Wolf Administration and Rep. Donna Bullock Highlight Environmental Justice for Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, PA – Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Patrick McDonnell, Director of the Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) Justin Dula, and State Representative Donna Bullock highlighted the importance of environmental justice (EJ) in Pennsylvania and encouraged people to review and comment on the draft Environmental Justice Policy, open for public comment until Wednesday, May 11, 2022.
“The Wolf Administration is committed to making sure that vulnerable communities are not disproportionately affected by pollution,” said Secretary McDonnell. “Governor Wolf showed his commitment to this issue by signing the Environmental Justice Executive Order last fall, and this draft policy is part of the follow-through on that promise.”
Representative Bullock echoed similar support.
“I applaud Governor Wolf and his administration for their continued efforts to support and empower environmental justice communities. I look forward to working with Director Dula and the Office of Environmental Justice to advance the Environmental Justice Policy and to pass the Environmental Justice legislative package introduced by members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus,” said Rep. Bullock.
The draft Environmental Justice Policy includes several sections to expand and improve upon the existing Environmental Justice Policy, which has been in effect since 2004. The new policy will attempt to integrate Environmental Justice into more aspects of DEP’s work to benefit Environmental Justice communities. This may include revising definitions of Environmental Justice areas and populations; increasing collaboration and planning between state government agencies; developing Environmental Justice mapping, resources, and data for community use; prioritizing Environmental Justice in grantmaking practices; and training DEP staff and external partners on Environmental Justice.
“It is important for us to continue to gather full community input on aspects of the Environmental Justice Policy. DEP needs to hear from Pennsylvanians on how we can be more responsive to the needs of communities facing environmental justice issues. Some of the issues we’ve heard and already included in this draft policy are consideration of unconventional oil and gas development; inspections, enforcement, and compliance; and climate initiatives,” said OEJ Director Dula.
More information, including an informational webinar, can be found at https://www.dep.pa.gov/PublicParticipation/OfficeofEnvironmentalJustice/Pages/default.aspx
DEP will hold three virtual public hearings to accept comments on the draft Environmental Justice Policy. The hearings will be held as follows:
Tuesday, April 5, 2022, at 5:00 PM.
• Web Link
• Audio conference: +1-415-655-0003, Access code: 2630 690 8427
Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at 6:00 PM.
• Web Link
• Audio conference: +1-415-655-0003, Access code: 2633 346 6724
Thursday, April 28, 2022, from 12:00 PM.
• Web Link
• Audio conference: +1-415-655-0003, Access code: 2633 980 7600
Anyone who wishes to present testimony at a hearing must contact Glenda Davidson at 717-783- 4759 or RA-EPOEJ@pa.gov at least 24 hours in advance to reserve a time to present testimony. Language interpretation services are available upon request. Persons in need of language interpretation services must contact Glenda Davidson at RA-EPOEJ@pa.gov or 717-783-4759 at least one week in advance.
Members of the public who wish to observe a virtual public hearing without providing testimony are able to view the hearings using the links above. Those who have not registered in advance, as described previously, will remain muted for the duration of the public hearing.
Written comments are accepted through DEP’s online eComment tool at https://www.ahs.dep.pa.gov/eComment/ or by e-mail to ecomment@pa.gov. Written comments may be mailed to the Technical Guidance Coordinator, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Policy Office, Rachel Carson State Office Building, P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2063.
More information on the OEJ can be found at https://www.dep.pa.gov/PublicParticipation/OfficeofEnvironmentalJustice/Pages/default.aspx