"Federal agencies are falling short on their commitments to support environmental justice, according to a new watchdog report from the Government Accountability Office.

Since 16 agencies joined an interagency working group on environmental justice in 1994, they have allocated resources and staff to mitigate the disproportionate effects of environmental risk factors on low-income and minority groups.

But they are falling short in their planning and reporting practices, according to the report. After a 2011 report on agencies' progress, most members of the working group developed strategic plans, but few have updated them or meaningfully followed through since.

This new GAO report is the result of research into agency plans, reports and funding, as well as interviews with officials and comparisons to effective collaborative standards used by similar groups."

Haley Weiss reports for Greenwire October 17, 2019. [2]