The White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council’s key members say that despite the Biden Administration’s promise that 40% of climate investment benefits would go to disenfranchised communities one year ago, not enough has been done.
Tuesday’s press briefing was ahead of the HBCU climate change conference in New Orleans. They claimed they had secured $14 million from Bezos Earth Fund. The program is called Engage, Enlighten, Empower. It will hold the Biden administration accountable to its Justice40 initiative.
The President Biden made the promise in an executive order that was broad and comprehensive on his first day of office. This initiative has been hailed as an unprecedented push for environmental justice in communities that have been ravaged by climate change and pollution.
Beverly Wright, Peggy Shepard, and Robert Bullard, who are the three federal members of the federal environment justice council that is leading the $14 million-dollar effort to protect the environment, have been closely working with the administration on Justice40.
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Wright stated to members of the media that Wright believes that it takes more to make a novel idea into something that actually works.
Shepard explained that the trio combine philanthropic grants from Shepard’s WE ACT for Environmental Justice with $6 million from the Bezos Earth Fund. Wright’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice received $4 million, while the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice received $4 million. This is to ensure that federal funding from Justice40 goes where it’s needed.
A press release stated that the initiative would ensure equitable implementation at the state-level of Justice40 and empower local communities for policy-making.
The funds will be used to educate grassroots organizations about the resources available through Justice40, inform the state and local governments on how to use the money, and create a screening tool that includes racial demographic information to determine where Justice40 funds most are needed. A federal screening tool used to screen applicants for federal funds is controversial because it does not take into consideration the racial makeups of communities.
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Because the federal government is not yet implementing the Justice40 pledge, there has been very little change on ground. Still trying to figure this outThese are the communities most in need of the funds. Many respected environmental justice advocates advocated for a systematic, deliberate process to identify and disburse funds to disadvantaged communities.
Wright and Bullard spoke at the briefing and said that they’ve seen past federal infrastructure and social projects fail to deliver on promises to disadvantaged areas and don’t want it to happen again.
Wright stated that there have been many innovative approaches to improving the lives of Americans. These have not only benefitted white Americans.
Bullard pointed to Flood relief distribution was not uniform.Texas, where the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice can be found, is an example.
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Follow Drew Costley on twitter: @drewcostley.
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