The Department of the Interior is excited to announce that it will be hosting three public listening sessions to inform the Department’s development of its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan. See related press release, Federal Register Notice, and more information below.

The Department is hosting three public listening sessions focused and designed to gather input to inform the development of the Department’s Environmental Justice Strategic Plan.  President Biden signed Executive Order 14096, Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, which directs Federal agencies to develop an Environmental Justice Strategic Plan that will: “set forth the agency’s vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics to address and advance environmental justice…”  To update its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan, the Department is organizing listening sessions in November to obtain public input to: (1) provide feedback to refine draft vision, goals, and objectives (attached), (2) identify implementation strategies, and (3) identify priority actions to advance environmental justice.

Below are the links for registering for the listening sessions. Please share with those that you think would be interested.

• November 30, 2023 | 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. ET
• November 30, 2023 | 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. ET
• December 1, 2023 | 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. ET

Listening sessions will be 90 minutes. The sessions will start with an overview and then interested persons will have the opportunity to provide feedback using a variety of engagement tools. Each session will cover the same content. If you require a reasonable accommodation to attend a listening session, please email: Environmental_Justice@ios.doi.gov.

In addition to providing input during the listening sessions, the public may provide written comments to the Department by one of the following methods.  We welcome your written comments by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on December 15, 2023.

• By email to: Environmental_Justice@ios.doi.gov.
• By hard copy to: Environmental Justice, U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance (MS-2629), 1849 C Street NW, Washington DC 20240.

You may access information on the Department’s Environmental Justice program, information on the Environmental Justice Strategic Plan update, and the Department’s 2016 Environmental Justice Strategic Plan at the Department’s environmental justice website at https://www.doi.gov/oepc/resources/environmental-justice. Thank you for your interest as the Department updates its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan.