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A New EPA Plan Offers a Roadmap on Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts

Summary

Kristie Ellickson, a Kendall Fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists, discusses the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) updated 2023 Equity Action Plan, emphasizing its focus on incorporating equity, civil rights, and environmental justice into all aspects of its work. Ellickson highlights the EPA's commitment to addressing cumulative impacts, defined as the combined exposures to various stressors affecting health, well-being, and quality of life. The article traces the EPA's efforts, starting from the 2022 plan's commitment to developing a comprehensive framework for cumulative impacts to the current 2023 plan's strategies aimed at reducing cumulative environmental and health impacts in communities, particularly those with environmental justice concerns. The EPA's holistic approach, collaborative efforts with federal agencies, and a roadmap for incorporating cumulative impacts into environmental decision-making are emphasized as crucial steps toward achieving environmental justice.

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