WASHINGTON — Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement commending a new executive order from the Biden administration to advance environmental justice across federal agencies:
“The climate crisis isn’t only a threat to the future of our planet — it’s here now, but does not affect every community equally. Neighborhoods that have borne the brunt of water and air pollution, communities of color and poor communities that have less access to health care and green, healthy infrastructure are already living with the worst impact. That’s why in our Executive Action Agenda we called for the Biden administration to build on its 2022 actions to hold federal agencies accountable for reducing disproportionate environmental impacts on frontline communities. I’m thrilled to see today’s new executive order does exactly that.
“I applaud President Biden’s order to protect the hardest-hit communities from disproportionate exposure to pollution, close the gaps in data on that impact, ensure community members have a seat at the table where environmental decisions are made, and create a Chief Environmental Justice Office to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to this fight. Progressives are incredibly proud of our role in enacting legislation and working with the administration to advance policy that reduces emissions as well as addresses the crises facing our most vulnerable communities today. This executive order furthers that vision, and we look forward to working with President Biden and his team to ensure that they live up to their laudable goals in all environmental policy decisions.”
This order is the sixth action the Biden administration has taken from the CPC’s 2023 Executive Action Agenda released last month, including: historic investments in the care economy, rulemaking from the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce emissions from cars and trucks and mercury pollution, the expansion of health insurance coverage eligibility to DACA recipients, and pushing federal banking agencies to pursue enhanced supervision of mid-sized banks.
