On April 19, 2018, EPA released their Environmental Justice FY2017 Progress Report. The report commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Office of Environmental Justice (EJ), highlighting progress advancing EJ in minority, low-income, tribal, and indigenous communities. Among their 2017 successes, EPA documented for the first time measurable environmental outcomes in three program areas: fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5), small drinking water systems, and tribal drinking water systems. In each area, EPA measured significant improvements:
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Fine Particle Air Pollution (PM2.5). Percentage of low-income people living in counties with PM2.5 monitors meeting the 2012 annual and 2006 24-hour PM2.5 National Ambient Air Quality Standards since the baseline period of 2006-2008.
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2014-2016: 92%
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2006-2008: 43%
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Small Community Drinking Water Systems. Number and percent of small community water systems and non-transient non-community water systems with repeat health-based violations of key contaminants.
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2016: 754 systems (1.2%)
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2017: 326 systems (0.5%)
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Tribal Drinking Water Systems. Percent of population in Indian country served by community water systems with drinking water that meets all applicable health-based drinking water standards.
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2016: 87.9%
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2017: 90.5%
The number of tribal drinking water systems out of compliance decreased from 92 to 65.
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EPA is committed to innovating and integrating EJ into all their programs, helping overburdened communities become healthier, cleaner, and more prosperous places to live, work, play, and learn, and strengthening their partnerships with states, tribes, local governments, and other federal agencies to provide all Americans with clean water, air, and land.
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For more information on EPA’s EJ Program, visit the EJ Website.
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About the Author
Ms. Luman has over 29 years of experience as a consultant and project manager in the environmental field.
She has conducted Phase I Environmental Site Assessments (ESAs) and subsurface assessments of various business, manufacturing, and petroleum facilities, and has managed investigations and removal actions at State Superfund sites.
Ms. Luman has also performed multi-media environmental compliance audits and environmental management system assessments within the aerospace, semiconductor, food, manufacturing, shipbuilding, and utility industries, and has prepared numerous environmental plans, permits (SPCC, SWPPP, NPDES, FRP, Emergency Contingency, and Hazardous Waste Management), and regulatory reports (Air Emissions Inventory, EPCRA, Discharge Monitoring, and Annual Waste Summaries).
She has been responsible for identifying environmental, health, and safety legal obligations for various businesses and industries across the United States, and for maintaining their compliance with the regulations. Prior to entering the private sector, Ms. Luman worked for a major public water supplier where she was involved in a federal Superfund Remedial Investigation involving the study of groundwater contamination over a 60-square mile area.
Most recently, she formed her own business, Healthy Tweaks, LLC, to raise awareness of the impact of chemicals on the environment, in consumer products, and on human health, particularly that of children. Her goal is to educate consumers and businesses to enable them to make choices that will improve their health and reduce their ecological footprint.
Ms. Luman is currently the lead author of Site Auditing and was previously the lead author on other STP regulatory publications covering federal EPA and State environmental differences, federal and California OSHA requirements, and federal construction and transportation regulations.
She completed her B.S., Civil Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin in 1989, and is a Professional Engineer licensed in Texas and California, and registered in New York. Her interest in understanding the impact of the built environment on the natural environment led her to become a LEED® Accredited Professional in 2009. She is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Auditing Roundtable, the Texas Association of Environmental Professionals, and the U.S. Green Building Council. She is also on the Houston Advisory Board for The Nature Conservancy.