EPA Gives Public an Environmental Justice Mapping Tool: EJView

There are many places in the United States where some of the worst pollution takes place in the neighborhoods of some of the most vulnerable and powerless populations — racial and ethnic minorities, the poor and jobless, children and the elderly. The environmental justice movement seeks to give these communities the means to protect themselves. EPA has been working on environmental justice for years, but the push took on new energy under President Obama.

Environmental justice issues tend to be unique, complex, and very local. Reporters trying to explore those stories have a great mapping tool for layering geography of pollution over the demographics of vulnerability — it's called EJView.

EJView allows any user online to create custom study areas based on a wide range of variables: address, ZIP code, county, city, township, facility, watershed, or geographic coordinates. Other environmental data can then be mapped onto that study area.

• EJView query page.