The Biden Administration's focus on Environmental Justice (EJ) issues continues as two recent releases reveal. USEPA released an updated version of its EJScreen tool available here: EJScreen (epa.gov) The update incorporates new census data and adds information on climate events.
Additionally, the White House CEQ recently released a beta test version of its Climate and Economic Justice screening tool (CEJScreen) developed pursuant to the President's Executive Order. EJ and CEJ considerations are increasingly taken into account by regulators when permits for existing facilities are renewed or when considering permit applications for the siting new facilities or projects. Often the first step is community outreach and stakeholder engagement. Executives, real estate developers, investors, shareholders and lenders need to be aware of these developing issues. We have a team at Michael Best that has significant experience managing these issues if you'd like to learn more!
"Communities identified as disadvantaged by the tool are those that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. These communities are at or above the combined thresholds in one or more of eight categories of criteria."
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