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HomeMy WebLinkAboutITEM IV _ Environmental Justice Resolution - Redline_____________, 2022 22-XXX RESOLUTION (CARRIED________LOST________LAID OVER________WITHDRAWN________) PURPOSE: SUPPORT INCORPORATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE CONCEPTS INTO CITY OF OSHKOSH PLANS AND PROCESSES INITIATED BY: MAYOR PALMERI SUSTAINABILITY ADVISORY BOARD RECOMMENDATION: WHEREAS, Oshkosh has affirmed our commitment to being a community for everyone in aspiration and in reality, including building an inclusive, and welcoming place to live, learn, work, and enjoy life; and WHEREAS, we continue to rise to meet the challenges that misunderstandings about our diverse experiences may present. We seek to listen to understand each other. We aspire to learn from each other about our diverse experiences and barriers so we can empathetically and soundly inform our community’s policies; and WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh is committed to engaging the community on policies that affect residents, citizens, workers, employers, and visitors; and WHEREAS, the principles of environmental justice can help build public policy based on respect and equity for all people, free from discrimination or bias; and WHEREAS, Environmental Justice is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies; and WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh seeks to actualize the goal of ensuring residents, citizens, workers, employers, and visitors enjoy the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards and equal access to the decision-making process to have a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work; and WHEREAS, the federal government has iteratively established robust policy addressing the fair treatment of all citizens, residents, visitors, and businesses with special focus on how policies may impact minority and low-income areas across departments and divisions from the Civil rights Act of 1964 to the Environmental Protection Agency’s 1992 establishment of an Environmental Justice Office to President Joe Biden’s 2021 Executive order 12898; and WHEREAS, the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reaffirms the state of Wisconsin’s commitment is committed to clean air and healthy landscapes as foundations of Wisconsin’s environment and quality of life; and WHEREAS, both the EPA and the DNR are vested with wide regulatory authority to ensure public and private land users and businesses are adhering to the laws, guidelines, and orders that protect our air, land, and water quality in addition to obeying standards as they relate to investigation and cleanup of environmental contamination and redevelopment of contaminated properties; and WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh seeks to affirm our commitment as good partners to all citizens, residents, visitors, and businesses who seek to live and thrive in the city by committing to work with the DNR and EPA in our respective authorities to ensure our work together meets environmental justice standards; and WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh has supported work towards achieving these goals over the last decade through policy writing, participation in supporting a variety of brownfield redevelopment projects, and EPA and/or DNR planning grants, sustainability and economic development plans, as well as applying for and having designated two opportunity zones, having several distressed qualifying census tracts, and various resolutions supporting our diverse community; and WHEREAS, the City of Oshkosh has incorporated Environmental Justice concepts in the City’s existing Strategic Plan and within plans for allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Funding; and WHEREAS, environmental justice principles are a part of the trillion-dollar federal Bipartisan infrastructureInfrastructure framework Bill that passed the US Senate in President Biden signed in August November 2021 and itthat includes directing 40% of climate and clean energy investments into communities of color and low-income neighborhoods; and Commented [LL1]: Iteratively generally refers to through repetition or a repeating kind of slow sequential process, which may or may not be representative here, staff recommends amending the language to remove this ambiguous wording and focus on the federal establishment of a robust policy. Commented [LL2]: At the State level in Wisconsin the Environmental Justice pages actually are a collaboration between WDNR, DOA, WEDC and WDHS as well as potentially other State agencies and supported organizations. Staff recommends amending the language to more broadly capture the efforts of all state agencies and cooperating state entities. Commented [LL3]: Staff recommends adding language recognizing the City’s incorporation of Environmental Justice concepts in the Strategic Plan and within the prior plan for allocation of ARPA funding Commented [LL4]: The 40% figure is part of the BIL and the Build Back Better Act. https://www.whitehouse.gov/ceq/news- updates/2021/12/02/delivering-on-justice40/ NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Common Council of the City of Oshkosh, Winnebago County, Wisconsin that The the City of Oshkosh will use give consideration to environmental justice principles during policymaking by and developing a plan with clear goals for meaningful public engagement. The plan shouldincluding updates to the City’s Strategic Plan and the City’s Comprehensive Plan and other policies and plans developed for the City to ensure that those responsible for decisions that could affect the quality of life for residents, citizens, workers, employers, visitors, neighborhoods and our City at large hear and consider meaningful, timely, inclusive, accessible public comment, with the intention of being responsive to that public input; and. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City will develop, and maintain an active GIS-based inventory of environmental justice areas in Oshkosh, using the EPA’s EJSCREEN, the EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool EJSCREEN (epa.gov). The inventory will be updated every two years, and be provided to Common Councilmembers at the beginning of their terms, as well as city staff as appropriate.; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City will provide links to the EPA EJSCREEN, the EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool EJSCREEN (epa.gov), and the State of Wisconsin Environmental Equity Tool and may provide additional data or resources specific to the City of Oshkosh on the City’s website accessible to the public, elected officials and city staff. This information will be reviewed regularly and updated as new data becomes available. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the City will use angive consideration to environmental justice lens principles when discussing funding offuture infrastructure projects. Commented [LL5]: Updating introductory language to match our usual format and language; staff is suggesting changing use from the Wausau version to “give consideration to” to match the language in the prior ARPA resolution Commented [LL6]: Rather than development of a separate plan to be applied to some or potentially all actions in a one-size-fits-all manner, staff is recommending including Environmental Justice concepts within the City’s Strategic Plan and other plans and policies that are developed to allow flexibility for the many different processes and procedures that the City undertakes. Commented [LL7]: Staff recommends incorporation of the existing information available from the state and federal government through accessibility on the city’s website, along with the option to provide additional information specific to the City of Oshkosh or to individual projects which may be undertaken. Staff does not recommend updating every two years, preferring to regularly review and update as needed, which may be more or less frequent over time. Finally, staff does not recommend providing to Council members as this implies a written format, Council members may access the website and information in the same manner as the public and staff and because some features will be interactive, online access provides better information. Commented [LL8]: Again staff is suggesting using language similar to that used in the ARPA funding resolution for consistency with the City of Oshkosh format. Staff is also suggesting changing the focus from funding of future projects to discussion of future projects in general.