[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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