Sierra Club Applauds Sweeping Biden Actions on Environmental Justice

Washington, D.C. -- Today, President Biden issued a series of sweeping orders on environmental justice.The orders included:

• Creation of a first-of-its-kind White House environmental justice interagency council to  develop clear performance metrics to promote accountability;

• Installation of environmental justice officers at all federal agencies to prepare a report of recommendations on how Executive Order 12898 can be strengthened and updated;

• Creation of an external environmental justice council to identify reforms to achieve equity and inclusion in federal policy making, ensuring that environmental justice communities have a seat and voice at the policy table;

• Orders to the Environmental Protection Agency to recommit to enforcing the nation’s pollution laws, especially those that impact communities of color;

• A commitment that forty percent of the benefits from relevant federal investments will be targeted toward communities impacted by environmental injustice.

In response, Leslie Fields, Sierra Club National Director of Policy Advocacy and Legal, issued the following statement:

“Environmental justice communities and networks have been organizing tirelessly for the last four years, and their hard work is finally being recognized. With President Biden in office, communities impacted by dirty air and water have an advocate and partner in the White House.

“A commitment to targeting forty percent of federal investments at impacted communities will not only help repair some of the damage done by the extractive economy, but also spur the development of clean energy, housing, infrastructure, and transportation in the communities that the climate crisis and toxic pollution impact the most. This is a first step towards achieving long overdue climate and environmental justice for communities of color and working class families overburdened by pollution.”