical infrastructure/built environment contributes to disparities in environmental health impacts among ethnic and racial minority and disadvantaged populations and discuss opportunities to incorporate this information into the environmental policy decision- making process.

• State-of-the-Science Commissioned Paper Panel: Community Capacity To Participate in Environmental Decision Making (Room 152A)

Purpose: To explore the relationship between community capacity to participate in the public policy decision-making process and disproportionate environmental health impact among ethnic and

racial minority and disadvantaged populations and how this information can be incorporated into the environmental policy decision-making process.

• Investigating How Physical and Social Environments Jointly Contribute to Health Disparities: Concepts and Methods from Social Epidemiology (Room 152B)

Purpose: To introduce and illustrate analytical methods relevant to investigating the joint contributions of physical and social environments to health disparities and discuss how these approaches can enhance our understanding of upstream factors contributing to inequities in environmental health and inform prevention strategies.

• Data and Methodology Needs: Psychosocial Stress (Poster Discussion Format) (Room 152A)

Purpose: The purpose of this session is to explore approaches for measuring psychosocial stress/hazards at the community and individual levels, and also methodological approaches for incorporating information on psychosocial stressors in analytical and decision frameworks (e.g., risk assessment, health impacts assessment).

• Data and Methodology Needs: Physical Infrastructure (Poster Discussion Format) (Room 152B)

Purpose: The quality of physical infrastructure in a community, such as poor housing or poorly maintained public buildings (e.g., schools), is a significant factor that may contribute to making a community more vulnerable to environmental hazards. In this session, we explore the types of data and methods for incorporating information on the contributions of physical infrastructure/built environment to disproportionate impacts in regulatory analytical and decision frameworks.

• Data and Methodology Needs: Community Capacity To Participate in Environmental Decision Making (Poster Discussion Format) (150B)

Purpose: The purpose of this session is to explore approaches for enhancing community capacity in the decision-making process, and also to identify data or indicators to design better public involvement processes in decision making.

• Panel Session: Community-Based Tools for Assessing Disproportionate Impacts (150A)

Purpose: To showcase a variety of community-based/GIS-based assessment tools and discuss opportunities for implementing/utilizing these tools to help agencies and communities reduce or prevent disproportionate environmental health impacts.

• Legal Authorities for Incorporating Environmental Justice/Disproportionate Impacts Considerations Into EPAs Decision Making (Room 150A)

Purpose: Given the importance of the law in achieving environmental justice, this panel will explore the application of legal authorities to address disproportionate health and environmental impacts in EPAs regulatory decision-making process. Opportunities for considering disproportionate impacts in the context of rulemaking, permitting, enforcement, and state compliance will be discussed. Further, emerging non-regulatory approaches will be explored as vehicles for addressing disproportionate burdens of environmental exposures, vulnerabilities, and health impacts.

• Analytical Frameworks for Assessing and Addressing Environmental Health Impacts To Inform Decision Making (Room 150B)

Purpose: Presenters will provide an overview of decision-making frameworks, such as Health Impact Assessment, Global Burden of Disease, and Health Equity Screens, that explicitly allow for meaningful participation and consideration of multiple risk factors. Examples of applications of these frameworks in decision making will be discussed and also how they have been used to address issues of equity.

• Incorporating and Addressing Environmental Justice/Disproportionate Impacts in EPAs Decision-Making Process Using a Risk Assessment Framework (Room 152A)

Purpose: Risk assessment is EPAs primary science-based framework for decision making. Risk assessment informs decision making at EPA in multiple ways, including prioritization of decisions, rules/standard setting, cleanup of sites, permitting, enforcement, other policy decisions, and program planning. This session includes examples of how environmental justice concerns or disproportionate environmental health impacts/risks have been addressed or incorporated in risk assessment approaches

• Incorporating and Addressing Environmental Justice/Disproportionate Impacts in EPAs Decision-Making Process Using an Economic Analysis Framework (Room 152B)

Purpose: The panel provides an overview of the use of economic analysis in EPA's rule-making analysis, as well as a discussion of how economists approach the analysis of disproportionate impacts. The session begins with an overview of the traditional tools for benefit-cost analysis and analyzing efficiency. Then, the session also will discuss how economists consider equity followed by a case-study analysis from a recent regulation. The panel concludes with alternative methods for analyzing distributional considerations in benefits analysis.

• Late Breaking Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation Session (Room 151AB)