EPA Research: Environmental Justice and Contaminated Sites

Low-income, tribal, indigenous, and communities of color are more likely to live near contaminated lands—one of the key reasons these communities face increased exposures to environmental hazards. EPA’s environmental justice research program includes a robust program of study to help these communities tackle the challenges of living in the vicinity of such sites in order to reduce risks. Agency researchers develop data, tools, and other resources to identify and reduce risks and support the remediation, restoration, and rehabilitation of contaminated sites.

Partnership and collaboration with local communities and stakeholders are ingrained into the design of the program to ensure community engagement and facilitate local participation and ownership in the research process, from the collection of data to the delivery and application of solutions.

The research includes:

• Developing decision-support tools, such as EnviroAtlas, EJScreen, and others for identifying and prioritizing community concerns, assessing cumulative impacts, and evaluating different options to mitigate contaminated sites.
• Evaluating and advancing remediation techniques to restore contaminated sites and convert them to natural areas (green spaces), commercial spaces, or other community assets.
• Working with Tribes to revitalize contaminated sites and advance recycling efforts as part of collaborative work to improve the environment and health in Indian Country.