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The Biden Administration is seeking to advance “environmental justice” (EJ) through its policy and regulatory priorities in a way that no administration has before. Environmental justice which seeks to address disproportionate environmental impacts on racial minorities, Native American tribes, and disadvantaged communities is hardly a new concept. But in recent months, a variety of political, social, and economic forces has combined to underscore EJ concerns. The Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the damaging consequences of systemic racism and the heightened risks that low-income and minority populations bear, including from environmental pollution sources. These movements reignited a drive to address the excessive incidence of environmental contamination and pollution in disadvantaged communities. Some citizens, corporate shareholders, and the Biden Administration appear to share a co
UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Sec. 101
This section states the policy that climate considerations will be an essential element of U.S. foreign policy and national security.
Foreign Policy
Sec. 102
- Announces the U.S. will host a Leaders’ Climate Summit, contribute to the United Nations COP26, and reconvene the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate
- Climate considerations will be prioritized in international forums (i.e., G7 and G20)
- Directs the development of the U.S. contribution under the Paris Agreement in advance of the Leaders’ Climate Summit
- Directs the development of a climate finance plan to assist developing countries to reduce emissions
GAO Report Promotes New Way To Advance LSL Remediation
In a report released just four days before the U.S. EPA issued its final revisions to the Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) on December 22, 2020, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) provided insights that water utilities can use to achieve better protections for water customers in neighborhoods at higher risk of lead exposure. Here are links to the complete GAO risk-of-lead-exposure report and an overview of its four recommendations, which the GAO anticipated updating in response to the EPA’s LCR final revisions. Water utilities can use the experience outlined in the report to focus attention on high-risk areas in their systems and accelerate their own efforts to identify and replace problematic lead service lines (LSLs).
The White House
The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis. We have a narrow moment to pursue action at home and abroad in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of that crisis and to seize the opportunity that tackling climate change presents. Domestic action must go hand in hand with United States international leadership, aimed at significantly enhancing global action. Together, we must listen to science and meet the moment.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
The United States and the world face a profound climate crisis. We have a narrow moment to pursue action at home and abroad in order to avoid the most catastrophic impacts of that crisis and to seize the opportunity that tackling climate change presents. Domestic action must go hand in hand with United States international leadership, aimed at significantly enhancing global action. Together, we must listen to science and meet the moment.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:
PART I PUTTING THE CLIMATE CRISIS AT THE CENTER OF UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY