President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order to create a Environmental Justice office within the White House.
President Biden Focuses on “Disadvantaged” Environments
President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday directing federal agencies to invest in disadvantaged communities disproportionally affected by pollution and climate change, the White House said.
The order is an attempt to further strengthen federal agencies and aims to address so-called environmental “inequities” that impact communities of “color, low-income communities, and indigenous communities.”
Under the new Executive Order, titled “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All,” agencies are directed to consider measures to address and prevent disproportionate and adverse environmental and health impacts on communities, including the cumulative impacts of pollution and other burdens like climate change.
The order comes a few years after Biden announced his signature “Justice40” initiative, vowing to direct 40% of federal climate and clean funding from new legislation to disadvantaged communities.
On Friday, three additional agencies – the Department of Commerce, the National Science Foundation and NASA – will also join the initiative.
The Environmental Justice Executive Order
The order will create a new Office of Environmental Justice in the White House to coordinate all environmental justice efforts across the federal government and require agencies to notify nearby communities if toxic substances are released from a federal facility.
The White House said it wants to ensure that poverty, race and ethnic status do not lead to worse exposure to pollution and environmental harm. Biden is trying to draw a contrast between his agenda and that of Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
Here is what the Executive Order says:
Kamala to Visit Miami to ‘Protect Communities’
As part of the announcement, Vice President Kamala Harris is separately traveling to Miami, Florida, to announce $562 million to help protect communities against the impacts of climate change.
The EPA last year formed its own Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, merging three existing EPA programs to oversee a portion of Democrats’ $60 billion investment in environmental justice initiatives created by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act.
Further Reading:
Environmental Scientists Flying to Ohio Die in Plane Crash
Your Environment Might Be Making You Sick
New Gas Stations Banned in Honor of Climate Change
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