"A group of Republican-led states want the EPA to begin the process of rolling back elements of its Title VI regulations, according to a new petition for rulemaking.

The coalition of 23 attorneys general, led by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R), petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency Tuesday to launch a rulemaking process to amend its Title VI regulations and move them “more in line” with constitutional language under the Equal Protection Clause.

Red states take issue with the use of “disparate impacts” in civil rights investigations, which look at a totality of environmental harms within marginalized communities when determining whether civil rights harms have taken place. They say that looking at discriminatory “effects” results in more discrimination.

“The EPA’s regulations gravely depart from the original understanding of Title VI and compel states to unconstitutionally discriminate against their citizens by incorporating disparate impact liability,” according to the petition."

Jennifer Hijazi reports for Bloomberg April 17, 2024. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"23 States Ask EPA To Halt Civil Rights Rules Regulating Pollution" (Floodlight) [3]