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III' New rules boost agency's environmental justice efforts Tiffany Stecker, E E ireporter Published: Wednesday, Septe mber30, 2015 It's been a big week for environmental justice at U.S. EPA. The agency recently finalized two rules intended to protect the poorest sectors of the population from toxic substances. EPA began the week by announcing an overhaul of pesticide regulations to protect farmworkers -- many of whom are undocumented and do not speak English -- to include the first age restrictions on pesticide applicators and an annual requirement for safety training. The agency followed up yesterday with a long- awaited refinery rule, which sets tough standards on petroleum refineries to cut toxic air emissions. The rule requires refineries to monitor emissions on site and publicly disclose those levels for the first time, creating, in EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy's words, "a kind of neighborhood watch for refinery pollution" (see related story). Along with climate change, environmental justice -- the alleviation of pollution in poor and underserved communities -- was one of McCarthy's top priorities when she came on as EPA chief in 2013, following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Lisa Jackson. "Environmental justice is at the heart of EPA's mission to protect public health - especially for vulnerable communities dealing with risks associated with pesticide exposure," McCarthy wrote in a blog p2st ahead of the agricultural Worker Protection Standard revisions (EE eves PM, Sept. 28). Matthew Tejada, director of EPA's Office of Environmental Justice, wrote his own blog ost to highlight how the refinery rule will improve overall health of residents living around the facilities. The approximately 6.1 million people living within 3 miles of a petroleum refinery are disproportionately likely to be poor and members of a minority group, according to EPA ( a2Lgy ire, Sept. 30). "The emission reductions from this final rule will lower the cancer risk from refineries for 1.4 million people. That's not just good for the communities that live in and around refineries -- it's outstanding," he wrote. But despite EPA's vocal loyalty to environmental justice, some critics have knocked the agency for not addressing claims from poor and minority areas. EPA's Office of Inspector General recently found that the agency was three years late in issuing guidance for considering environmental justice in rulemaking. An investigation from the Center for Public Integrity found EPA's Office of Civil Rights has dismissed 95 percent of complaints of environmental discrimination under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.