[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 23, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10176-10178]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-03920]


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COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

[CEQ-2022-0002]


Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool Beta Version

AGENCY: Council on Environmental Quality.

ACTION: Request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Council on Environmental Quality is issuing this

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request for information (RFI) to solicit feedback on the beta version 
of the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.

DATES: Responses to this RFI should be received by April 25, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number CEQ-
2022-0002, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-456-6546.
     Mail: Council on Environmental Quality, 730 Jackson Place 
NW, Washington, DC 20503.
    All submissions received must include the agency name, ``Council on 
Environmental Quality,'' and the docket number, CEQ-2022-0002, for this 
RFI. All comments received will be posted without change to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided. Do 
not submit electronically any information you consider to be private, 
Confidential Business Information (CBI), or other information the 
disclosure of which is restricted by statute.
    You may respond to some or all of the questions listed in the RFI. 
You may include references to academic literature or links to online 
material (such as datasets) but please ensure all links are publicly 
available. Each response should include:
     The name of the individual(s) or entity responding.
     A brief description of the responding individual(s) or 
entity's mission or areas of expertise.
     A contact for questions or other follow-up on your 
response.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Issues regarding submission or 
questions on this RFI can be sent to Sharmila L. Murthy at 202-395-5750 
or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Executive Order 14008, ``Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and 
Abroad,'' charged the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) with 
creating a geospatial Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool and 
publishing interactive maps highlighting disadvantaged communities that 
are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. Federal 
agencies will use the tool in implementation of the Justice40 
Initiative goal of directing 40 percent of the overall benefits of 
certain Federal investments to disadvantaged communities in climate, 
clean energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and 
sustainable housing, training and workforce development, clean water 
infrastructure, and the remediation of legacy pollution. The function 
of the tool is to employ indicators for the purpose of identifying 
communities that exhibit conditions of underinvestment in energy, 
transit, housing and water infrastructure, disproportionate pollution 
burden, and job training and employment. Agencies will use the tool to 
guide program investments in the areas noted above under the Justice40 
Initiative.
    CEQ has developed a beta version of the Climate and Economic 
Justice Screening Tool, which is available at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov. Under the current methodology (v0.1) in 
the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, a census tract will be 
considered disadvantaged if (1) it is above the threshold for one or 
more climate or environmental indicator; and (2) it is above the 
threshold for one or more socioeconomic indicator. The methodology and 
the datasets currently being used are available at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/methodology.

II. Key Questions for Input

    Through this request for information, CEQ seeks input, information, 
and recommendations on the beta version of the Climate and Economic 
Justice Screening Tool from a broad array of stakeholders in the 
public, private, advocacy, not-for-profit, academic, and philanthropic 
sectors, as well as from state, Tribal, and local governments, and 
territorial areas. In addition, users have the opportunity to provide 
feedback through an online survey available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/cejst-survey. CEQ will use responses to this RFI 
and comments received through the online survey to consider potential 
updates to the beta version of the Climate and Economic Justice 
Screening Tool. After CEQ has updated the tool with any modifications 
that are deemed necessary, Federal agencies will use the Climate and 
Economic Justice Screening Tool to implement the President's Justice40 
commitment.\1\
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    \1\ When the updated Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool 
is ready to be used by agencies in their Justice40 implementation 
plans, CEQ, OMB and CPO will together issue updated guidance. 
Currently, the Interim Implementation Guidance for the Justice40 
Initiative, M-21-28, issued on July 20, 2021, is still in effect. 
See https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/M-21-28.pdf.
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    Respondents to this RFI do not need to address every question, but 
CEQ seeks and welcomes input in the following areas:
    1. Methodology: Please refer to the Climate and Economic Justice 
Screening Tool website for more information regarding the methodology 
(available at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov/en/methodology).
    a. Given the function and role of the Climate and Economic Justice 
Screening Tool in identifying disadvantaged communities to support the 
Justice40 Initiative, please provide comments and recommendations for 
improving the methodology used to identify disadvantaged communities.
    b. Recognizing the role of the tool in identifying disadvantaged 
communities for Justice40 investment benefits across agencies and 
programs, how can the tool's methodology incorporate a cumulative 
impacts approach that quantitatively measures the combined adverse 
factors that contribute to the conditions that Justice40 is intending 
to address?
    2. Datasets: Data in this beta version of the tool provides 
measures for socioeconomic status and in the areas of climate, clean 
energy and energy efficiency, clean transit, affordable and sustainable 
housing, training and workforce development, clean water 
infrastructure, and the remediation of legacy pollution.
    a. What recommendations for additional datasets would enhance and 
improve upon the set of indicators currently used in the Climate and 
Economic Justice Screening Tool? In your comments, please include why 
and how the data recommendations would improve upon the current set of 
data and/or indicators used in the tool.
    b. In your response, please include the following:
    i. Full information regarding data sources (including url, 
government agency, and/or organization);
    ii. Intended measure--what does the dataset and/or indicator 
measure (for example, pollution exposure or emissions, health 
conditions, energy accessibility, transportation access, etc.)?;
    iii. Scope--does the recommended data and/or indicator include data 
from all 50 states and territories? If not, please provide comments as 
to how to address the issue;
    iv. A summary of the quality (i.e., completeness, accuracy, 
consistency, and reliability) of the data for use in the tool; and
    v. Geographic resolution of the data (i.e., census block, census 
tract, zip code, county, etc.).
    3. Map Usability and Accessibility. The Climate and Economic 
Justice Screening Tool map (available at https://screeningtool.geoplatform.gov)

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provides an online geospatial platform that provides the user with the 
capability to identify the communities identified as disadvantaged by 
the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool methodology. We are 
soliciting information regarding usability and accessibility of the 
geospatial platform. Please provide recommendations on the following:
    a. What modifications can improve the usability, accessibility, or 
design of the mapping functions that display the data and results of 
the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool?
    b. Are there specific features or functions that will enhance the 
usability of the interactive map by community members and 
organizations, government staff, and other stakeholders?
    4. Additional Feedback: What additional feedback would you like to 
provide on the beta version of the Climate and Economic Justice 
Screening Tool?

Brenda Mallory,
Chair.
[FR Doc. 2022-03920 Filed 2-22-22; 8:45 am]
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