Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations
Federal Agencies Must Address Environmental Justice for Disadvantaged Communities
What it does
Federal agencies must develop and implement agency-wide strategies to identify and address disproportionate health and environmental harms to minority and low-income populations.
Real-world impact
- Requires agencies to change programs and policies affecting minority and low-income communities.
- Creates data collection and research duties on race, national origin, and income.
- Establishes public meetings and translation of key documents for affected communities.
Topics
Summary
This order requires federal agencies to make environmental justice part of their mission by identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority and low-income populations.
It creates an interagency working group led by the Environmental Protection Agency, requires each agency to produce and finalize an environmental justice strategy with specific timelines and reports, and calls for more research, data collection, public meetings, translated documents, and protections against discrimination in programs affecting health and the environment.
Questions, answered
Ask questions about this executive order and its implications. Try:
- “What agencies are affected by this order?”
- “How does this order change existing policy?”
- “What are the practical implications of this order?”