U.S. President Joe Biden, joined by Vice-President Kamala Harris, signs the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 on March 11, 2021, in the Oval Office. Photo by Adam Schultz / White House
The Biden administration has pledged some serious money to back its commitment to environmental justice. Canada, meanwhile, remains mired in the discussion stage.
The White House’s discretionary budget request, released April 9, includes more than US$1.4 billion for environmental justice initiatives. Of that, US$936 million is earmarked for a new Accelerating Environmental and Economic Justice Initiative, which would create union jobs, clean up pollution, and go towards securing environmental justice for communities. To hold polluters accountable, an additional US$100 million would develop a community air-quality monitoring program for high-pollution areas.