Federal Agencies Launch Environmental Justice Index

Why it matters locally: The Environmental Justice Index could be a valuable tool for Arkansas public health officials and community organizations working to address environmental health disparities, particularly in areas with significant agricultural or industrial activity.

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Washington D.C. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Environmental Justice, announced the launch of the Environmental Justice Index (EJI) on [today's date]. The EJI is a publicly available online tool intended to provide a standardized measure of the cumulative environmental and socioeconomic burdens experienced by communities nationwide. The stated purpose of the index is to assist in identifying areas where environmental injustices disproportionately affect public health. According to a statement released by the CDC, the EJI integrates data from various sources to create a composite score for each census tract in the United States. These data sources include environmental indicators such as air and water pollution levels, proximity to hazardous waste sites, and other environmental hazards. The index also incorporates socioeconomic factors such as poverty rates, education levels, and housing quality. The index is designed to be used by a variety of stakeholders including public health officials, community organizations, and policymakers to inform decision-making and resource allocation. By identifying communities with high EJI scores, these groups can prioritize interventions and target resources to address environmental health disparities. The EJI is accessible to the public through the CDC website. [Link to the EJI website]. The agencies involved expect the index to be updated regularly with new data as it becomes available. Further information on data sources, methodology, and potential applications of the EJI can be found on the index's website.