Embedding Environmental Justice into the Washington State Department of Ecology: Promising Practices for Advancing Equity and Environmental Justice

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to equip the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) with evidence-based recommendations to further equity and environmental justice (EJ) efforts within their capacity as the state’s environmental regulatory agency, in service of advancing EJ for those who live, work, and play in Washington. This report is intended to share promising trends and tools, acknowledge common barriers and ideas for overcoming those barriers, elevate successes, and amplify equitable practices for defining, measuring, mobilizing, and sustaining meaningful EJ work.

This report is written with Ecology leadership and staff in mind as the primary audience, although we are confident it provides meaningful information for other agencies to consider. In addition to overarching departmental recommendations, we analyzed EJ work within five agency functions identified as priority areas to incorporate EJ by our client contact at Ecology: grantmaking, inspections and compliance, permitting, policy review, and rulemaking. These agency functions are common across environmental regulatory agencies in the U.S., and our work builds upon efforts that are already underway to incorporate EJ considerations in these functions at Ecology.