In 1994, under Executive Order 12898, Environmental Justice was recognized as a federal initiative administered by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since then, the environmental justice movement has grown and is the focus of many state regulatory agencies. The Biden administration has issued two of his executive orders in early 2021 directing federal agencies to work aggressively toward achieving environmental justice. Recognizing that marginalized groups*, including people of color and low-income communities, carry the burden of some of the most polluted areas in the nation, many state agencies are working to ensure equal representation in environmental affairs. and is dedicated to protecting the environment from harm.
On September 30, 2022, the EPA recently released “EJ Action Plan: Building Environmental Justice in EPA’s Land Conservation and Cleanup Programs.” The plan incorporates environmental justice considerations into Superfund, brownfield, emergency response, solid waste management, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) corrective actions, and underground storage tank programs.
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