Reaching an agreement

EPA tries to get state and local agencies to sign agreements committing to changes when it spots civil-rights problems. But few complaints that people file about alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 — often involving pollution burdens in communities of color — end with such resolutions. The oldest agreement EPA is aware of was struck in 2002.

Figures are up to date as of mid-October 2023. Agreements struck without EPA as a party are those where complainants and state or local agencies negotiated directly through an alternative dispute resolution process. Some complaints were resolved with more than one agreement; some agreements resolved multiple complaints. Pending agreements are those that EPA is still trying to negotiate.
Source: Center for Public Integrity analysis of EPA recordsGet the dataCreated with Datawrapper