President Biden has made addressing environmental injustices a priority by centering justice in his actions to address the climate crisis in the U.S. and abroad. A central pillar of the environmental justice agenda is the Justice40 Initiative, the first-ever federal environmental justice commitment attached to the goal of directing at least 40% of benefits to communities that have been disadvantaged, marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution.

The Justice40 initiative put a new spotlight on the historic inequities faced by frontline communities, the impact the climate crisis has on their future, and the opportunity to create a transformational clean energy economy that is inclusive of all Americans. The Initiative is being implemented using a “whole-of-government” approach that directs agencies to restructure how they operate, redesign their strategies, and be accountable for delivering on the administration’s goal. Currently, 16 agencies have announced hundreds of programs now covered under the Justice40 Initiative. The policy promises to address environmental justice through major legislation, including the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

With billions of dollars in climate investment flowing to states and local communities, how well has the Initiative delivered on its environmental justice goals? What is the public understanding of and engagement with Justice40? How are federal agencies collaborating with state and local policymakers to ensure alignment with Justice40 goals in implementation? What are the benefits being delivered to communities and how are agencies calculating those benefits? And what role can local leaders, businesses and households play in advancing Justice40?

Join World Resources Institute on February 28, for a conversation with Matthew Tejada, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice at the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, and Carla Walker, Director, Environmental Justice and Equity at WRI United States. We’ll explore the above questions, discuss how the Justice40 Initiative is transforming the climate landscape and the environmental justice movement, discuss how benefits are reaching disadvantaged and historically marginalized communities, and explore what more can be done to fully realize an equitable clean energy economy for all. The conversation will be followed by a panel of experts working to ensure environmental justice at state and local levels and the non-profit sector.

Featured Speaker:

  • Matthew Tejada, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice, Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights

Speakers

  • Julia Jeanty, Senior Policy Manager, Data for Progress

  • Colleen Callahan, Co-Executive Director, Luskin Center for Innovation at UCLA

  • Naadiya Hutchinson, Government Affairs Manager, WE ACT for Environmental Justice

  • Dan Lashof, Director, United States, World Resources Institute

  • Carla Walker, Director of Environmental Justice and Equity, United States, World Resources Institute (Moderator)