Environmental justice assessment notices
The Healthy Environment for All Act (HEAL Act) requires specific state agencies to conduct an environmental justice assessment for significant agency actions.
Under RCW 70A.02.090 each covered agency must file a notice with us of significant agency actions for which the agency is initiating an environmental justice assessment. We prepare a list of all filings received from covered agencies each week to post here every Friday.
Below is list of state agency environmental justice assessments that you can filter by agency or type of action or use the search bar to find certain terms. Select the “+” symbol for descriptions of the action, how the public can provide input, and a link to the EJ assessment when completed. For a dashboard summarizing the assessments received to date, see the HEAL Act dashboards.
EJA Notices Table
The purpose of this action came from the 2025 State Legislature which provided a 2025-27 Capital Budget appropriation for a one-time grant solely as state assistance to the cities of Aberdeen and Hoquiam for:
* Aberdeen-Hoquiam flood protection project.
North Shore Levee.
* North Shore Levee-West segments.
Anticipated benefits from the 2025-27 Capital Budget proviso include providing state funds that supplement other local, state, and federal funds for the ongoing Northshore Levee mitigation efforts for flood control by the communities in Hoquiam and Aberdeen. The project once constructed will remove large areas of Aberdeen and Hoquiam from the floodplain and will place them in a mapped Zone X through a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Protected properties will benefit from the elimination of mandatory flood insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The levee system will include two levies, and an interior drainage pump system as required by FEMA. The North Shore Levee implementation efforts bring significant environmental and public health benefits. Residential households, developers, shellfish industry and consumers, and Tribes may experience these benefits.
Ecology’s Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) plans to conduct engagement, focused on connecting with overburdened communities and vulnerable populations, for the purpose of the environmental justice assessment of this 25-27 Legislative provision in May 2025. OCB will conduct public engagement in July 2025, through an informational blog post and article in area media outlets, as well as provide time for public comments through emails to OCB contacts. We will respond to comments regarding overburdened communities or populations with vulnerabilities and will seek further involvement as needed to address concerns. Through methods yet to be determined, OCB will identify additional opportunities to engage overburdened communities in Grays Harbor County and the local communities and provide opportunities for their involvement in this legislative funding opportunity. OCB will invite Tribal consultation and conduct staff outreach with impacted Tribes which includes but may not be limited to the Quinault Indian Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.