Proactive Community Engagement as Foundation for Environmental Justice

Abstract

Fernando Treviño, Special Deputy Secretary for Environmental Justice for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), explains how the PA DEP functions and highlights the department’s recent reinvention, focusing more on environmental justice under the Shapiro administration. He offers insight into how the DEP identifies and prioritizes environmental justice communities across the state and emphasizes the importance of understanding the specific needs of these individual communities. Finally, with this understanding, Treviño explains the department’s new policy that promotes a proactive community approach and public participation, allowing the department to provide guidance and resources to community leaders combatting environmental injustices.