Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta Delivers Remarks Launching Comprehensive Environmental Justice Strategy | OPA

Remarks as Sent

Thanks, Administrator Regan. We are grateful that you are in a position to be right here today.

The burdens of environmental pollution have prolonged been borne disproportionately by members of minority, Tribal and reduced-earnings communities. No American should really have to are living, work or ship their young ones to university in a community that carries a disproportionate share of environmental dangers.

The Justice Department is fully commited to undertaking everything we can to handle these disparities. That is why, as the Legal professional General mentioned, we are issuing a extensive method on environmental justice to tutorial the operate of all section factors. This new approach will make certain that the section is working with every single accessible device to secure environmental justice for absolutely everyone.

This usually means prioritizing enforcement of environmental rules as well as civil rights statutes, these types of as Title VI of the Civil Legal rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal funding from discriminating on the foundation of race, colour or national origin.

The tactic directs office components to prioritize cases that cut down environmental harms on overburdened and underserved communities, together with communities of colour, Tribal populations and very low-profits rural and urban communities.

To that end, division parts, with the assistance from the new Office environment of Environmental Justice, will be tasked with developing protocols to assess the environmental justice impacts of their investigations.

We also know that securing environmental justice calls for the meaningful involvement of influenced communities in the conclusions that affect them.

So, the approach directs the new Office of Environmental Justice to work to build deeper connections with communities that are influenced by violations of environmental rules.

And it needs all 93 U.S. Attorneys across the state to designate an environmental justice coordinator to enable determine parts of concern in their communities, and to establish strategies for customers of the general public to report people worries.

To maintain our motivation to environmental justice, the department needs a workforce that is knowledgeable about environmental justice difficulties and issues. The method consequently requires the improvement of environmental justice education and learning plans and training options for section personnel.

This thorough technique underscores the department’s determination to making sure that all Us residents have accessibility to clean water to consume, thoroughly clean air to breathe and healthful, flourishing communities in which they can stay, operate and raise their family members. That is the coronary heart of environmental justice.

Thank you.