Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts
Pursuant to a permanent injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on August 22, 2024, EPA will not impose or enforce any disparate-impact or cumulative-impact-analysis requirements under Title VI against any entity in the State of Louisiana. Click here for additional and updated information.
The Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts, currently released in draft form, provides EPA with a foundation to incorporate analysis and consideration of cumulative impacts into programmatic work, with the goal of achieving results that improve peoples’ lives.
On This Page:
Overview of the Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts
EPA welcomes public feedback on the draft Framework by February 19, 2025 through the Federal Register notice at Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OLEM-2024-0360 on www.regulations.gov.
The Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts is intended to provide the EPA’s programs with a foundation of information and resources that can support developing and implementing approaches to incorporate analysis and consideration of cumulative impacts into their work, with the goal of achieving results that improve health and quality of life in America’s communities.
The Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts describes principles for EPA to consider cumulative impacts in EPA decisions. These principles include:
- Centering cumulative impacts work on improving human health, quality of life, and the environment in all communities.
- Focusing on the disproportionate and adverse burden of cumulative impacts.
- Applying a fit-for-purpose approach to assessing and addressing cumulative impacts.
- Engaging communities and incorporate their lived experience.
- Using available data and information to make decisions and take action.
- Operationalizing and integrating ways to consider and address cumulative impacts.
By taking cumulative impacts into account, EPA can make decisions and undertake actions that helps achieve the following goals:
- Communities are safe, healthy, and thriving.
- All people are protected from disproportionate and adverse environmental health effects and hazards, including cumulative impacts of environmental and other burdens.
- No community bears a disproportionate share of adverse environmental and public health impacts.
Read the Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts
Read the Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts Fact Sheet (pdf)
Read the announcement of the Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts.
Spanish translations of the Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts document and Fact Sheet will be available soon.
Background
The release of the Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts furthers the Agency’s efforts to take a comprehensive view of cumulative impacts as outlined in the Agency’s FY2022-FY2026 Strategic Plan. In addition, the Interim Framework to Advance Consideration of Cumulative Impacts also aligns with Executive Order 14096, Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, which outlined the goal for mitigation of adverse cumulative and disproportionate impacts from federal activities as a priority of the federal government.
In 2022, EPA’s Office of Research and Development announced the release of the Cumulative Impacts Research report to support of the Agency’s efforts to better serve overburdened and historically marginalized communities using cumulative impact assessment. EPA has also included identifying, analyzing, and addressing cumulative impacts as a key strategy in its 2022 and 2023 Equity Action Plans. The Interim Framework for Advancing Consideration of Cumulative Impacts is another incremental step in our continuous learning journey to advance consideration of cumulative impacts in agency policies, programs, and practices.