Equity Action Plan
Pursuant to a permanent injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on August 22, 2024, EPA will not impose or enforce any disparate-impact or cumulative-impact-analysis requirements under Title VI against any entity in the State of Louisiana. Click here for additional and updated information.
The Environmental Protection Agency's Equity Action Plan reflects our unwavering commitment to imbed equity, civil rights and environmental justice into all aspects of our work.
On this page:
Overview of the Equity Action Plan
This updated Equity Action Plan fulfills President Biden’s Executive Order 14091 which directs EPA and other federal agencies to further advance equity and embed environmental justice and external civil rights in a whole-of-government approach.
This plan aligns with the Agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan, which includes the core principles of follow the science, follow the law, be transparent and a new principle, advance justice and equity. Our Equity Action Plan includes eight priority strategies to advance equity:
- Improve Access to Federal Funding and Assistance Programs for Communities with Environmental Justice Concerns.
- Reduce Cumulative Environmental and Health Impacts in Communities with Environmental Justice Concerns.
- Strengthen EPA’s External Civil Rights Compliance Program and Ensure that Civil Rights Compliance is an Agency-Wide Responsibility.
- Protect Children Equitably from Exposure to Environmental Contaminants.
- Address Inequitable Access to Information and Resources to Improve Engagement and Health Impacts in Rural Communities.
- Ensure Public Access to EPA Programs and Activities and Ensure Full Protection from Health and Environmental Harms for People with Disabilities.
- Strengthening Community-Based Participatory Science to Achieve Environmental Equity in Communities with Environmental Justice Concerns.
- Improve Data and Analytic Capacity to Better Identify and Remove Barriers Faced by Communities with Environmental Justice Concerns.
EPA’s Equity Action Plan carries forward our work to break through barriers and advance equity and justice across our efforts to ensure clean water, air, and land for all communities.
Executive Orders 13985 and 14091
Executive Order 13985
Executive Order 13985 pursues a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making processes, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.
Executive Order 14091
Executive Order 14091 builds upon Executive Order 13985 which pursues a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality. Because advancing equity requires a systematic approach to embedding fairness in decision-making processes, executive departments and agencies (agencies) must recognize and work to redress inequities in their policies and programs that serve as barriers to equal opportunity.