Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is encouraging residents to utilize MiEJScreen, an environmental justice resource recently launched by the Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate (OEJPA) in the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE). MiEJScreen, developed by the OEJPA with stakeholder and community input, is an interactive environmental justice screening tool that allows users to identify Michigan communities that may be disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards.
“MiEJScreen is a vital tool for understanding and addressing the environmental challenges that different communities face,” Nessel said. “I applaud EGLE’s Office of the Environmental Justice Public Advocate for its innovative approach in creating a platform that makes critical information more accessible and empowers Michiganders to work toward a more equitable environmental future.”
MiEJScreen allows users to explore the environmental, health, and socioeconomic conditions within a specific community, region, or statewide. The data is provided at the census tract level and is visualized in map form, making it easier for users to gain insights into how communities experience environmental justice impacts relative to other locations. There are also context levels which can be added to provide a more detailed view of both current and historical context for communities.
“The development of MiEJScreen was a collaborative effort that began several years ago,” said Regina Strong, Michigan’s Environmental Justice Public Advocate. “We worked across state departments through the Interagency Environmental Justice Response Team and with the Michigan Advisory Council on Environmental Justice to develop the tool. True to environmental justice principles we also let people speak for themselves through regional roundtables and an extended public input period. The result is a powerful tool designed to show a comprehensive look at what communities face for all to use. We are pleased that the Attorney General is encouraging people in communities to use the tool to match data with their lived experiences.”
The Department of Attorney General provided EGLE with legal guidance to support the tool’s launch. MiEJScreen can be found on EGLE’s website.
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