National Civil Rights Conference 2015 Environmental Justice Panel Discussion Environmental Justice and NEPA Reviews Kedric L. Payne Deputy General Counsel for Environment and Compliance U.S. Department of Energy November 5, 2015

Overview: NEPA and EJ GoalsTermsApproaches Federal IWG on EJ  Created by EO  Reconvened at the Cabinet Level  Charter & MOU  National Environmental Policy Act  Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964  Climate Change  Goods Movement 2

Overview: NEPA Committee of the Federal IWG on EJ Purpose Improve effective, efficient and consistent consideration of EJ in the NEPA process Share promising practices/lessons learned developed by federal government NEPA practitioners Provide cross agency training on EJ and NEPA Subcommittees:  Community of Practice  Education 3

 Compilation of “promising practices” organized in coordinated, functional framework concerning interface of environmental justice considerations through NEPA processes  Builds upon existing EJ and NEPA Guidance developed by CEQ and federal agencies  Represents professional experience, knowledge and expertise of individuals participating in NEPA Committee who are NEPA practitioners in federal agencies  Captures collective thinking and thoughtful deliberation of shared information and results of research, analysis and discussions  Joint efforts of the Committee reflect community of NEPA practitioners who seek to enable reasonable consideration of EJ within the context of NEPA  Allows agencies to compare and improve their methodologies for complying with EJ now and in the future  Does not establish new requirements for NEPA analysis  Is not formal agency guidance  Not intended to be legally binding or create rights and benefits for any person Content: Draft Final Report on Promising Practices 4

Content: Draft Report on Promising Practices for EJ Methodologies in NEPA Reviews 5

Next Steps Questions