{"id":29407,"date":"2021-06-25T00:01:38","date_gmt":"2021-06-25T04:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/?p=29407"},"modified":"2021-06-25T09:12:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-25T13:12:00","slug":"white-house-environmental-justice-advisory-council-issues-recommendations-to-confront-institutional-racism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beyondpesticides.org\/dailynewsblog\/2021\/06\/white-house-environmental-justice-advisory-council-issues-recommendations-to-confront-institutional-racism\/","title":{"rendered":"White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Confronts Institutional Racism with Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

(Beyond Pesticides<\/em>, June 25, 2021)\u00a0A consequential report<\/a> from the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council (WHEJAC) sets out important and comprehensive recommendations that, if enacted, would put environmental justice on the front burner of national policy. The report spells out a multitude of challenges, and recommendations for addressing them, in service of advancing environmental justice (EJ) across federal agencies. Notably, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is called out for, among other things, poor protection of farmworkers and their families, who tend to be people of color, from pesticide risks. The report arises from President Biden\u2019s late January 2021 Executive Orders (covered by Beyond Pesticides here<\/a>) on: (1) tackling the climate crisis with a \u201cwhole of government\u201d approach<\/a>, with an explicit focus on EJ, and (2) recalibrating the functions of the Office of Management and Budget<\/a> (OMB) to \u201cforward health, racial equity, and environmental stewardship.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

That early 2021 Executive Order (EO) on climate established the WHEJAC and the Justice40 Initiative<\/a>, the latter of which aims to direct 40% of some categories of federal investment to historically under-served communities. Those investments, as reported by AgriPulse<\/em><\/a>, would promote \u201cclean energy and energy efficiency; clean transit; affordable and sustainable housing; training and workforce development; the remediation and reduction of legacy pollution; and the development of critical clean water infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The Executive Order on the OMB<\/a> charged the agency\u2019s director with providing to the administration \u201cconcrete suggestions on how the regulatory review process can promote public health and safety, economic growth, social welfare, racial justice, environmental stewardship, human dignity, equity, and the interests of future generations.\u00a0The recommendations should also include proposals that would ensure that regulatory review serves as a tool to affirmatively promote regulations that advance these values.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

Of particular note is language, throughout the report<\/a>, that acknowledges the role of historic and current systemic racism as it has manifested in \u201cdisproportionate harm from environmental contaminants and . . . disproportionate risks from climate change\u201d for disadvantaged communities. It says plainly (in Section 101), \u201cHistorically, the Federal Government has taken actions that have perpetuated, institutionalized, or defended injustices that resulted in inequality in exposure to hazardous substances and unequal access to clean water, clean air, healthy food, safe housing, transportation, and other environmental benefits.\u201d<\/p>\r\n

The document also addresses stakeholder involvement, going straight to the point of the adage, \u201cIf you are not at the table, you are probably on the menu.\u201d For example, in Part II \u201cmeaningful participation\u201d is described: \u201cpotentially affected populations have an opportunity to participate in decisions that will affect their health or environment,\u202fthat the population\u2019s contributions\u202fcan influence the agency\u2019s decisions, that the viewpoints of all participants involved will be considered in the decision-making process, and that the agency will seek out and facilitate the involvement of the population potentially affected.\u201d The contrast with written products of the prior administration is head-spinning.<\/p>\r\n

The 91-page report tackles WHEJAC\u2019s \u201cwheelhouse\u201d of concerns: climate; toxics, pesticides, and pollution reduction in overburdened communities; equitable conservation and use of public lands; tribal\/indigenous issues; a clean energy transition; sustainable infrastructure (water, built environment, transportation); civil rights; and increasing federal efforts to address current and historic EJ transgressions.<\/p>\r\n

The report integrates many recommendations of the Justice40 Initiative, including specifics on, among others:<\/p>\r\n