Biden signs order requiring agencies to prioritize ‘environmental justice’
Breanne Deppisch
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President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday directing federal agencies to prioritize issues of “environmental justice,” the latest in a series of steps from the administration as it seeks to deliver on its goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The order “makes clear that the pursuit of environmental justice is a duty of all executive branch agencies and should be incorporated into their missions,” the White House said in a fact sheet.
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Agencies will be required to take steps to better understand and prevent disproportionate or adverse environmental and health impacts on certain communities in their decision-making.
The order also calls for federal agencies to strengthen their engagement with local communities and to “actively facilitate” meaningful public participation and equal treatment in their decision-making processes.
They will also be required to notify local communities in the event of toxic exposure.
“Under this order, environmental justice will become the responsibility of every single federal agency,” Biden said Friday during a speech in the White House Rose Garden.
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“Environmental Justice will be the mission of the entire government, woven directly into how we work with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments,” he added.
Biden also announced the creation of the White House Office of Environmental Justice, which will be tasked with coordinating and overseeing all the various agency efforts.