According to the White House, US President Joe Biden intends to sign an executive order on Friday instructing government agencies to focus more on environmental policies that affect communities.
In order to coordinate efforts throughout the government, the order will create a new Office of Environmental Justice within the White House. Additionally, it would mandate that federal agencies alert localities if dangerous materials are leaked from a federal site.
Biden is expected to make the announcement during a gathering in the White House Rose Garden later today.
“For far too long, communities across our country have faced persistent environmental injustice through toxic pollution, underinvestment in infrastructure and critical services, and other disproportionate environmental harms often due to a legacy of racial discrimination,” the White House said in a statement.
Disasters like the February derailment of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, which resulted in a dangerous chemical spill, have drawn attention to the increased frequency of environmental harm in some regions.
During the very same hour in Miami Vice President Kamala Harris will announce a $562 million commitment to support local communities’ resiliency to fight climate change.
