FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2021
Contact: Laura McMillan, lmcmillan@savethesound.org
Press Statement: Save the Sound applauds President Biden’s executive order prioritizing environmental justice and clean energy jobs
Washington D.C.— Today President Biden is expected sign an executive order establishing a White House interagency council on environmental justice, create an office of health and climate equity at the Health and Human Services Department, and form a separate environmental justice office at the Justice Department. The order also directs the government to spend forty percent of its sustainability investments on disadvantaged communities.
According to the White House, Biden will direct agencies across the federal government to invest in low-income and minority communities that have traditionally borne the brunt of pollution. This is part of the administration’s effort to improve conditions in Black, Latino, and Native American communities targeted for hazards that others did not want—power plants, landfills and trash incinerators, mines, and polluting factories—and most vulnerable to climate change.
“The climate crisis is an existential threat. That’s why it’s so important that this administration is taking urgent action: one week into the presidency, President Biden has signed orders rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, halting the Keystone XL gas pipeline, and stopping fossil extraction in sensitive wildlife habitats. And now, climate justice is being more fully integrated into the work of multiple offices. Today’s order will help bring justice for communities historically marginalized by environmental, racial, and economic injustices. We look forward to working alongside the administration to fight for a future that brings Connecticut into the clean energy economy and brings dignity to communities across our region,” said Save the Sound Climate and Energy Attorney Charles Rothenberger.