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These facilities were the subject of civil rights complaints filed with the Environmental Protection
Agency more than 10 years ago. The complainants in most of them are still waiting for
decisions.
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Under the rules, the E.P.A. is supposed to decide within 20 days of a complaint whether to
investigate, and to issue a preliminary finding within 180 days. But in practice, the agency takes
an average of 350 days just to determine whether it will investigate, according to an analysis by
the Center for Public Integrity, and a number of investigations by the agency have been open for
years. The office has dismissed or rejected more than 90 percent of the complaints it has
received and has never made a formal finding of discrimination.
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The Office of Civil Rights seems aware of these concerns and has been hiring new employees
with civil rights experience. The office is also working on clearer guidance to help recipients of
federal money comply with antidiscrimination law.
In May, the E.P.A. issued a draft of its five-year plan for ensuring that all communities have
equal protection from environmental threats. The period for public comment on the plan was to
close on Thursday, but has been extended to July 28. The plan calls for changes to the
agency’s rule-making, permitting and enforcement practices, as well as programs to reduce
exposure to lead and other hazards in low-income and minority neighborhoods. If the agency
hopes to hold states and cities accountable for shielding vulnerable residents from
environmental harm, it will need to address complaints more rigorously — and much more
quickly — than it has.