This bill would create an Office of Environmental Justice inside the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice. The Office would be led by a Director appointed by the Attorney General. The bill defines "environmental justice" and related terms, and it requires the Office to develop an environmental justice strategy every 5 years; coordinate environmental justice matters across the Department and U.S. Attorneys' offices; run a grant program for State, local, and Tribal governments; promote public participation; provide training and outreach; develop materials and courses for Department personnel; hold regular meetings with communities and organizations; and track cases that raise environmental justice issues. The bill also creates a Senior Advisory Council made up of Department components and other officials to advise the Environment and Natural Resources Division and report on implementation.
The bill establishes a competitive grant program to strengthen State, local, and Tribal capacity to enforce environmental laws in cases that may have disproportionate harms on low-income, minority, Tribal, or Indigenous communities. Grants may be used for training, hiring staff for investigation and enforcement, and building collaborative programs for technical and legal assistance and community outreach. Grants must be between $50,000 and $1,000,000; the Federal share may not exceed 80 percent unless waived. The bill authorizes $50,000,000 each year for fiscal years 2026 through 2035 to carry out the grant program.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.