Overview from https://www.hhs.gov/environmental-justice/progress_2013./index.html, produced by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH):

"Environmental justice is defined as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.”¹ On February 11, 1994, President William J. Clinton signed Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations.²The Executive Order requires each Federal agency to “make achieving environmental justice part of its mission by identifying and addressing, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects of its programs, policies, and activities on minority populations and low-income populations.” Specifically, the Executive Order requires that each agency develop an agency-wide environmental justice strategy specific to that agency’s mission."

Overview from https://www.hhs.gov/environmental-justice/progress_2012/index.html, produced by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH):

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prepared the Environmental Justice Implementation Progress Report to summarize major programs, policies and activities related to environmental justice that were supported by HHS between 2010 and 2012. The report highlights some of the Department’s significant contributions to environmental justice in the areas of policy development and dissemination; education and training; research and data collection, analysis, and utilization; and services.  It also provides background information, a description of Federal actions and the HHS vision for environmental justice."