Program areas at Environmental Integrity Project
Oil & gas: eip is committed to providing the public with timely information about major sources of pollution that contribute to global warming or threaten air and water quality. Eip advocates for the cleanup of petrochemical plants, the improvement of monitoring of plants and hydraulic fracturing sites, and the implementation of regulations to help protect nearby communities affected by these operations. Eip takes part in rulemaking, permitting, and enforcement actions to ensure that petrochemical plants use only the cleanest technologies when they are expanding. We ensure petrochemical plants accurately account for their emissions and minimize hazardous air emissions released during routine maintenance or malfunctions. Eip has established and continues to expand a (continued on schedule o) national inventory of large new petrochemical projects, which alerts communities to new permit applications and helps identify projects that disproportionately affect people of color or low-income neighborhoods.
Chesapeake bay program: the chesapeake bay program seeks to improve chesapeake bay water quality by ensuring that state and watershed-wide policies reflect the best available science and that polluters are accountable for their pollution loads. Eip pursues this goal through research, reporting, advocacy, and litigation.
Center for applied Environmental science: the center for applied Environmental science seeks to advance Environmental justice by ensuring that communities and Environmental advocates have access to high-quality science and engineering expertise. By providing this access, which is a critical element in permitting and siting decisions, legal challenges, and rulemaking efforts, we support disproportionately impacted communities as they seek more power to influence Environmental decisions that affect their health and quality of life.
Maryland healthy communities campaign: the Maryland healthy communities campaign combines research, public advocacy and legal action to reduce pollution that threatens the health of Maryland residents. Project goals including holding government agencies accountable for failure to implement Environmental laws or meet deadlines; helping citizens review weak permits and take legal action to challenge major sources of pollution; and building support for Environmental laws and their enforcement through targeted grassroots organizing and media outreach.
Clean water act: this program identifies threats to public health or natural resources that arise from epa or state failure to enforce the clean water and safe drinking water acts. Eip evaluates federal and state responses, communicates findings, and makes policy recommendations.
Coal: eip seeks to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants through regulation, permit review, and citizen enforcement. Projects include evaluating and publishing analyses of emissions of hazardous pollutants and greenhouse gases, wastewater discharges, and groundwater contamination related to the operation of coal plants; taking part in rulemakings and permit proceedings to ensure that any new or modified coal plants meet the requirements of the clean air act; and working with federal and state agencies to improve monitoring and cleanup of coal plants. Eip also aims to expedite retirement of the dirtiest and least efficient plants. Finally, the organization tracks contamination from coal ash ponds and landfills across the us and provides easy online access to such information.
The biomass program seeks to limit the growth of the wood bioenergy industry in the u.s. and the associated climate change driven by deforestation and air pollution.
Epa watch: eip advocacy promotes and defends the u.s. Environmental protection agency's mission, which requires the agency to make decisions that protect public health and our natural resources, respect all legal requirements, are well supported by scientific and other factual evidence, and are adopted through a transparent process that gives all citizens a fair chance to be heard. Eip pursues these goals through research, reporting, media outreach, other forms of advocacy and, where appropriate, litigation.
Environmental justice: eip's work across all programs seeks to maximize opportunities to protect vulnerable communities disproportionately affected by air and water pollution. Such work includes (but is not limited to) leveraging the clean air act and other federal Environmental laws to promote the reduction of greenhouse gases and other pollutants from key industrial sectors, including steel, aluminum manufacturing, and landfills.
Landfill methane: see Environmental justice narrative
Aluminum: see Environmental justice narrative
Cafo
Special programs