BlueGreen Alliance Comments on the CEQ Screening Tool (beta version) for Justice40
In exploring the beta screening tool, there are a number of observations and corresponding recommendations that we would like to share with CEQ to improve the beta version.
Systemic racism and oppression are knotted into the challenges that the BlueGreen Alliance (BGA) was created to address by building a clean, healthy, and prosperous economy for all. We are working to ensure that our environmental and economic policy work will improve economic, racial, and environmental justice across the United States. Our approach is informed by our Solidarity for Racial Equity platform and the Biden administration’s Justice 40 (J40) Initiative.
We applaud the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) herculean efforts to put together an environmental justice (EJ) screening tool that is data-driven and user-friendly. As stated on the website, the purpose of the CEQ screening tool is to help Federal agencies identify disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, underserved, and overburdened by pollution. These communities are identified at the intersection of socioeconomic indicators and environmental or climate indicators based on the J40 Initiative to provide—at minimum—40% of benefits of climate and clean energy federal investments to disadvantaged communities.
See our recommendations.