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MassDEP officials describe Environmental Justice outreach and language-access services
Summary
Officials from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection outlined how the agency’s Environmental Justice office conducts outreach, assists limited-English households and directs community concerns to program staff, and pointed residents to an EJ map viewer for local language data.
Representatives of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection described the agency’s Environmental Justice outreach and language-access work and how residents can raise concerns and get information.
Denene Simpson, director of Environmental Justice at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, said the office’s mission is to connect residents in environmental-justice areas with MassDEP programs and activities. “As the director of EJ, my job is to ensure that the residents of the Commonwealth who live in EJ areas have access to MassDEP's programs and activities,” Simpson said.
The presentation focused on three functions of MassDEP’s EJ office: outreach and engagement, follow-up and referrals inside MassDEP, and language-access services. Madeline Sullivan Hale, MassDEP’s Environmental Justice Outreach Coordinator, described her role as connecting communities and MassDEP and said she shares information and listens to local needs. “Based on what I hear, I will follow-up internally within MassDEP and then with the community regarding next steps,” Hale said.
Shaquita Cox, MassDEP’s Language Access Coordinator, said language access ensures people who are limited English proficient can receive important information, either through translated documents or interpreters provided in person, virtually or by phone. “Language access is important for multiple reasons,” Cox said.
Cox listed the top non‑English languages used in Massachusetts that the EJ program makes available guidance about: Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese, traditional and simplified Chinese, and what she described as Asian creole. She told listeners that data on limited‑English populations and local language prevalence can be found using MassDEP’s Environmental Justice map viewer on mass.gov. “We can locate that information on our environmental justice map viewer on the mass.gov website,” Cox said.
Speakers encouraged community groups to invite EJ staff to local meetings to raise issues directly; Hale said regular contact helps build relationships and trust and that she collaborates with community leaders and organizations. The presenters closed by inviting residents to follow up with the EJ office staff named in the briefing.
The session did not include votes, policy adoption or formal directives to other agencies.
