3.0.0 2630 2023-01-01T20:17:34Z 2023-01-01T20:17:34Z Senate S 2021-08-05 117 ssev00 Environment and Public Works Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2021-08-05T18:46:51Z Environmental Justice Act of 2021 117 2434 HR 2021-10-19 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. Related bill CRS 2021-08-05 ssev00 Environment and Public Works Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. IntroReferral 2021-08-05 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress B001288 Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] Cory Booker D NJ N S001194 Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI] Brian Schatz D HI 2021-08-05 True W000817 Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] Elizabeth Warren D MA A. 2021-08-05 True D000622 Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL] Tammy Duckworth D IL 2021-08-05 True B001277 Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] Richard Blumenthal D CT 2021-08-05 True M001176 Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] Jeff Merkley D OR 2021-08-05 True D000563 Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL] Richard Durbin D IL J. 2021-08-05 True G000555 Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY] Kirsten Gillibrand D NY E. 2021-08-05 True S000033 Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] Bernard Sanders I VT 2021-08-05 True C001088 Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE] Christopher Coons D DE A. 2021-08-05 True P000145 Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] Alex Padilla D CA 2021-08-05 True M000133 Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] Edward Markey D MA J. 2021-08-05 True V000128 Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] Chris Van Hollen D MD 2021-08-05 True W000779 Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] Ron Wyden D OR 2021-08-05 True Environmental Protection Advisory bodies Air quality Civil actions and liability Climate change and greenhouse gases Disaster relief and insurance Due process and equal protection Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental assessment, monitoring, research Environmental health Environmental regulatory procedures Executive Office of the President Executive agency funding and structure Food supply, safety, and labeling Government information and archives Indian lands and resources rights Infrastructure development Land use and conservation Licensing and registrations Medical research Mining Minority health Performance measurement Poverty and welfare assistance Public participation and lobbying Racial and ethnic relations Research administration and funding Soil pollution Solid waste and recycling Water quality Environmental Protection 00 2021-08-05 Introduced in Senate 2021-09-13T16:42:07Z Environmental Justice Act of 2021

This bill requires agencies to address and mitigate the disproportionate impact of environmental and human health hazards on communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income communities resulting from agencies' programs and policies. The bill also requires agencies to address cumulative impacts of pollution in permitting decisions and expands the types of legal actions available to individuals regarding charges of federal discriminatory practices.

Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for a variety of existing programs, executive orders, federal guidance, and committees concerning environmental justice, including

  • Executive Order 12898;
  • a guidance issued in 1997 by the Council on Environmental Quality titled Environmental Justice Guidance Under the National Environmental Policy Act;
  • a guidance issued in 2016 by the Environmental Protection Agency titled EPA Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes: Guidance for Discussing Tribal Treaty Rights;
  • the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council;
  • the Environmental Justice Small Grants Program; and
  • the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program.

In addition, the bill requires agencies renewing or issuing specified permits under the Clean Water Act or the Clean Air Act to consider the cumulative impacts of pollution.

The bill also allows individuals to bring actions under the Civil Rights Act against entities that receive federal assistance and engage in discriminatory practices that have a disparate impact. Currently, individuals must request that federal agencies bring such actions on their behalf.]]>

Environmental Justice Act of 2021 Official Title as Introduced A bill to require Federal agencies to address environmental justice, to require consideration of cumulative impacts in certain permitting decisions, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Display Title Environmental Justice Act of 2021 Short Title(s) as Introduced Environmental Justice Act of 2021 Introduced in Senate IS Introduced in Senate 2021-08-05T04:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-117s2630is/xml/BILLS-117s2630is.xml 2021-08-05 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.