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President Joe Biden will sign an executive order establishing the Office of Environmental Justice, in an executive order that will dramatically increase the scope of the administration’s initiatives in that space, the White House announced Friday morning.
The new executive order directs federal agencies to consider the “disproportionate and adverse” impacts of climate change on minority and low-income communities, as opposed to “disproportionately high and adverse” impacts mentioned in a previous executive order, according to a White House fact sheet. This Biden administration hopes that this will prevent any “misunderstanding” that agencies should focus on only “large disproportionate effects,” expanding the scope of federal agency’s climate obligations to include any disparate climate impacts on minority and low-income communities.
“With this action, the President is working to ensure that all people – regardless of race, background, income, ability, Tribal affiliation, or zip code – can benefit from the vital safeguards enshrined in our nation’s foundational environmental and civil rights laws,” the White House said in a statement. “That means cleaner air and water, reduced risk for asthma, cancer, and other health burdens, and better access to green space, safe and affordable housing, and clean transportation.
