What is Environmental Justice?

Environmental Justice and Equity Definitions The following definitions provide a common language for understanding environmental justice and equity, as outlined in the EEA Environmental Justice Strategy:

“Cleaner Production” means a manufacturing process or approach to manufacturing production that is based on toxics-use reduction and pollution prevention and that strives to incorporate the following components: waste reduction, non-polluting production, energy efficiency, safe and healthy work environments, and environmentally sound products and packaging.

“Distributional Equity” is when policies and programs result in fair distribution of the benefits and burdens across all segments of communities, prioritizing those with the greatest need.

“Energy Benefits” means access to funding, training, renewable or alternative energy, energy efficiency, or other beneficial resources disbursed by EEA, its agencies, and its offices.

“Environmental Benefits” means access to clean natural resources, including air, water resources, open space, constructed playgrounds and other outdoor recreational facilities and venues, clean renewable energy course, environmental enforcement, training, and funding disbursed or administered by EEA.

“Environmental Burdens” means any destruction, damage, or impairment of natural resources that is not insignificant, resulting from intentional or reasonably foreseeable causes, including but not limited to climate change, air pollution, water pollution, improper sewage disposal, dumping of solid wastes and other noxious substances, excessive noise, activities that limit access to natural resources and constructed outdoor recreational facilities and venues, inadequate remediation of pollution, reduction of groundwater levels, impairment of water quality, increased flooding or stormwater flows, and damage to inland waterways and waterbodies, wetlands, marine shores and waters, forests, open spaces, and playgrounds from private industrial, commercial, or government operations or other activity that contaminates or alters the quality of the environment and poses a risk to public health.

“Environmental Justice Principles” support people’s protection from environmental pollution and the ability to live in and enjoy a clean and healthy environment, regardless of race, color, income, class, handicap, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity or ancestry, religious belief, or English language proficiency, which includes: (i) the meaningful involvement of all people with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies, including climate change policies; and (ii) the equitable distribution of energy and environmental benefits and environmental burdens.

“Environmental Justice Population” refers to a neighborhood that meets one or more of the following criteria:

• The annual median household income is not more than 65 percent of the statewide annual median household income.
• Minorities comprise 40 percent or more of the population.
• 25 percent or more of households lack English language proficiency.
• Minorities comprise 25 percent or more of the population, and the annual median household income of the municipality in which the neighborhood is located does not exceed 150 percent of the statewide annual median household income.
• A geographic portion of a neighborhood designated by the Secretary as an environmental justice population in accordance with law.

“English Isolation” refers to households that are English Language Isolated according to federal census forms, or that do not have an adult over the age of 14 who speaks only English or who speaks English very well.

“Equal Protection” means protection of all groups of people, including all federally and state protected classes under Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. Section 2000d et seq. and M.G.L. Chapter 151B, regardless of income, ethnicity, class, handicap, race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information, or ancestry, from an unfair burden of environmental hazard from industrial, commercial, state, and municipal operations or limited access to natural resources, including green space (open space) and water resources, and energy resources, including energy efficiency and renewable energy generation.

“Low Income” means annual median household income at or below 65 percent of the statewide median income for Massachusetts, according to federal census data.

“Meaningful Involvement” means that all neighborhoods have the right and opportunity to participate in energy, climate change, and environmental decision-making, including needs assessment, planning, implementation, compliance and enforcement, and evaluation, and neighborhoods are enabled and administratively assisted to participate fully through education and training, and are given transparency/accountability by government with regard to community input, and encouraged to develop environmental, energy, and climate change stewardship.

“MEPA” is the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act, M.G.L. Ch.30, Sections 61-62L. Under the MEPA statute, EEA reviews the potential environmental impacts of state agency actions that exceed certain regulatory thresholds. MEPA involves public review and comment and is subject to strict statutory deadlines on the length of reviews.

“Neighborhood” means a census block group as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, excluding people who live in college dormitories and people who are under formally authorized, supervised care or custody, including federal, state, or county prisons.

“Procedural Equity” is when decision-makers create inclusive, accessible, and authentic engagement and representation in a process to develop or implement programs and policies.

“Structural Equity” is when decision-makers recognize and address the historical, cultural, and institutional dynamics that have led to inequities, and decision-makers reform programs that perpetuate disparities and build programs that are equitable for all residents.

“Supplemental Environmental Project” means an environmentally beneficial project in the settlement of environmental enforcement cases as set forth in "Policy on Supplemental Environmental Projects," Department of Environmental Protection Policy ENF-07.001.

“Transgenerational Equity” is when decisions consider generational impacts and do not result in unfair burdens on future generations.

“Vulnerable Health Environmental Justice Populations” means segments of the population that have evidence of higher-than-average rates of environmentally related health outcomes, including but not limited to childhood asthma, low birth weight, childhood lead poisoning, and/or heart disease morbidity.