Environmental Justice Interagency Task Force

Governor Paterson is committed to achieving environmental justice through the equitable treatment and meaningful involvement of citizens, regardless of race, ethnicity or income, with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, policies and programs. To that end, the Governor established an Environmental Justice Interagency Taskforce, which is charged with developing policy recommendations and agency action plans for each of the participating agencies by December 2008.

Governor Paterson's Environmental Justice Interagency Task Force was created in June 2008 and the First Agency meeting was held on June 6, 2008. The first Stakeholder's meeting was held July 9,2008.

Agencies on the Task Force

Agriculture and Markets
Department of Environmental Conservation
Department of Health
Department of Labor
Department of Public Service
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Division of Housing and Community Renewal
Division of Human Rights
Empire State and Development Corporation, Downstate and Upstate
Governor's Office
Metropolitan Transit Authority
New York Power Authority
NYSERDA
Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Five Working Groups have been created to discuss general statewide topics of concern and agency specific Environmental Justice issues and recommendations:

Air
Food
Land
Toxics
Water

Draft Environmental Justice Interagency Task Force Agendas - Issued June 10, 2009

The Public Comment Period for the draft Agency Action Agendas will close July 10, 2009. Please send any comments to:

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
Office of Environmental Justice
625 Broadway, 14th Floor
Albany, NY 12233-1500
Phone: (866) 229-0497 (toll free) or (518) 402-8556
Email: ej@gw.dec.state.ny.us