Non-discrimination policy

Ecology is committed to preventing discrimination in our work. We do not discriminate against people based on their race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex. We do not intimidate or retaliate against any individual or group because they have exercised their rights or for the purpose of interfering with such rights.

If you have questions about our civil rights program or concerns about discrimination in our work, please contact our Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator. You may also file a formal discrimination complaint by following the process described below.

Federal non-discrimination laws

As recipients of federal funding, we are required to comply with federal non-discrimination laws, including the following:

Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, parts 5 and 7
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Age Discrimination Act of 1975
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972

Anyone who believes they have been discriminated against in the receipt of benefits or services from Ecology on the grounds of race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex, or believe they have been retaliated against or intimidated on the same grounds, may file a formal complaint with Ecology.

How to file a complaint

Please submit your complaint in writing within 180 days from the date the incident you are describing occurred. If you need assistance to provide a written complaint, please contact our Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator at 360-688-3730 or civilrights@ecy.wa.gov.

Your complaint should contain the following information:

Your name, address, and phone number.
If you are an Ecology employee and your complaint is about discrimination you experienced at work.
Name of the program or Ecology employee(s) your complaint concerns.
Description of the alleged discrimination, including the location and date of the event and the basis (race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, or retaliation).
Your signature. Or, if someone is filing the complaint on your behalf, their signature.

Where to send your complaint

For job or hiring-related discrimination complaints

If you are a member of the public and your complaint concerns discrimination you experienced during the hiring process from Ecology staff or its programs, please contact:

Mollie Clinton
Dept. of Ecology Human Resources
360-407-6186

For all other complaints

If you are a member of the public and your complaint concerns discrimination you experienced from a member of our staff or one of our programs, send your complaint to:

civilrights@ecy.wa.gov,
OR
By mail to:
Megan MacClellan, Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator
Office of Equity and Environmental Justice
Washington Department of Ecology
P.O. Box 47600, Olympia WA 98504-7600

Other options

The federal agencies that fund Ecology’s work also review our compliance with civil rights laws, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. You can also choose to file a complaint about Ecology directly with these agencies.

What happens after we receive a complaint?

After we receive your complaint

Internal workforce-oriented complaints will be managed and investigated by Ecology's Human Resources office. For discrimination complaints from members of the public, the process is outlined below.

First, we will confirm that we received your complaint within three business days. We will contact you within 10 business days to determine:

If Ecology has the power to make decisions and judgements over the complaint.
If the complaint will be investigated.
What other follow-up action Ecology will take.
What other follow-up action may be required on your part.

If we find that Ecology does have jurisdiction over the complaint, the Civil Rights Coordinator will begin an investigation.

During the investigation, we may:

Review physical or written evidence.
Interview the complainant.
Interview any other participants or witnesses to the alleged discrimination including contractors, subcontractors, or recipients of funding from Ecology.

As we investigate the complaint, we will use a preponderance of the evidence standard. This is a common legal standard, meaning that if the investigator believes there is more than a 50% chance that a claim is true, they will decide in favor of the claimant.

The investigator or a person they designate may attempt to resolve the complaint informally through a mutually agreeable solution. Any informal resolutions must be described in writing and signed by the complainant and the subject of the complaint.

If the investigator finds that discrimination violating civil rights laws has occurred and an informal resolution is not reached, the investigator will recommend a course of action to agency leaders. They or their designee will accept, revise, or reject the investigator’s recommendations and, if appropriate, order the subject of the complaint to implement the action(s).

The investigator will send a written response to the complainant once the investigation is over. This response will contain one of three types of content:

A closure letter that describes the allegations, states that a violation did not occur, and closes the investigation; or
A resolution letter that describes the allegations, the informal resolution that the complainant and subject of the complaint agreed to, or;
A letter of finding that describes the allegations, the investigation of the complaint, and any actions that Ecology will take to remedy the violation.

Contact information

Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator
civilrights@ecy.wa.gov
360-688-3730

Dept. of Ecology
P.O. Box 47663
Lacey, WA 98504-7663