Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 44, November 2, 2024
Section 5.1034 - Environmental Justice Interagency Council(a)Establishment. The Environmental Justice Interagency Council (EJIC) is established. (1)Membership. The EJIC shall consist of the following members: (i) The Secretary or designee;(ii) The Secretary of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources or designee;(iii) The Secretary of the Department of Education or designee;(iv) The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture or designee;(v) The Secretary of the Department of Health or designee;(vi) The Secretary of the Department of Transportation or designee;(vii) The Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development or designee;(viii) Other Cabinet members or agency heads or their designees as determined by the Governor.(b)Meetings. The Secretary or designee shall convene meetings of the EJIC and serve as its Chair. The first meeting of the EJIC shall be held no later than 90 days after the effective date of this subchapter. The EJIC shall meet at least semi-annually.(c)Actions. The EJIC shall act in an advisory capacity and will: (1) Review and provide input and information to DEP related to the agency's development, implementation and update of the Environmental Justice Plan (EJ Plan), including specific mechanisms for monitoring and measuring the effects of implementing the EJ Plan.(2) Identify and make recommendations to the Governor's Office to address potential disproportionate environmental impacts that State laws, regulations, policies and activities may have on Commonwealth residents in environmental justice areas.(3) Recommend to executive agencies processes to incorporate environmental justice considerations into decision-making.(4) Make recommendations to the Governor's Office to ensure consistency with Federal environmental justice programs.(5) Recommend a comprehensive environmental justice training plan for executive branch Commonwealth agencies.(d)Strategic plan. Each EJIC member agency shall develop and post online every 5 years its own strategic plan to promote environmental justice in ways tailored to the specific agency and its authority, mission and programs.