In July 2023, the ECOS Environmental Justice (EJ) Workgroup welcomed Delaware’s Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and North Dakota’s Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) to discuss their emerging Title VI and environmental justice programs and initiatives. DNREC’s slides can be viewed here, and NDDEQ’s slides are available here.
Delaware hired its first EJ Coordinator in 2023, and is working to integrate EJ considerations into its permitting processes. DNREC’s EJ Viewer mapping tool visualized DelDOT Equity Focus Areas, allowing the Department to target actions and investments. North Dakota has assembled a EJ/Title VI Advisory Group within NDDEQ, which has conducted internal trainings on EJ and Title VI throughout DEQ. With its energy and agriculture-based economy, North Dakota faces unique equity and jurisdictional concerns, and aims to work collaboratively with other state agencies.
Thank you to Dr. Katera Moore of DNREC and Ann Fritz of NDDEQ for sharing their experiences and lessons learned with the ECOS EJ Workgroup.
