Office of Environmental Justice
About the Office
The Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) engages Justice Department bureaus, components, and offices in the collective pursuit of environmental justice. The mission of OEJ is to protect overburdened and underserved communities from the harm caused by environmental crimes, pollution, and climate change. The Office:
- Serves as the central hub to implement the Department of Justice’s Environmental Justice Strategic Plan;
- Builds partnerships with community advocates; and
- Promotes fair and equal treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in environmental decision-making process.
OEJ was established within the Environment and Natural Resources Division on May 5, 2022. Visit the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Department of Justice Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
The Office of Environmental Justice developed the Justice Department's Environmental Justice Strategic Plan, fulfilling the Department's responsibilities under Executive Orders 12898 and 14096. The new strategic plan fully incorporates and thereby supersedes the 2022 Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy and the Department's 2014 environmental justice guidance and strategy, while including significant elements from both. Visit Environmental Justice Strategic Plan Information for more details.
Reporting on the Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy
The Office of Environmental Justice is proud to announce its Second Annual Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy Report (Español available). The Report highlights the Department’s accomplishments in cases with environmental justice concerns through September 2024 and outlines the Department’s strategy for engaging with and delivering results to communities long overburdened by pollution and other environmental harms. In October 2023, OEJ released its first-ever Comprehensive Environmental Justice Enforcement Strategy Annual Report. The Strategy was signed in 2022 and provided a roadmap for using the Justice Department’s civil and criminal enforcement authorities and tools to advance environmental justice in underserved communities that have been historically marginalized, including low-income communities, communities of color, and Tribal and Indigenous communities. In December 2024, the Strategy was incorporated into and replaced by the Department’s new Environmental Justice Strategic Plan.
Outreach
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are asking East St. Louis community members to consider submitting optional Community Statements regarding sewer overflow events by April 30, 2025. The agencies seek information on the extent and impact of the sewer overflow problems and input on long-term solutions. Learn more and complete the Community Statement survey.