New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Environmental Justice Action Plan

Abstract

This report is the first Environmental Justice Action Plan for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. It is intended to serve as a roadmap for a more equitable and just set of services and initiatives to better serve overburdened communities across New Jersey. Its strategies for supporting environmental quality throughout the state outlines roles for DEP’s many programs to work together towards furthering the promise of environmental justice. These strategies build on the strength of the State’s history of strong statutes, regulations, and policies to improve and protect our air, land, water, and natural and historic resources. The strategies here connect a wide variety of initiatives to be implemented across the Department, and in collaboration with stakeholders, community groups, and other government entities. This EJ Action Plan addresses current concerns, such as the challenges of living and working in communities that bear disproportionate environmental burdens and lack of environmental benefits. At the same time, the EJ Action Plan highlights opportunities to support the agency’s mission of protecting the environment over the next decade, and especially in the immediate future.

Through an initial assessment process of listening and visioning, the Office of Environmental Justice has engaged with DEP professionals across the multitude of DEP programs to reflect on their important work, and to identify where environmental justice challenges can be turned into opportunities. From assessing the Department’s work to creating a robust list of goals and actions, this Plan aims to bring together the ideas and vision of staff and leadership across DEP to better serve people and communities across New Jersey.

This Plan is intended to be a living document that can evolve alongside community needs and agency goals, and that at all times seeks to integrate environmental justice considerations into all Department functions and workstreams. It is only by thinking deeply about how we perform and consistently improve upon the work of public health, safety, and environmental protection that we can further the promise of environmental justice—for all.