What is Environmental Justice?
Keith Hall, 海角社区 Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Brian Snyder, 海角社区 Department of Environmental Sciences
Greg Upton, 海角社区 Center for Energy Studies
In 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order (EO) 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. While the executive order鈥檚 focus is climate change, one notable component is the Justice40 Initiative, a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits from certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities. As a result, grantmaking agencies are now considering the community benefits associated with proposed projects.
Because of Justice40, an understanding of EJ, and how a project might promote EJ for local communities, is critical for many federally funded projects. EJ is also important for all businesses and industries to understand as it impacts their social licenses to operate and can impact the ability to make future investments.