--- title: "EPA Releases Environmental Justice Plan" canonicalUrl: "https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/epa-releases-environmental-justice-plan/" excerpt: "It feels great to be back in action in the blogosphere.  (Forgive our absence; we were migrating servers.)  The US Environmental Protection Agency is also back in action in the environmental justice arena.  As background, environmental justice is defined as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” On October 27, 2016, EPA released its Environmental Justice 2020 Action Agenda, known as EJ 2020.  EJ 2020, the agency’s strategic plan for advancing environmental justice for the years 2016…
Read More" datePublished: "2016-10-28T15:25:14-04:00" dateModified: "2024-05-24T16:05:26-04:00" --- - EPA Releases Environmental Justice Plan [Home](https://wyche.com/) » EPA Releases Environmental Justice Plan [** Rita Bolt Barker](https://wyche.com/author/rbarker/) ** ** ** # EPA Releases Environmental Justice Plan It feels great to be back in action in the blogosphere.  (Forgive our absence; we were migrating servers.)  The US Environmental Protection Agency is also back in action in the environmental justice arena.  As background, environmental justice is defined as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” On October 27, 2016, EPA released its Environmental Justice 2020 Action Agenda, known as [EJ 2020](https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-05/documents/052216_ej_2020_strategic_plan_final_0.pdf).  EJ 2020, the agency’s strategic plan for advancing environmental justice for the years 2016 through 2020, builds on EPA’s 2014 plan and sets three goals for the agency: - Deepen environmental justice practice within EPA programs to improve the health and environment of overburdened communities - Work with partners to expand our impact within overburdened communities. - Demonstrate progress on critical national environmental justice challenges. EJ 2020 sets forth detailed focus areas for the implementation of these goals, including directing more enforcement resources to address pollution and public health burdens caused by violations of environmental laws in overburdened communities, strengthening consideration of environmental justice in rulemaking and permitting, and ensuring that underserved communities have access to drinking water that meets applicable health based standards.  Because EPA has set environmental justice as a priority for the agency, we expect to see environmental justice issues considered routinely in agency permitting and enforcement actions. For more information [*](https://wyche.com/author/rbarker/) [## Rita Bolt Barker](https://wyche.com/author/rbarker/) Rita Bolt Barker is an experienced litigator and counselor, focusing primarily on environmental, commercial litigation, and insurance coverage matters. RELATED ARTICLES [](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/jasper-county-selects-wyche-p-a-as-greenbelt-program-manager-to-oversee-94-million-conservation-fund/) ### [Jasper County Selects Wyche, P.A. as Greenbelt Program Manager to Oversee $94 Million Conservation Fund](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/jasper-county-selects-wyche-p-a-as-greenbelt-program-manager-to-oversee-94-million-conservation-fund/) Originally distributed by Jasper County Administrator’s Office on September 9, 2026 Ridgeland, S.C. — Jasper County has selected Wyche, P.A., a South Carolina-based law firm, [](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/wyche-expands-environmental-and-land-use-capabilities-with-nationally-recognized-preservation-lawyer-will-cook/) ### [Wyche Expands Environmental and Land Use Capabilities with Nationally Recognized Preservation Lawyer Will Cook](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/wyche-expands-environmental-and-land-use-capabilities-with-nationally-recognized-preservation-lawyer-will-cook/) COLUMBIA, SC (January 13, 2026) – Wyche, a full-service law firm with offices across South Carolina, is pleased to announce that Will Cook, a nationally [* View All](https://wyche.com/insights/news-stories/) ## Stay in Touch Join one our mailing lists and receive regular updates! [Subscribe to Updates](/subscription) ## Contact Us * * Send Message - [Our Philosophy](https://wyche.com/our-philosophy/) - [Unique Culture](https://wyche.com/our-unique-culture/) - [Client Service](https://wyche.com/wyche-difference/) - [Global Reach](https://wyche.com/global-reach/) - [Careers](https://wyche.com/careers/) - [Locations](https://wyche.com/locations) - [Centennial](https://wyche.com/wyche-100/) [Linkedin **](https://www.linkedin.com/company/wychepa/) [Facebook **](https://www.facebook.com/wychepa?ref=hl) [Instagram **](https://www.instagram.com/wychepa/)