"President Biden has doubled down on his effort to embed environmental justice throughout EPA.

The Biden administration’s fiscal 2023 budget proposal requests $300.8 million for the agency’s environmental justice program, including for standing up a new national office to administer the work with resources in EPA’s headquarters and all 10 of its regional outposts.

“To elevate EJ across EPA, the Budget also includes the creation of a new EJ National Program Manager led by a Senate-confirmed Assistant Administrator,” EPA said in its “Budget in Brief” document, which was released yesterday as part of Biden’s fiscal blueprint.

In addition, the spending would fund five grant programs to reduce “the historically disproportionate health impacts of pollution in marginalized and overburdened communities,” the document said. It would also support climate training and outreach programs as well as back up community-based and state, local and tribal governments looking to address environmental justice issues."

Kevin Bogardus and Kelsey Brugger report for E&E News March 29, 2022. [2]