Plain Language as a Prerequisite for Environmental Justice

Abstract

Background: Infrastructure, land use, zoning, and permitting decisions have long perpetuated patterns of environmental racism in the United States. These decisions and their underlying public participation processes often place undue demands on overburdened and historically excluded or disinvested communities who must repeatedly mobilize and engage to protect their well-being. Materials and Methods: In 2020, the Environmental Health Research-to-Action (EHRA) team joined with Literacy Work's Clear Language Lab (CLL) and staff at the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to identify opportunities for increasing plain language in environmental decision-making processes. This entailed (1) CLL-led content review of sample documents (e.g., public notices), (2) EHRA-led focus groups with environmental justice leaders and legal advocates, and (3) CLL-led focus groups with adult English learners. Results: Themes from focus group analysis suggested that documents were perceived as intentionally biased, unnecessarily technical, and without clear directions on how and why to participate. The content review revealed opportunities for improving plain language in documents with regard to (1) audience and content, (2) organization and cohesion, (3) accessibility, (4) literacy, (5) language, and (6) process. Discussion: New versions of existing documents were generated. Many EGLE staff have worked toward plain language in public communications, providing models for colleagues and other agencies nationwide. Conclusion: Decades of grassroots mobilization has led to a recent increase in state- and federal-level resources and capacity to address environmental racism in the United States. Plain language can make decision-making processes transparent, and should be inherent in all agency-led public participation opportunities.