A Look Back at Environmental Justice Progress in 2021
Let’s begin with President Joe Biden signing the Executive Order of Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, signifying his commitment to combatting climate change in the United States and abroad.
On his website, Biden made four key promises to address environmental and climate justice as a part of his overall climate plan:
- Use an inclusive and empowering All-of-Government approach
- Make decisions that are driven by data and science
- Target resources in a way that is consistent with the prioritization of environmental and climate justice
- Assess and address risks to communities from the next public health emergency
How did Biden follow through on Use an inclusive and empowering All-of-Government approach?
He promised to:
- Establish an Environmental and Climate Justice Division within the U.S. Department of Justice
- Implement Senator Booker’s Environmental Justice Act of 2019
- Elevate environmental justice in the federal government and modernize the all-of-government approach: (1) Establish the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council and White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council (2) Dedicated EJ staffing
- Overhaul the EPA External Civil Rights Compliance Office
He delivered:
- Established the First-Ever White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
- Established Equity Commissions within the government departments and White House Environmental Interagency Council
- Journey to Justice Tour
- Creation of five cabinet secretary level Resilience Interagency Working Groups under the National Climate Task Force
- Build on the success of the EPA’s EJScreen
How did Biden follow through on Make decisions that are driven by data and science?
He promised to:
- Mandate new monitoring in frontline and fenceline communities
- Require community notification and redirect the EPA to create a community notification program
- Establish interagency teams to address targeted issues and partner directly with communities
- Tackle water pollution in a science-based manner
- Prioritize strategies and technologies that reduce traditional air pollution in disadvantaged communities
He delivered:
- Built a Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
- Launching a $20 million grant proposal to conduct air pollution monitoring (EPA)
- Delivering accessible and actionable information to individuals and communities that are being hit by climate crises
How did Biden follow through on Target resources in a way that is consistent with the prioritization of environmental and climate justice?
He promised to:
- Build upon the ambitious 2019 NY State Law to establish climate leadership and a community protection act
- Invest in programs related to clean energy efficiency and sustainable development
- Utilize the results from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool to help identify disadvantaged communities affected by environmental pollution
- Fund historic investments across federal agencies aimed at eliminating legacy pollution
He delivered:
- Created Justice40 Initiative: agencies deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing, clean water, and other investments to underserved communities
- Addressed legacy pollution and invested in clean water in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Provided $8.2 billion to Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
How did Biden follow through on Assess and address risks to communities from the next public health emergency?
He promised to:
- Create a National Crisis Strategy to address climate disasters that prioritizes equitable disaster risk reduction and response and build on Markey’s Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act
- Establish a Task Force to Decrease Risk of Climate Change to Children, the Elderly, People with Disabilities, and the Vulnerable
- Establish an Office of Climate Change and Health Equity at HHS and Launch an Infectious Disease Defense Initiative
- Improve the resilience of the nation’s health care system and workers in the face of natural disasters
He delivered:
- Leading the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children
- Advancing an Ambitious Regulatory Agenda (more than 200 actions)
- Invested over $50 billion to make communities safer and infrastructure more resilient in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
- Amending of FEMA’s guidelines to provide assistance to disaster survivors
- Investment into Indigenous communities’ efforts to tackle the climate crisis
We are excited to see the environmental and climate justice progress the Biden administration makes during 2022 and the prioritization of equity, community involvement, and economic empowerment.
