Equity Action Plan
The Environmental Protection Agency's Equity Action Plan fulfills President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 13985 directing EPA, along with other federal agencies, to assess whether underserved communities and their members face systemic barriers in accessing benefits and opportunities through the federal government.
The plan aligns with the Agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2022-2026 EPA Strategic Plan, announced March 28, 2022, and outlines six priority actions:
- Develop a comprehensive framework for considering cumulative impacts in relevant EPA decisions and operationalize that framework in EPA’s programs and activities.
- Build the capacity of underserved communities to provide their experience to EPA and implement community-led projects.
- Develop EPA’s internal capacity to engage underserved communities and implement clear and accountable processes to act based on communities’ input.
- Strengthen EPA’s external civil rights compliance program and ensure that civil rights compliance is an agency-wide responsibility.
- Integrate participatory (community) science into EPA’s research and program implementation.
- Make EPA’s procurement and contracting more equitable.
EPA’s Equity Action Plan carries forward our work to break through barriers and advance equity and justice across our efforts to ensure clean water, air, and land for all communities.