FILE PHOTO: A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference in Washington, January 24, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

(Reuters) -The U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday said it had opened an investigation into employment practices at California's Environmental Protection Agency.

The investigation is aimed at determining whether the agency "may be engaged in employment practices that discriminate based on race, sex, color, or national origin," the department said in a statement.

(Reporting by Ryan Patrick Jones in Toronto; Editing by Katharine Jackson)