EPA Takes Steps To Promote Environmental Justice in Grantmaking

The federal push to racial equity is afoot. Last week, the offices within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were directed to clearly integrate environmental justice considerations into their plans and actions, a key priority under the Biden Administration. The agency defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin or income with respect to the development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies.”

According to EPA Administrator Michael Regan: “Too many communities whose residents are predominantly of color, indigenous or low-income continue to suffer from disproportionately high pollution levels and the resulting adverse health and environmental impacts. We must do better.”

The agency launched four key measures to embed equity into their programs and services to ensure the consistent and systematic fair, just and impartial treatment of all individuals. EPA offices aim to:

• strengthen the enforcement of violations of cornerstone environmental statutes and civil rights laws in communities overburdened by pollution;
• take immediate and affirmative steps to incorporate environmental justice considerations, including assessing impacts to pollution-burdened, underserved and tribal communities in regulatory development processes and to consider regulatory options to maximize benefits to these communities;
• take immediate and affirmative steps to improve early and more frequent engagement with pollution-burdened and underserved communities affected by agency rulemakings, permitting and enforcement decisions, and policies, including engaging in regular meetings with tribal officials to develop federal policies that have tribal implications; and
• consider and prioritize direct and indirect benefits to underserved communities in the development of requests for grant applications and in making grant awards, to the extent allowed by law.

EPA will host several roundtable discussions to hear directly from representatives of underserved communities and environmental justice leaders, as well as members of Congress, about pollution burdens and the importance of EPA leadership.

Join us for our following Thompson Grants event:
Virtual Federal Grants Forum: For State & Local Governments | May 11 - 12, 2021
Federal Grants Forum For Institutions of Higher Education | July 21 - 22, 2021