Global Brief: New Environmental Justice Initiative

In April, Executive Order 12898 established the White House Office of Environmental Justice to address persistent environmental injustices involving toxic pollution, underinvestment in infrastructure and services, and other harms due to a legacy of racial and economic discrimination. The new office is tasked with coordinating efforts among federal agencies to help implement innovative directives. It requires federal agencies to notify communities in the event of a release of toxic substances; directs agencies to facilitate meaningful public participation and just treatment in agency decision-making; directs agencies to identify and address information gaps related to environmental justice and make information on environmental and health concerns more publicly accessible; and implements a scorecard to evaluate federal agencies’ environmental justice efforts.