Blog Archives – Page 5 of 24 – Environmental Data and Governance Initiative

Advancing Public Participation and Community Engagement with the Federal Government

February 26, 2026May 17, 2024 by Gretchen Gehrke

This comment stresses that the federal government should strive to increase the tangible impact of public participation in federal decision-making. To do this, EDGI recommends OMB design public participation processes that have the appropriate timing and depth to meaningfully influence government actions, and to develop standards for information management to ensure the public can easily learn about issues and opportunities for input.

EDGI is hiring: APE Summer Internship

February 26, 2026May 17, 2024 by EDGI Comms

Join the EDGI team! We’re looking to hire a a summer research intern to help coordinate a public online research project. This role will be investigating and making available federal environmental records from FOIA requests, helping build community-led resources (maps, info sheets, etc.), and assisting with online/digital humanities projects. Anticipated Start Date: Beginning of June, … Read more

EDGI’s Public Comment on EPA’s Draft Guidelines for Cumulative Risk Assessment Planning and Problem Formulation

February 26, 2026April 11, 2024 by EDGI Comms

The EPA released draft Guidelines for Cumulative Risk Assessment Planning and Problem Formulation last year. This is a crucial step for the agency to meaningfully examine and address compounding environmental risks as part of a larger picture on human health and environmental justice. Nonetheless, there are several major concerns. Below are key points addressed in … Read more

EDGI’s Public Comment to the OSTP on the Development of a Federal Environmental Justice Science, Data, and Research Plan

February 26, 2026March 8, 2024 by EDGI Comms

Late last fall, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) sought to gather information and feedback for developing a coordinated Federal strategy to identify and address gaps in science, data, and research related to environmental justice. EDGI submitted a public comment responding to OSTP’s questions. Below are key points addressed in EDGI’s response: The … Read more

EDGI is hiring a Communications Lead

August 29, 2024October 24, 2023 by EDGI Comms

Join us! We are looking to hire a new, collaborative team member to join EDGI to help with communications—network-wide and with the broader public.

Introducing EDGI’s New Collaborator in our “Cumulative Effects” Project: Community In-Power and Development Association, Inc. (CIDA)

April 6, 2026October 24, 2023 by EDGI_Team

A paradigmatic case of the “sacrifice zone,” West Port Arthur and similar neighborhoods in Beaumont also epitomize the cumulative impacts faced by America’s most environmentally burdened communities.

Introducing EDGI’s New Collaborator in our “Cumulative Effects” Project: Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT)

April 6, 2026October 18, 2023 by EDGI_Team

Forty years have passed, and the people of Sivuqaq are still fighting for a more thorough clean-up of military wastes remaining on Sivuqaq as they work hand in hand with the Anchorage-based organization Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT).

EDGI Advocates for Public Access to Records as FOIAonline Is Shuttered

August 12, 2024September 29, 2023 by Gretchen Gehrke

On September 30, 2023 FOIAonline—the government-wide online portal for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and case management—will be decommissioned. For more than a decade, FOIAonline has served as a critical transparency tool through which the public could not only file requests and receive records, but also browse and search through records released to others and by multiple agencies. Starting October 1st, FOIAonline will be taken down, and the 1.8 million public records it holds will be taken down with it.

EDGI Releases Web Tool for Investigating Drinking Water Justice in New Jersey

August 12, 2024September 26, 2023 by Kelsey Breseman

Is it as safe to drink tap water in Paterson as it is in more affluent, whiter communities nearby, such as Wayne? EDGI’s new tool, available at sdwa-eew.streamlit.app, is designed for college students to answer questions such as this and explore the intersection of drinking water safety with social justice in New Jersey.

EDGI’s Public Comment on Broadening Public Engagement in the Federal Regulatory Process

February 26, 2026March 13, 2023 by EDGI Comms

The Biden administration’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) recently requested public comment on a set of learnings and potential recommendations for broadening public engagement in the federal regulatory process that they’ve developed based on written submissions and a public engagement session last year. Below is EDGI’s public comment to the OIRA.