Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All
Executive Order 14096, Revitalizing Our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, directs a comprehensive, whole-of-government approach to advancing environmental justice (EJ). Building on prior EJ and civil rights efforts, the order requires agencies to integrate EJ into their missions, conduct and publish strategic plans and assessments, improve data and science related to EJ, expand meaningful public engagement (including for communities with language or accessibility needs), and strengthen Tribal consultation. It aims to reduce disproportionate health and environmental burdens, address legacy inequities, create access to clean air, water, housing, energy, and nature, and foster an equitable, resilient economy with good jobs, including union jobs. It also expands interagency coordination through a White House EJ Interagency Council and creates new scientific and data coordination structures to support policy decisions. Key elements include mandatory Environmental Justice Strategic Plans and Environmental Justice Assessments for agencies, a new Environmental Justice Subcommittee within OSTP/ NSTC to guide science and data work, enhanced community notification around toxic releases, and expanded federal collaboration with states, Tribes, territories, and localities. The order emphasizes transparency, non-discrimination, accessibility, and Tribal sovereignty, and ties agency progress to existing EJ frameworks and reporting mechanisms.
Key Points
- 1Government-wide EJ planning and accountability: Each agency must adopt an Environmental Justice Strategic Plan (due within 18 months and every 4 years thereafter) outlining vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics; agencies must also publish a public Environmental Justice Assessment within 2 years after plan submission to evaluate progress, barriers, and steps to address them.
- 2New EJ science, data, and engagement framework: Establishment of an Environmental Justice Subcommittee within the OSTP-led National Science and Technology Council to coordinate data and research; require annual science–policy summits and a biennial Environmental Justice Science, Data, and Research Plan to identify data gaps, coordinate with external partners, and propose data tools (including improving accessibility and disaggregating data by race, income, and other categories).
- 3Enhanced public participation and Tribal consultation: Agencies must improve mechanisms for meaningful public input, including accessibility for limited English proficiency and people with disabilities, targeted outreach to underrepresented communities, and ongoing Tribal consultation consistent with EO 13175 and related memoranda. NEPA reviews must consider EJ impacts and involve communities early in the process.
- 4Stronger focus on enforcement, compliance, and remedies: EJ plans may include measures to increase public reporting, expand monitoring tools (e.g., fenceline monitoring), strengthen remedies and penalties for violations, and reassess exemptions or waivers that undermine health or environmental standards.
- 5Expanded EPA role and reporting: EPA Administrator must assess whether agency actions analyze and mitigate EJ effects under the Clean Air Act and report annually to the CEQ Chair and the White House EJ Interagency Council on 309 reviews and possible policy options to advance EJ in federal decision-making.
- 6Public information and transparency: Agencies must ensure public access to information about federal activities affecting health or environment; strengthen reporting and information-sharing, including environmental data, enforcement results, and decision-making processes.
- 7Community notification on toxic releases: Strengthened EPCRA requirements for timely public notification of toxic chemical releases, including public meetings within six weeks of certain releases and EPA evaluation of additional steps for non-federal facilities; EPA must report TRI trends to the EJ Subcommittee to inform the Research Plan.
- 8White House EJ Interagency Council: Amends existing EJ interagency leadership to broaden membership (including many cabinet-level and senior agency officials) and to support collaboration, training materials, and cross-agency EJ work.
- 9Tribal sovereignty and indigenous practices: The order reinforces Tribal consultation rights and recognizes Indigenous Knowledge and subsistence practices in environmental decision-making; agencies must engage with Tribal Nations on EJ issues and data collection where appropriate.