As directed under state EJ law, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issued draft Environmental Justice (EJ) regulations that set permitting requirements for pollution-generating facilities located, or proposed to be located, in overburdened communities. To ensure applicants’ meaningful engagement with overburdened communities, the proposed rule also includes a required analysis of relevant environmental and public health stressors, as well as requirements to ensure community members’ participation in the DEP decision-making process.
In addition, DEP has launched a beta version of the Environmental Justice Mapping, Assessment, & Protection (EJMAP) tool. The resource provides the public with a visualization of where overburdened communities are located throughout the state, where regulated facilities are located, and what environmental and public health stressors impact these communities. For more information on how to use EJMAP, you can review this tutorial. For more information, see here. The proposal is subject to public comment until September 4.
