It’s a simple idea – that all Americans are entitled to clean air to breathe, safe water to drink and a healthy community to raise their families – but often, it is America’s low-income and minority communities that bear the brunt of our country’s pollution.

As a result, these communities are also hit harder by the many illnesses pollution is linked to – conditions like asthma, heart disease, cancer and strokes. Studies show that minority groups face a greater risk of having asthma, and once they have it, they are at a greater risk of needing emergency treatment. African-American children are hospitalized for asthma at twice the rate of white children, and asthma-related deaths among African-American children take place at a rate of four times that of non-Hispanic white children. Hispanic children -- especially of Puerto Rican descent -- also face higher rates of asthma.

Dirty air, polluted water and contaminated lands not only put families at higher risks of serious and potentially costly diseases – they also discourage new developments and new jobs. Poison in the ground often means poison in the economy. Limiting the economic possibilities of low-income and minority communities only makes it harder to break the cycle of poverty.

Shortly after I was sworn in, I asked EPA employees to make environmental justice part of every decision we make. I called on the whole Agency to think creatively and work hard to make certain that our efforts reach all communities. Plan EJ 2014 – the environmental justice strategy we unveiled more than two years ago– is the tool we created for answering that call. It is aimed at ensuring that environmental justice is integrated into all of EPA’s day-to-day responsibilities – everything from permitting, compliance and enforcement, to community-based programs and the work we do with other federal agencies.

As I prepare to leave EPA, one of my last acts as administrator is issuing the Plan EJ 2014 Progress Report. The report provides ample evidence of how far we have come in making environmental justice an integral and permanent part of EPA’s day-to-day business. It also details how we have mobilized the entire federal government to incorporate environmental justice into the work each agency conducts.

For the first time in our 42 year history, we have laid the groundwork for EPA to fully implement its environmental justice mission of ensuring environmental protection for all Americans, regardless of race, ethnicity or income level. I am proud of the work we have started and the progress we have made, and I am confident that it will continue long after I depart.

This Administration recognizes that a strong and vibrant ecosystem is the key to the Gulf’s future - that's why the President established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force in 2010. As Chair of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force and a New Orleans native, I can tell you that a healthy ecosystem is vital to the economy and the way of life for the Gulf Coast. There’s a lot at stake in this region: the economies of the five Gulf States supported more than 19 million jobs and nearly $2.5 trillion of the U.S. GDP in 2008. In addition, millions of people visit the Gulf Coast each year – to vacation, to sail, to swim, to fish, and to enjoy this great waterbody. In 2008, national and international tourists spent about $145 billion in the 5 coastal states and around 1.7 million people were employed in travel and tourism.

During the oil spill, we essentially “lost” the Gulf for a period of time, and natural resources in the Gulf were extensively damaged. We lost the use of valuable fishing grounds, incredible recreational opportunities and all of the other benefits of a thriving, vibrant ecosystem. That loss helped show folks who aren't from the Gulf Coast just how important it is to our nation.

But our goal and commitment is not simply to address the damage caused by the spill - it is to ensure the long term improvement and restoration of the Gulf Coast and its unique ecosystems.

The RESTORE Act is a critical part of that effort. The bill ensures that 80 percent of Deepwater Horizon civil and administrative penalties under the Clean Water Act will go to Gulf Coast restoration, and sets up a framework that can ensure coordination between the Gulf States and the Federal government. This approach was first recommended by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in his September 2010 recovery plan and subsequently embraced by President Obama.

The Administration will work to ensure coordination between the states and Federal government to ensure that BP and the other responsible parties fully pay for the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and that dedicated Clean Water Act penalties are utilized in a way that serves the goal of long-term ecosystem restoration economic health of the Gulf.

This is an important moment for the Gulf Coast and we commend Congress for doing its part to ensure that the communities and ecosystems of the Gulf Coast recover stronger than before Deepwater Horizon. I know how deeply the spill impacted the lives of everyone in the Gulf – passing the RESTORE Act and continuing work on Gulf Coast restoration is, simply put, the right thing to do.

Every American wants their air and water to be clean and the land where they live, work, play and learn to be free of pollution. But President Obama knows that these cleaner, healthier communities are also better places to buy a home or start a business – boosting local economies and creating jobs often in areas where they’re needed most. That’s why this Administration is investing in clean, green, sustainable communities that will help us win the future.

Since EPA’s brownfields program began less than a decade ago, it has spurred almost 70,000 American jobs. To build on this record of success, I’m in Lansing, Michigan today where I’m announcing $76 million in clean-up grants that will be used for projects throughout the nation.

With the help of local workers, we’ll turn tainted factories, deserted gas stations, closed smelters and some of the more than 450,000 other abandoned or contaminated sites throughout America into vibrant residential and retail districts filled with opportunities for American workers.

I chose Lansing to make this announcement because of the progress they’ve seen thanks to EPA and local funding that has helped to revitalize a distressed community. In recent years, a troubled auto industry put many Lansing residents out of work, while leaving in its wake vacant and often contaminated lots. But the community rallied back, and with the help of a $2 million brownfields grant, they leveraged about $230 million in private investments. Today they’re receiving additional funding to continue expanding their success.

We’ll soon see stories like this one unfold throughout the nation with the help of the funding being awarded today. Like in Chicago, where 575 children will benefit from a new school being built in a disadvantaged neighborhood where a vacant industrial property now lies. Or like in Nassau County, New York, where a park, hotel, affordable housing, and restaurant and retail space will be built on top of unused waterfront property – creating more than 7,700 local jobs. Eight-hundred more jobs will be created in Milwaukee, where a modern business park will replace a contaminated site that’s threatening the health of locals. And in Springfield, Missouri, a clean-up grant will transform a former rail yard into parks and leverage $6 million in private investments.

In reinvigorating these abandoned and often polluted sites – and hundreds of others across our country – we’ll improve our health at the same time that we strengthen our economy. These cleaner, healthier and more prosperous communities will also be more resilient and sustainable for our future.

Find more information on EPA’s brownfields program.

Setting commonsense goals for reducing harmful pollution in the air we breathe can save lives, prevent illnesses and promote the creation of new jobs. We’re confident in these expectations for the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards because this has been the history of Clean Air Act protections for the last forty years.

In 2010 alone, protections in the Clean Air Act prevented 160,000 premature deaths and 170,000 hospital visits. Cleaner air has meant trillions of dollars in benefits to our nation – not only through fewer medical bills, but by keeping our kids in school and our workers on the job. The Clean Air Act has also helped create jobs. As of 2008 the environmental technology industry – which develops, manufactures and maintains the tools that help keep our air clean – employed more than 1.7 million Americans.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards build on this decades-long success. Once the standards are in place, widespread use of existing pollution control technology will prevent an estimated 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks each year. These safeguards will also protect against 120,000 incidents of childhood asthma symptoms and ensure 11,000 fewer cases of acute bronchitis in children each year, making this is one of the largest steps forward in protecting our kids from toxic air pollution in a generation.

Implementing these proposed standards is also expected to create jobs. The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will increase demand for pollution control technology that is already being produced by American companies. And new workers will be needed to install, operate and maintain pollution control technology. We estimate these first-ever standards will support 31,000 construction jobs and 9,000 long-term utility jobs.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards will also be beneficial to American utilities. Setting clear standards alleviates 20 years of uncertainty, and opens a long-awaited path for investments in multi-pollution reduction planning, energy efficiency and clean technology. It will level the playing field, closing loopholes for big polluters and putting our cleanest power generators at a competitive advantage. Consistent with the President’s Executive Order, EPA is ensuring flexibility, cost effectiveness and robust public comment before finalizing the standards.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards represent a milestone in the Clean Air Act’s already unprecedented record of defending the health of American families. At the EPA, we are eager to work with the American people through the coming public comment period, so that we can craft safeguards that best protect our health and strengthen our economy.

Lisa Jackson is Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

I'm a proud native of New Orleans – I was raised in Pontchartrain Park in New Orleans’ Upper Ninth Ward.  My family's home was flooded during Hurricane Katrina and, like many of our neighbors, it was uninhabitable and had to be gutted. Still, on one of my recent trips back I talked to folks about plans to rebuild the house and others as part of a green, sustainable neighborhood. I’m proud to have grown up in and been shaped by such a resilient community.

After high school at Saint Mary's Dominican in New Orleans, I stayed to go to Tulane University (Roll Wave!)  and then got my master’s degree in chemical engineering from Princeton. My dream as a child and throughout school was to become a doctor because I had always wanted to help people when they got sick. But I came to realize that by protecting our environment I was approaching the same problem from a different angle - by making sure people didn’t get sick in the first place.

As the Administrator of the EPA, I oversee a staff of more than 18,000 employees working across the country with a single mission: to protect human health and the environment. I touch on everything from making sure the air we breathe and the water we drink is free from harmful toxins to assisting with response to environmental disasters.

During the State of the Union address, the President focused on winning the future through innovation and job creation. EPA’s everyday work encompasses these vital objectives. The rules and standards EPA enforces not only protect human health, but inspire innovation in industries seeking to be cleaner and more efficient. These new ideas and processes open doors for new jobs and spur our economy. Our ongoing work with the Department of Transportation and automakers to help encourage development of the clean, fuel efficient cars of the future is a good example. These cars will save drivers money at the pump, create good-paying jobs and help put America at the forefront of clean energy technology - all while reducing carbon pollution and emissions of other harmful pollutants into the air we breathe.

Serving as EPA Administrator holds a special significance for me. I didn’t see African-Americans in positions of leadership in government when I was a child. Being able to serve in this role is a tremendous credit to the bold individuals before me who fought for equality for over a hundred years.  While February is Black History Month, I appreciate and try to honor those who fought for equal rights every day. That's why one of my heroes is Dorothy Height. I had the opportunity to sit down with her just weeks before her death, and she was just as strong and determined as she had always been. She accomplished so much by refusing to back down from what she knew was right, something anyone in public service should try to emulate.

That's also why as Administrator I have worked broaden the conversation on environmentalism. I want to show individuals and communities – though they may not think of themselves as environmentalists – that environmental issues play a role in their health and welfare. Clean air and clean water is important to everyone. And EPA has worked to shed light on the disproportionate environmental burden that too many poor and minority communities face today.

At the EPA, we take direct inspiration from those who dedicated their lives to fighting for equality as we fight for environmental justice. That’s because environmental challenges have the power to deny equality of opportunity and hold back the progress of communities. These are the very same battles that so many others fought, and the ones many would still be fighting if they were with us today. And we hope the next generation of Americans will join the effort. A lot of people think that you have to be a scientist or an engineer to work for EPA. While we do have some of the country’s brightest scientists working here, we also have accountants, writers, analysts, graphic designers and many other fields you may not expect. So educate yourself on what EPA does and find out how you can use your skills and career interests to further our mission: protecting the health and the environment of the American people.

Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

When EPA was formed 40 years ago, water pollution was generally something that could be seen, touched, and smelled.  We knew something was wrong when algae began to coat rivers, when the smell from untreated sewage reached our communities, or when massive fish kills appeared in lakes and streams.  Perhaps the most famous example is the Cuyahoga River, which was so covered with pollution and industrial waste that in 1969 it literally caught fire.  

Four decades later, we’ve seen considerable progress.  The Clean Water and the Safe Drinking Water Acts have significantly reduced threats to our environment and our health.  The widespread expansion of water infrastructure has brought clean, safe water to millions of Americans.  And the Cuyahoga – along with a number of other water bodies – is cleaner than it has been in generations.  

But this doesn’t mean we can take clean water for granted.  While we have had success on traditional pollutants, there are other challenges to face in protecting America's waters today.  

Contaminants and chemicals we’ve only recently had the science to detect move into our water supply from a variety of less-conventional places. Rather than gushing from the end of a pipe, pollution trickles from front lawns, city streets and parking lots.  We can’t ask a single polluter to shut off its flow, so we have to find more creative solutions.  

We’re working to find those solutions through efforts like our developing Urban Waters Initiative, and the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities, in which EPA’s water protection investments will work in concert with housing and transportation investments from other agencies.  We’re developing a strategy to incorporate green infrastructure into our clean water rules and actions, which will encourage strategies that work with nature – rather than against it – by using soil, vegetation, permeable materials and landscape changes to capture stormwater, filter contaminants, beautify communities, and reduce the runoff that flows into local waterways.  We’ve issued clear guidance to protect Appalachian waters threatened by valley fills from mountaintop removal mining.  And we’re working with the USDA and the agricultural community to reduce water impacts and encourage sustainable farming techniques.  

Another issue we face is deferred maintenance in our infrastructure, which in too many communities is over-worked and under-budgeted.  Our system is deeply stressed, our financial and our natural resources are limited and our needs are not negotiable.

The good news is that the Recovery Act provided almost $6 billion in funding for clean and drinking water projects.  Those investments, along with EPA’s budget, comprise some of the strongest support for water infrastructure in recent memory.  But if our water systems are going to work harder in the years ahead, we have to start working smarter today.  Earlier this year I outlined a vision to improve drinking water protection by harnessing invention and innovation.  I proposed enhancing efficiency by taking on water contaminants in groups, engaging innovators and entrepreneurs to develop new technology and using technology to improve information sharing and monitoring between federal, state and local authorities.

Finally, the BP spill has presented an unprecedented challenge as an emergency environmental response and a long-term restoration effort.  I’m proud that President Obama has appointed me to lead the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force.  That single event has illustrated just how important clean water is to the health of our communities and our economy, and how entire ways of life count on clean water and a healthy environment.  Those are the same reasons President Obama mobilized EPA and other federal agencies to revitalize cleanups in the Chesapeake Bay and the Great Lakes, and why we are recommitting to our work on other great waterbodies such as Puget Sound, Lake Tahoe, the San Francisco Bay Delta, as well as our oceans, estuaries and precious wetlands like the Florida Everglades.  

Whether we face an immediate, emergency situation like the BP spill, or the gradual accumulation of challenges and degradation, our responsibilities to address the problems and find solutions are exactly the same.  In each case, our efforts are focused on getting real, measurable results in the restoration of waterbodies that millions of people depend on.  
 
In protecting America’s waters today, we have a responsibility to continue the work that began 40 years ago, and begin new work that will change the course of the next 40 years and beyond.  This is what we have been doing since taking office, and what we plan on continuing to do in the months and years ahead.

Administrator Jackson speaks with a response worker at the Incident Command Post in Alabama. June 3, 2010. (by USEPA photo by Eric Vance)

I grew up in New Orleans.  As a chemical engineering student at Tulane University, I worked and studied in the local environment, particularly the wetlands, marshes and swamps.  I saw then that the wetlands were the beating heart of the region.  The coastal waters support a multi-billion-dollar fishing industry that is a way of life for many families and communities.  The rich sediment and marsh grasses help filter pollution and provide the home for a priceless and delicate ecosystem.  And the abundant vegetation growing above the surface helps buffer storm surges during hurricanes – a vital function whose importance was all too apparent after Hurricane Katrina.

My mother was still living in New Orleans when Katrina struck.  I happened to be visiting her at the time, and drove her to safety.  But her house – the house where I grew up – was destroyed by the flooding. After the storm, she and many other Gulf residents learned that the flooding had been made worse because the marshes and wetlands had been destabilized by navigation channels, covered over by levee construction, and most damagingly, cut away for the placement of oil and gas lines.

Today my mother can make as compelling an argument for wetlands protection as any wetlands expert I’ve ever met – and in my line of work, I’ve met quite a few. She can tell you that every year almost 40 miles of wetlands outside New Orleans disappear.  We’re losing them at the rate of an entire football field every 30 minutes.  She can also tell you about the people hit hardest by this environmental degradation. Not just the people whose homes were flooded in the storms, but the local tribes and families whose lands are disappearing.  They are finding it harder and harder to fish, trap, or catch the shrimp and shellfish that make up a major part of the local economy, and many of them are moving away.

In the years since Katrina, the EPA has made it a priority to better protect our nation’s vulnerable wetlands and coastal communities. Through grant programs we’ve helped to strengthen state and tribal restoration efforts and built partnerships between government, local groups and landowners.  From restoring the Gulf’s New Cut Barrier Island and protecting Lake Borgne’s shoreline to creating the Bayou DuPont and Whiskey Island Back Barrier marshes, we’ve helped by investing more than $95 million in restoring and protecting the Gulf’s shores and wetlands.

While a clear priority for the EPA, this issue has also become a top priority for President Obama. In March, the administration released a roadmap for restoring the Gulf – outlining our work to build a better, more sustainable future for the region.  Unfortunately, shortly after the release of the plan, yet another tragedy struck: the Deepwater BP oil spill.

Having learned valuable lessons from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we stepped up to defend the coastal communities and the wetlands that shield them from storms and oil alike.  We mobilized in every way possible, from extensive skimming, booming and burning efforts, to dispersing the oil and speeding its degradation offshore, before it affected fragile wetlands.

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, this administration remains committed to ensuring the vitality of the Gulf Coast, the prosperity of its economy, and the health of its residents.  Our work continues today, and will carry on until the area is back on the path to prosperity.  One of the valuable lessons we’ve learned is that building safe, healthy communities means re-building and revitalizing the wetlands that are at the heart of the Gulf Coast.

Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

Read more from the Hurricane Katrina: 5 Years of Remembering & Rebuilding series.

Something else was on display as well: the value that our great outdoors and green spaces have for millions of Americans. The environment is the foundation of the economy for the farmers and ranchers I met at the fair, the people who live off the land. It's part of the culture for the women and men who love to fish and hunt. And it's a way of life for the 60 million Americans living in small towns and rural areas throughout the country. Though they may not call themselves "environmentalists," these Americans are playing an important part in protecting critical natural resources, using sustainable techniques to preserve our environment, and leading the way in innovative clean energy technology.

From left to right: Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank, EPA Administrator Lisa. P. Jackson, State Fair Executive Director Rick Frenette, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Deputy Secretary Randy Romanski. August 5, 2010.

Today rural America faces profound environmental challenges. While the State Fair was a place of celebration, I also had serious conversations about clean drinking water, chemicals in our products and our environment, and the effects climate change could have on American agriculture. The good news is, the development of new, green ideas has never been stronger, and rural America is helping to lead the way. That's one of the reasons why I visited Wisconsin, to view some of the cutting-edge strategies being used in the state and to see some of the extraordinary clean water research taking place at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Science. A few hours before visiting the Fair, I announced a strategy to open the way to green infrastructure solutions throughout the country. That strategy will help urban and rural communities use natural infrastructure -- soil, vegetation, or the rain gardens at the Fair -- to capture stormwater and agricultural runoff, to filter contaminants, and to conserve water.

Clean water, air and land are an American tradition. We're traveling the country and speaking with everyone we can to get the best ideas from all over America. We're even having a little fun, too, enjoying both the traditions and the innovations of state fairs in Wisconsin and across the nation. By building lasting partnerships and strong connections between our communities, our businesses and our government, we can work together to make America greener, healthier, and more prosperous.

Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency

Ed. Note: Did you know that the Wisconsin State Fair donates 180,000 pounds of food to a community organization that has fed hungry Milwaukeeans for over thirty years? Under Secretary Kevin Concannon discussed the issue of hunger and nutrition education during his visit to the Wisconsin State Fair over on the USDA Blog.

As of today, we’ve received thousands of ideas from federal employees and military personnel all over the country.  There are all kinds of ways to conserve energy, cut costs and reduce greenhouse gases.  

Replacing one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent prevents 300 pounds of greenhouse gases a year.  

Taking mass transit to work just once a week can prevent one ton of greenhouse gases over the year.

If your entire agency turns off every computer, monitor and workspace light tonight, we estimate savings of thousands of dollars and hundreds of pounds of greenhouses gases – in just one day.  If we stick with it every day of the year, the results really add up.

We're looking for more suggestions.  We want to hear your ideas – before the October 31 deadline.  Some of the best ideas will be used to help shape our agency Sustainability Plans, so this is your chance to change the way government works, and help cut dangerous pollution and save taxpayer dollars.  

Watch the video and log in to GreenGov today to tell us your solution for making Federal government more sustainable.

Lisa P. Jackson is the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.