[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 222 (Monday, November 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80697-80699]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25508]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY

[CEQ-2023-0005]


Environmental Justice Scorecard

AGENCY: Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ).

ACTION: Request for information.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) is issuing this 
request for information (RFI) to solicit feedback on Phase One of the 
Environmental Justice Scorecard, which will inform future versions of 
the Environmental Justice Scorecard.

DATES: CEQ seeks any comments by 11:59 p.m. ET on January 19, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number CEQ-

[[Page 80698]]

2023-0005, by any of the following methods:
     Using the Federal eRulemaking Portal: visit https://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for submitting 
comments. For more information, see https://www.regulations.gov/faq.
     By fax to 202-456-6546.
     By mail to Council on Environmental Quality, 730 Jackson 
Place NW, Washington, DC 20503 (must be received by January 19, 2024).
    Instructions: Your submission must include: ``Council on 
Environmental Quality,'' and the docket number for this RFI, which is 
CEQ-2023-0005.
    CEQ will publish public comments it receives in response to this 
notice, including personal information, without change on https://www.regulations.gov. Please do not submit any information you consider 
to be private information, privileged or confidential commercial or 
financial information, or other information the disclosure of which is 
restricted by law.
    Response to this RFI is voluntary. Each responding entity 
(individual or organization) is requested to submit only one response. 
Please feel free to respond to as many of the questions as you choose, 
indicating the number of each question that you are addressing. We 
encourage you to include your name and contact information, but it is 
not required. If you are responding on behalf of an organization, we 
further encourage you to include the organization's name, its type 
(e.g., academic, non-profit, professional society, community-based 
organization, industry, government, other), and your role in the 
organization. You may include references to academic literature or 
links to online material but please ensure all links are publicly 
available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kareem Ihmeidan, Staff Assistant for 
Environmental Justice, 202-395-5750, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    Since day one, President Biden has prioritized environmental 
justice by launching a whole-of-government effort to confront 
longstanding environmental injustices and inequities. The Environmental 
Justice Scorecard, https://ejscorecard.geoplatform.gov/scorecard/, is a 
signature component of this commitment. It is the first-ever 
government-wide assessment of what the Federal Government is doing to 
advance environmental justice. The Environmental Justice Scorecard was 
created at the direction of President Biden pursuant to Executive Order 
(E.O.) 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (January 
27, 2021).\1\ The goals of the Environmental Justice Scorecard include 
to assess the Federal Government's progress on advancing environmental 
justice, to provide transparency for the public, and to increase 
accountability for Federal agencies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 86 FR 7619 (Feb. 1, 2021), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2021-02-01/pdf/2021-02177.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The first version of the Environmental Justice Scorecard, or the 
Phase One Scorecard, was launched \2\ the same day that President Biden 
signed Executive Order 14096 on Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to 
Environmental Justice for All (April 21, 2023).\3\ This Executive Order 
further embeds environmental justice into the work of Federal agencies 
to achieve real, measurable progress that communities can count on. 
Among other things, E.O. 14096 defines ``environmental justice'' as the 
just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of 
income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or 
disability, in agency decision-making and other Federal activities that 
affect human health and the environment so that people: (i) are fully 
protected from disproportionate and adverse human health and 
environmental effects (including risks) and hazards, including those 
related to climate change, the cumulative impacts of environmental and 
other burdens, and the legacy of racism or other structural or systemic 
barriers; and (ii) have equitable access to a healthy, sustainable, and 
resilient environment in which to live, play, work, learn, grow, 
worship, and engage in cultural and subsistence practices. Sec. 2(b), 
E.O. 14096.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/04/21/fact-sheet-president-biden-signs-executive-order-to-revitalize-our-nations-commitment-to-environmental-justice-for-all/.
    \3\ 88 FR 25251 (Apr. 26, 2023), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2023-04-26/pdf/2023-08955.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    With E.O. 14096, the President is working to ensure that all 
people--regardless of race, background, income, ability, Tribal 
affiliation, or zip code--can benefit from the vital safeguards 
enshrined in our nation's foundational environmental and civil rights 
laws. That means cleaner air and water, reduced risk for asthma, 
cancer, and other health burdens, and better access to green space, 
safe and affordable housing, and clean transportation. This RFI 
advances the goals of E.O. 14096, including Section 3(a)(vii) on 
creating opportunities for meaningful engagement.
    Phase One of the Environmental Justice Scorecard presents a 
baseline assessment of actions taken by Federal agencies in 2021 and 
2022 to help achieve the Biden-Harris Administration's environmental 
justice goals. It reports on the progress of 24 Federal agencies in the 
following categories:
     Advancing the President's Justice40 Initiative; \4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ Justice40, A Whole-of-Government Initiative, https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/justice40/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Implementing and enforcing environmental and civil rights 
laws; and
     Embedding environmental justice throughout the Federal 
Government.
    The docket for this RFI includes supplementary material that 
presents metrics used in the Phase One Scorecard. The specific metrics 
and actions included for Federal agencies vary based on the type, size, 
and mission of each agency. For example, some but not all of the 
Federal agencies participating in the Phase One Scorecard are members 
of the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council (IAC) and 
some but not all have Justice40 covered programs. If data are 
unavailable for a Federal agency, the corresponding metrics do not 
appear on that agency's page.
    The Phase One Scorecard was developed by the White House Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB), in coordination with CEQ and the IAC. It 
was informed by recommendations and feedback from environmental justice 
stakeholders and experts. In particular, recommendations from the White 
House Environmental Justice Advisory Council \5\ (WHEJAC) and public 
comments informed its development, including from a Request for 
Information published in the Federal Register in August 2022.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/environmentaljustice/white-house-environmental-justice-advisory-council/.
    \6\ CEQ, Environmental Justice Scorecard Feedback, Request for 
Information, 87 FR 47,397 (Aug. 3, 2022), https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-08-03/pdf/2022-16635.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Phase One Scorecard provides a valuable snapshot of key 
environmental justice work in progress at a particular point in time, 
based on available data and metrics. The Environmental Justice 
Scorecard will be updated annually, with the goal of creating a 
durable, robust, and comprehensive tool to assess and demonstrate the 
Federal Government's efforts to secure environmental justice for all.
    This RFI is part of the Administration's commitment to

[[Page 80699]]

ensuring that environmental justice efforts within the Federal 
Government, including the development of future versions of the 
Environmental Justice Scorecard, are informed by the priorities and 
perspectives of the public, including communities with environmental 
justice concerns. By soliciting input through this RFI, CEQ and OMB 
seek input from the public in shaping the vision and goals for the 
Environmental Justice Scorecard and welcome ideas on ways to improve 
the public's ability to monitor the Federal Government's progress and 
hold the Federal Government accountable for delivering results in 
advancing environmental justice for all.

II. Key Questions for Input

    CEQ and OMB seek feedback on the public's experiences using Phase 
One of the Environmental Justice Scorecard, as well as input for future 
versions of the Environmental Justice Scorecard. Input may be offered 
on any aspect of the Environmental Justice Scorecard, but is 
particularly welcome in response to these questions:
    1. How can the Environmental Justice Scorecard improve the way it 
organizes, displays, or presents data to be more accessible, 
understandable, and useful for the public, including for communities 
with environmental justice concerns? Please feel free to provide any 
examples of scorecards or other publicly accessible tools that Tribal, 
state, or local governments or private entities use to measure and 
convey progress that may be helpful to review.
    2. What additional metric or metrics of Federal agency action or 
progress in advancing environmental justice might be relevant and 
helpful to consider including in future versions of the Environmental 
Justice Scorecard, such as any metric that may help further reflect the 
needs and priorities of communities with environmental justice concerns 
or show how certain Federal investments are benefiting disadvantaged 
communities, including benefits from Justice40 covered programs? The 
public is welcome to offer any potential metric or metrics in any of 
the categories of the Phase One Scorecard (listed above), or any 
potential new categories. For any potential new metric offered, it 
would be especially helpful to include information on the following, if 
possible:
    [cir] Whether the suggested metric would be specific to one Federal 
agency or cross-cutting (i.e., applicable to all or multiple agencies).
    [cir] Whether the suggested metric would measure or focus on any 
particular output (such as the number of trainings related to 
environmental justice for staff conducted by an agency) or outcome 
(such as a highlight of the benefits of a Justice40 covered program in 
a disadvantaged community, like improved air quality or drinking water 
safety).
    [cir] Whether there is any existing example where the suggested 
metric is already reported or used (e.g., by a single agency or outside 
of the Federal Government).
    3. What kind of qualitative information (such as updates on Federal 
agency work or milestones that may not be possible to summarize with 
numbers or data alone) does the public consider most valuable to 
include or add to a future Scorecard, in addition to quantitative 
metrics or data?
    4. Please feel free to offer any additional category or categories 
of the Federal Government's work or progress that future versions of 
the Environmental Justice Scorecard might include to advance the goal 
of environmental justice.
    5. Please feel free to share any additional feedback relevant to 
Phase One of the Environmental Justice Scorecard or any aspect of a 
future version of the Environmental Justice Scorecard.

Matthew G. Lee-Ashley,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2023-25508 Filed 11-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3325-F4-P