Empowering Environmental Justice Decision Makers: Increasing Educational Resources for U.S. Environmental Protection...

Policy development and subsequent action occur at all levels of government with various opportunities for input from nongovernmental organizations and individual citizens. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) mapping tools such as EJSCREEN and EnviroAtlas incorporate environmental and demographic data to inform local decision makers on issues and policies in their communities by putting data, resources, and information in the hands of citizens. However, these tools are only as powerful as their reach, especially when it comes to communities with environmental justice (EJ) concerns. In this article, we present the development of an EJ educational case study based on a collaboration between U.S. EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and Office of Research and Development (ORD) and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Through the EPA Case Study, we state the need for EJ-focused educational materials that leverage the U.S. EPA's mapping tools, describe the development and application of the EPA Case Study, and share lessons learned to help inform future EJ educational materials development. We conclude with a literature-backed call to action for continued federal support in the development of tools and educational materials to inform decision making that has the potential galvanize policy change.