DHS Environmental Justice Strategy

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released its Environmental Justice Strategy, dated February, 2012. DHS is committed to meeting the goals of Executive Order 12898, "Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations," which states that each federal agency, with the law as its guide, should make environmental justice part of its mission. This DHS environmental justice strategy addresses those homeland security missions most applicable to environmental justice considerations, primarily in the context of compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

In August 2011, federal agencies signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898" (EJ MOU), which committed each agency to, among other things, finalizing an EJ strategy and releasing annual implementation reports. Links to the other federal EJ Strategies can be found on the Environmental Justice Interagency Workgroup webpage.

The DHS draft strategy was open for public comment for 30 days from November 18, 2011 to January 13, 2012. DHS and its federal partners will continue to engage stakeholders through outreach, education and stakeholder events and respond to public comments through annual implementation reports.