WASHINGTON (09/08/06) -- The U.S. EPA is renewing the charter for the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), the federal advisory committee that provides it with advice and recommendations on environmental justice matters. The NEJAC provides advice and recommendations to the EPA administrator on national environmental justice policy issues, such as: (1) integrating environmental justice considerations into EPA's decision making process; and (2) strategies for ensuring that communities have meaningful opportunities to participate in the agency's decision making process. 

"NEJAC has made significant contributions to our efforts to integrate environmental justice considerations into the agency's decision making," said Granta Y. Nakayama, EPA's assistant administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Their recommendations and suggestions represent an important resource that EPA considers seriously, we look forward to their continued input as EPA addresses environmental justice issues."

The advisory committee is a forum of diverse stakeholder groups, including communities, non-governmental organizations, industry, tribes, states and local government, and academia. Like all federal advisory committees, the NEJAC needs a charter to function. Established in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act in 1993, NEJAC is one of 23 federal advisory committees to EPA. NEJAC's charter expires on Sept. 26, 2006 and will be renewed for two years.

More information is available online.