DEQ Discrimination and Federal Funding Policy

Notice of Non-Discrimination

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ)  does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex in administration of its programs or activities, and, The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) does not intimidate or retaliate against any individual or group because they have exercised their rights to participate in actions protected, or oppose action prohibited, by 40 C.F.R. Parts 5 and 7, or for the purpose of interfering with such rights.

 

Karla Addington, Human Resources Administrator is responsible for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries concerning non-discrimination requirements implemented by 40 C.F.R. Parts 5 and 7 (Non-discrimination in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency), including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (hereinafter referred to collectively as the federal non-discrimination laws).

 

If you have any questions about this notice or any of The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) non-discrimination programs, policies or procedures, you may contact:

Karla Addington, Human Resources Administrator
Administrative Services Division
707 N. Robinson, P.O. Box 1677
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1677
Email: Karla.Addington@deq.ok.gov
Phone: (405) 702-0197

If you believe that you have been discriminated against with respect to a Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) program or activity, you may contact Human Resources Administrator identified above or visit our website at Https://www.deq.ok.gov  to learn how and where to file a complaint of discrimination.

DEQ Discrimination and Federal Funding Policy

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) receives and administers federal grant funds. As such, DEQ must ensure that the civil rights of people who receive services from DEQ, as well as from any recipient of federal grant funding received from DEQ (sub-recipient), are protected.

The purpose of this policy is to establish written procedures for DEQ employees to follow when they receive a complaint alleging discrimination or retaliation in the delivery of services from clients, customers, program participants, or consumers of the DEQ or a DEQ sub-recipient.

POLICY

In receiving or administering federal grant funds, neither the DEQ nor any sub-recipient may discriminate against any person on the basis of the person’s race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, or age, or retaliate against any person for having engaged in protected activity.

By virtue of receiving federal grant funding, the DEQ, including its employees, contractors, and sub-recipients, must comply with the following civil rights laws and regulations:

  • Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as amended (prohibiting discrimination in federally assisted programs on the basis of race, color, or national origin in the delivery of services or benefits);
  • Section 13 of the 1972 Amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in the delivery of services or benefits under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act as amended);
  • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (prohibiting discrimination in federally assisted programs on the basis of disability, both in employment and in the delivery of services and benefits);
  • Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (prohibiting discrimination in federally assisted programs on the basis of age in the delivery of services or benefits);
  • Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (prohibiting discrimination in federally assisted programs, both in employment and in delivery of services or benefits. Note: an education program or activity is not limited to only those conducted by a formal institution.);
  • Executive Order 13166 entitled “Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency” (requiring federally assisted recipients to provide meaningful access to clients, customers, program participants, or consumers with Limited English Proficiency (LEP));
  • 40 C.F.R. Part 5, which implements Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972;
  • 40 C.F.R. Part 7, which implements Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 13 of the 1972 Amendments to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP)

Appropriate assistance shall be provided to individuals with disabilities and individuals with limited English proficiency. Also, complaints in alternative formats shall be accepted from individuals with disabilities.

 

If the complainant is unable to submit a written complaint, the Nondiscrimination Coordinator should be contacted. The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will make reasonable accommodations in its policies and procedures which are necessary to allow persons with disabilities or limited English proficiency full access to the complaint filing and investigative process.

If you need assistance or accommodation to access this policy, you may contact the nondiscrimination coordinator using the methods listed below.

Karla Addington, Human Resources Administrator
Administrative Services Division
707 N. Robinson, P.O. Box 1677
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1677
Email: Karla.Addington@deq.ok.gov
Phone: (405) 702-0197

If you require accessibility or disability-related accommodations, language assistance, language translation, or interpretive services access the Nondiscrimination Policy, please contact our Nondiscrimination Coordinator at:

Karla Addington, Human Resources Administrator
Administrative Services Division
707 N. Robinson, P.O. Box 1677
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1677
Email: Karla.Addington@deq.ok.gov
Phone: (405) 702-0197

 

FILING A COMPLAINT

  1. A person who thinks he or she has been discriminated against by an employee, contractor, or sub-recipient of DEQ on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or physical or mental disability, or thinks he or she has been retaliated against for having engaged in protected activity, is encouraged to file a complaint with DEQ’s Grievance Manager.
  2. Contact Information for the DEQ Grievance Manager/Civil Rights Coordinator is:

Karla Addington, Human Resources Administrator
Administrative Services Division
707 N. Robinson, P.O. Box 1677
Oklahoma City, OK 73101-1677
Email: Karla.Addington@deq.ok.gov
Phone: (405) 702-0197

RESPONSE

  1. An employee, contractor, or sub-recipient of the DEQ who receives a complaint that an employee, contractor, or sub-recipient of the DEQ has allegedly participated in discriminatory or retaliatory conduct shall notify the Grievance Manager as soon as practical.
  2. Upon receipt of a complaint, the Grievance Manager shall determine whether the complaint should be investigated and if so, by whom.
  3. Investigations of complaints shall be completed in a reasonable time.
  4. All investigations will comply with applicable state and federal laws.

Steps in the Investigation

The investigation may include interviews of the complainant, employees, contractors, subcontractors, subgrantees, those named in the complaint, and witnesses to the alleged discrimination, as well as a review of any physical or written evidence. If more information is needed to resolve the case, the Non-Discrimination Coordinator may contact the complainant. The complainant has thirty (30) days to send requested information to the investigator assigned to the case.

 

Sample Written Findings

After the investigation concludes, the complainant will receive a written notice detailing:

  1. The findings of the investigation
  2. Whether discrimination or retaliation was found
  3. A summary of the investigation process
  4. Any corrective actions that will be implemented (if applicable)

 

EXTERNAL AGENCIES

The DEQ encourages individuals to file complaints of the kind discussed in this policy with the Grievance Manager. However, this policy is not intended to prevent individuals from seeking remedy under state or federal law.

If an individual feels he or she has been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin (including limited-English proficiency), sex, age, religion, or physical or mental disability, or alleges retaliation for having engaged in protected activity, a complaint may be submitted to:

U.S. EPA External Civil Rights
Compliance Office (2310A)
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, D.C. 20460
Email: Title_VI_Complaints@epa.gov
https://www.epa.gov/ogc/external-civil-rights-compliance-office-title-vi

Individuals may also submit a complaint to:

Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General
Office of Civil Rights Enforcement
313 NE 21st Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
Email: ocre.complaints@oag.ok.gov
http://oag.publishpath.com/civil-rights-enforcement-unit

CONTRACTS

The DEQ will not enter into contracts nor continue existing contracts with any organization that knowingly discriminates against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or physical or mental disability or that retaliates against any person for having engaged in protected activity.

DISTRIBUTION

A copy of this policy will be made available to all DEQ employees, contractors, and sub-recipients. A copy will also be provided in orientation materials provided to new employees of DEQ. The policy will also be posted on the DEQ’s website, www.deq.ok.gov.

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is required by federal nondiscrimination law to “collect, maintain, and … provide the following information: … Racial/ethnic, national origin, age, sex and handicap data….” 40 C.F.R. § 7.85(a)(2). DEQ collects demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau, using the most recent data available. Citations are available for each type of data collected.

Total Population: 3,959,353

  • Race:
    • White alone: 2,514,885
    • American Indian or Alaskan native alone: 11,718
    • Asian or Pacific Islander alone: 8,608
    • Black or African American alone: 289,961
    • Some other race alone: 214,001
    • Two or more races: 508,158
  • Hispanic or Latino:
    • Hispanic or Latino: 471,931
    • Not Hispanic or Latino: 2,407,188

 

  • Language Spoken at Home
  • 4%± 0.2%
  • Language Other Than English Spoken at Home in Oklahoma
  • 5%± 0.1%

Language Other Than English Spoken at Home in United States

 

Types of Language Spoken at Home

in Oklahoma

 

  • English only – 88.6%
  • Spanish – 8.0%
  • Other Indo-European languages – 1.1%
  • Asian and Pacific Islander languages – 1.7%
  • Other languages – 0.6%

 

  • Age:
    • Under 19 years: 1,064,241
    • 20-24 years: 284,981
    • 25-29 years: 269346
    • 30-34 years: 266382
    • 35-39 years 267571
    • 40-44 years 243221
    • 45-54 years: 455437
    • 55-64 years: 486567
    • 65 years and over: 632751
  • Sex:
    • Male: 1,980,478  (48.8%)
    • Female: 2,073,336 (51.2%)
  • Disability:
    • With a disability: 17.4%
      • With a hearing difficulty: 5.2%
      • With a vision difficulty: 3.8%
      • With a cognitive difficulty: 7.3%
      • With an ambulatory difficulty: 8.7%
      • With a self-care difficulty: 2.8%
      • With an independent living difficulty: 7.1%
    • No disability: 82.6%

Sources:

Race/ethnicity: U.S. Census Bureau. “Race.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Supplemental Estimates, Table K200201,
Estimates. Accessed on February 22, 2024. Oklahoma – Census Bureau Profile

Hispanic or Latino: U.S. Census Bureau. “Hispanic or Latino Origin.” American Community Survey, ACS 1- Year Supplemental Estimates, Table K200301, 2022,  Estimates. Accessed on February 22, 2024.

Age: U.S. Census Bureau. “Population by Age.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Supplemental Estimates, Table K200104, 2022,  Estimates. Accessed on February 22, 2024.

Sex: U.S. Census Bureau. “Population by Sex.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Supplemental Estimates, Table K200101, 2022,  1-Year Supplemental Estimates. Accessed on February 22, 2024.

Disability: U.S. Census Bureau. “Types of Disabilities.” American Community Survey, ACS 1-Year Supplemental Estimates, Table K201803, 2022,  Estimates. Accessed on February 22, 2024.