Sec. 1004. Implementation of recommendations by Environmental Protection Agency
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The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this section as the Administrator ) shall, as promptly as practicable, carry out each of the following recommendations of the Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency as described in the report entitled EPA needs to conduct environmental justice reviews of its programs, policies and activities (Report No. 2006–P–00034): The recommendation that the program and regional offices of the Environmental Protection Agency identify which programs, policies, and activities need environmental justice reviews and the Administrator require those offices to establish a plan to complete the necessary reviews.
The recommendation that the Administrator ensure that the reviews described in paragraph
(1)determine whether the programs, policies, and activities may have a disproportionately high and adverse health or environmental impact on minority and low-income populations. The recommendation that each program and regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency develop specific environmental justice review guidance for conducting environmental justice reviews. The recommendation that the Administrator designate a responsible office to compile results of environmental justice reviews and recommend appropriate actions. In promulgating regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Administrator shall, as promptly as practicable, carry out each of the following recommendations of the Comptroller General of the United States as described in the report entitled EPA Should Devote More Attention to Environmental Justice when Developing Clean Air Rules (GAO–05–289): The recommendation that the Administrator ensure that workgroups involved in developing a rule devote attention to environmental justice while drafting and finalizing the rule. The recommendation that the Administrator enhance the ability of the workgroups described in paragraph
(1)to identify potential environmental justice issues through steps such as— providing workgroup members with guidance and training to help those members identify potential environmental justice problems; and involving environmental justice coordinators in the workgroups if appropriate. The recommendation that the Administrator improve assessments of potential environmental justice impacts in economic reviews by identifying the data and developing the modeling techniques needed to assess those impacts. The recommendation that the Administrator direct appropriate officers and employees of the Environmental Protection Agency, if feasible, to respond fully to public comments on environmental justice, including by— improving the explanation by the Administrator of the basis for any conclusions relating to environmental justice; and including in an explanation under subparagraph
(A)supporting data. The Administrator shall, as promptly as practicable, carry out each of the following recommendations of the Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency as described in the report entitled EPA Needs to Consistently Implement the Intent of the Executive Order on Environmental Justice (Report No. 2004–P–00007): The recommendation that the Administrator clearly define the mission of the Office of Environmental Justice and provide Environmental Protection Agency staff with an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of that Office. The recommendation that the Administrator— establish, through the issuance of guidance or a policy statement, specific timeframes for the development of definitions, goals, and measurements regarding environmental justice; and provide the regions and program offices a standard and consistent definition for a minority and low-income community, with instructions on how the Environmental Protection Agency will implement and put into operation environmental justice in the daily activities of the Environmental Protection Agency. The recommendation that the Administrator ensure that the comprehensive training program under development (as of the date of enactment of this Act) includes standard and consistent definitions of the key environmental justice concepts, such as low-income , minority , and disproportionately impacted , and instructions for implementation of those concepts. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress an initial report on the strategy of the Administrator for implementing the recommendations described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and
(C)of paragraph (1). After submitting the initial report under subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall submit to Congress semiannual reports on the progress of the Administrator in— implementing the recommendations referred to in subparagraph (A); and modifying the emergency management procedures of the Administrator to incorporate environmental justice in the Incident Command Structure of the Environmental Protection Agency, in accordance with the December 18, 2006, letter from the Deputy Administrator to the Acting Inspector General of the Environmental Protection Agency. Congress finds that radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is— recognized as the leading cause of lung cancer among nonsmokers; and a particular environmental threat for low-income and minority individuals because of the lack of information about radon levels in the homes of those individuals. Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall implement the action plan entitled Protecting People and Families from Radon: A Federal Action Plan for Saving Lives (June 20, 2011), in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and any other Federal agencies referred to in the action plan. In carrying out paragraph (2), the Administrator shall ensure that— the workgroup comprised of the Federal agencies participating in the development of the action plan referred to in paragraph
(2)implements specific steps within the existing authority and activities of each Federal agency to reduce exposure to radon; and not later than the date that is 1 year after the date on which the Administrator begins implementation of the action plan described in paragraph (2), the workgroup described in subparagraph
(A)meets to assess and recognize achievements of the plan. After the progress meeting of the workgroup under paragraph (3)(B), the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on the implementation of the action plan described in paragraph (2), including the challenges remaining and the progress in reducing radon exposure, particularly for low-income and minority families. Congress finds that— the effects of lead poisoning are irreversible and cost the United States millions annually in medical and education costs; the cognitive effects suffered by children exposed to lead result in a lifetime of health and behavioral problems, which makes prevention efforts more critical; and the risk is especially high for vulnerable minority populations who are more likely to live in older homes, where lead-based paint is more likely to be present. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other relevant Federal agencies, shall develop an action plan to reduce exposure to lead. In carrying out paragraph (2), the Administrator shall— establish a working group, comprised of representatives of the Federal agencies participating in the development of the action plan described in paragraph (2), to make recommendations for the implementation of specific steps within the existing authority and activities of each Federal agency to reduce exposure to lead; and assist other Federal agencies in the development of materials on the hazards of lead-based paint for the purpose of educating tenants and landlords, how to recognize potential sources of exposure, and how to remediate those sources.