ECOS, through the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory Program (EPA TRI), recently has focused outreach efforts on assisting the Environmental Justice (EJ) community. Most recently ECOS focused on raising awareness of EJ-TRI related issues through a small grants program. As such, ECOS awarded three grants under its current five-year TRI Cooperative Agreement with EPA. These grants support EJ efforts as they relate to TRI, with particular emphasis on addressing local environmental issues in communities.

World Resources Institute (WRI), an environmental think tank and one of the grant recipients, identified key barriers to accessing information from TRI for individuals and groups within the EJ community. This effort was completed under WRI’s Access Initiative, which seeks to expand information availability, public participation, and access to justice in matters affecting the environment. As part of this undertaking, WRI developed policy goals and steps for an integrated approach to better serving EJ communities. WRI’s findings and recommendations are highlighted in the latest edition of ECOS Green Report.