State launches MiEJScreen Version 1.0 to illuminate environmental, health and socioeconomic conditions in communities

Michigan’s Environmental Justice screening tool– MiEJScreen–is now available in version 1.0. The tool is available to all Michiganders—from state regulators and decision makers to businesses and community members—as a resource to provide a better understanding of a community’s characteristics, allowing users to be better informed about and more responsive to specific community needs and concerns.

Released in draft form in 2022, MiEJScreen 1.0 was developed in response to years of advocacy from Environmental Justice communities for the creation of an online tool that maps their lived experiences. Developed by the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate (OEJPA) in the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) the screening tool incorporates input from partners across state government, the public, and a wide range of diverse stakeholders. The new tool incorporates public input, showcases new data sets, user improvements, and enhanced guidance on using the tool.  

EGLE protects Michigan’s environment and public health by managing the state’s air, water, land, and energy resources. As a part of this mission, EGLE works to meet communities where they are, striving to provide equitable access, meaningful public involvement, and transparency in decisions, working closely with all communities to ensure we maximize our impact.

“Michigan is one of the early states to develop a state-based Environmental Justice screening tool. This tool provides a shared platform for community members, government, policy makers, and businesses to view the same information about a community, creating a collective understanding of the various stressors facing communities,” said Regina Strong, Head of Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate. “Releasing the 1.0 version of MiEJScreen is an important step toward integrating equity and Environmental Justice into our work.”

Regina Strong, second from left; Ally Estrada, intern (center); and Katie Lambeth, second from right, all with the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate, talk with conference attendees at the Climate Equity Technical Assistance Open House.

MiEJScreen Version 1.0 offers enhanced opportunities to:

• gain knowledge about a community,
• enhance community engagement,
• help target resources,
• inform future research and planning, and
• foster discussion and understanding. 

Version 1.0 is another step forward in the state’s efforts to provide valuable information to enhance outcomes in communities across the state. MiEJScreen will remain a dynamic tool, with a commitment from the department to continuous updates and enhancements, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness. 

Today’s action comes on the heels of impactful announcements like the state’s first-ever Environmental Justice Impact Grants, a new funding opportunity focused on reducing environmental health burdens and impacts in Environmental Justice communities, and resources like the Climate Justice Challenge and Justice40 accelerator which support the draw down of federal funding opportunities for communities.

It also follows years of work led by OEJPA to integrate Environmental Justice principles into state government. The office centers community engagement including hosting regional roundtables and resource fairs throughout the state. It has also led the development of the department’s Language Access Plan and updates to the Public Participation Policy, as well as trainings for EGLE employees on Environmental Justice. Additionally, it has supported the development of new initiatives including a community resiliency planning pilot in Southwest Detroit and an environmental health project on the Eastside of Detroit. This work has also informed EGLE’s longstanding programs, including enhanced efforts to incorporate equity into the state’s water infrastructure funding programs. 

About Michigan’s Environmental Justice structure
In 2019, Governor Whitmer created the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy by executive order to serve as an internal and external advocate and catalyst of ensuring that Environmental Justice is prioritized and integrated throughout state programs and in communities across the state, and to address Environmental Justice concerns and complaints. In the same executive order, the Governor created an Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team to ensure departments remove silos and think creatively about solutions to address environmental injustices. The Office of Environmental Justice Public Advocate also created the state’s first Environmental Justice advisory, the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice, an intentionally inclusive body which includes Environmental Justice community members, environmental organizational representation, representation from the Tribal community, academia, business and industry, as well as labor to advise the department on addressing concerns to Environmental Justice communities.