About the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights
What We Do
The Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights (OEJECR) supports the agency’s mission by providing leadership on EPA’s environmental justice and external civil rights priorities. OEJECR coordinates implementation of those priorities across the agency’s national programs, regions, the Administrator’s Office, and across our partnerships with other federal agencies and coregulators in state, tribal, and local government, and communities. OEJECR provides resources and other technical assistance on civil rights and environmental justice, engages with communities with environmental justice concerns, and provides support for community-led action.
This office also enforces federal civil rights laws, including Title VI, that, together, prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including on the basis of limited-English proficiency); sex; disability; or age by applicants for and recipients of federal financial assistance from EPA.
In addition, OEJECR is home to the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC), which is EPA’s primary resource for services and expertise in alternative dispute resolution, environmental conflict resolution, consensus-building, and collaborative problem solving.
“Environmental justice” means the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or disability, in agency decision-making and other Federal activities that affect human health and the environment so that people:
- are fully protected from disproportionate and adverse human health and environmental effects (including risks) and hazards, including those related to climate change, the cumulative impacts of environmental and other burdens, and the legacy of racism or other structural or systemic barriers; and
- have equitable access to a healthy, sustainable, and resilient environment in which to live, play, work, learn, grow, worship, and engage in cultural and subsistence practices.
Organization
Vacant, Assistant Administrator
- Phone: 202-564-0137
- Phone: 303-570-8650
- Phone: 202-565-0012
- Phone: 202-941-6036
- Phone: 202-566-1949
- Phone: 202-878-1665
- Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC)
- Office of Resource Management and Communications
- Office of Community Support
- Office Of Policy, Partnerships and Program Development
- Office of External Civil Rights Compliance
Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC)
What We Do
The Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center (CPRC) supports EPA’s regulatory, enforcement, and voluntary programs by providing Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution (ECCR) services to the entire agency. ECCR is alternative dispute resolution (ADR) focused on environmental conflicts. Expert CPRC staff, ECCR specialists in the EPA’s 10 regions, and dispute resolution professionals engaged through CPRC’s Conflict Prevention and Resolution Services contract, help EPA and its stakeholders exchange ideas and information, identify areas of concern and common interest, develop recommendations, prevent and overcome disputes, and reach agreements. CPRC supports ECCR across the Agency, pursuant to EPA’s ADR Policy.
Programs and Projects Managed by CPRC:
- Conflict Prevention and Resolution Services contract
- Conflict resolution training program
- Environmental Collaboration and Conflict Resolution (ECCR) services
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
CPRC Organization
- Phone: 202-564-0838
Office of Resource Management and Communications (ORMC)
What We Do
This office manages the mission support services and communications portfolio of OEJECR. The work of ORMC includes management of human capital, budget formulation and execution, information technology and security, and Freedom of Information Act responsibilities (among other operational and administrative functions).
Programs and Projects Managed by ORMC:
- Strategic Planning and Continuous Improvement
- Limited English Proficiency and External Disability Access Programs
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility Efforts of OEJECR
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
ORMC Organization
- Phone: 919-541-5611
Office of Community Support (OCS)
What We Do
This office facilitates the distribution in grant funding, including more than $50 million in grant funding from the FY2022 appropriations, to community-based organizations and their partners at the tribal, state, and local levels. In addition, the office will offer technical assistance to community organizations and others -such as small rural municipalities and tribal governments -to plan for the future, effectively compete for federal and other sources of funding, and sustainably implement funding to revitalize their communities. A critical complement to these new grants and technical assistance resources will be the ability of EPA, particularly through regional offices, to directly engage and collaborate with more communities.
Programs and Projects Managed by OCS:
- Grants Management Division
- Community Engagement and Assistance Division
- Technical Assistance for Communities
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
OCS Organization
- Phone: 202-564-0542
Offices within OCS include:
Grants Management Division
- Phone: 202-564-2907
Community Engagement And Assistance Division
- Phone: 202-527-4545
Office Of Policy, Partnerships and Program Development (OPPPD)
What We Do
This office works with EPA's national programs and regional offices to integrate equity, environmental justice, and civil rights into its decision-making related to rules, permits, cleanups, and other core activities, as allowed by law. In addition, this office will continue to develop and improve tools, such as EJScreen, to assess the community-level impacts of the agency's activities and identify communities with the highest pollution burdens.
Programs and Projects Managed by OPPPD:
- Policy and Analysis Division
- Partnerships and Collaboration Division
- Program Development and Learning Division
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
OPPPD Organization
- 202-564-0322
Offices within OPPPD include:
Policy And Analysis Division
-
202-989-8658
Partnerships and Collaboration Division
- 202-564-0203
Program Development and Learning Division
- 202-564-2258
Office of External Civil Rights Compliance (OECRC)
What We Do
This office fulfils EPA’s promise of protecting human health and the environment for all people in the United States. OECRC enforces federal civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that, together, prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin (including on the basis of limited-English proficiency); sex; disability; or age by applicants for and recipients of federal financial assistance from EPA.
Location: EPA Headquarters at Washington, D.C. Federal Triangle campus
OECRC Organization
- Phone: 202-564-8796
- Phone: 202-564-3357
- Phone: 202-564-7299
- Phone: 202-564-0356