Tell Congress the time has come to pass the Environmental Justice for All Act (H.R. 2021, S. 872)

The recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act is a significant step toward greater investment in clean energy. Unfortunately, some provisions of the IRA may stimulate fossil fuel production and worsen pollution in areas already saturated by heavy industry. And as part of the compromise that allowed the bill to go forward, Congress may soon consider loosening some procedural protections around energy projects, making it even harder for affected communities to have a voice in approving these projects, many of which inflict environmental harm on communities of color. Opponents of the permit deal assert the changes will undermine significant protections of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Clean Water Act (CWA), effectively sidelining science, undermining tribal sovereignty, and impeding frontline communities from having a say about projects.  

It is, therefore, more necessary than ever for Congress to pass the Environmental Justice for All Act, introduced in both the Senate and House and recently passed by the House Natural Resources Committee. Among other things, this bill would:

• Enable frontline environmental justice communities to hold polluters accountable in court for projects that use federal funds and engage in environmental discrimination. 
• Require federal agencies to consider the cumulative impacts on human health when deciding whether to issue permit decisions.
• Impose fees upon oil, gas, and coal companies which would be used to support workers and communities as industries transition away from fossil fuels.
• Provide regular funding for research and programs to improve public health and reduce health disparities in communities suffering from environmental injustice.

If enacted, the Environmental Justice for All Act would not lessen the need to stand firm against reducing the protections offered by NEPA and the CWA. But it would be a vital first step toward giving communities most impacted by pollution the tools to hold polluting industries accountable.   

Grounding: We ground this action firmly in our 7th Principle, “Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” our 1st Principle, “Respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person” our 2nd Principle “Justice, equity and compassion in human relations” and the 8th Principle, which UUSJ has voluntarily adopted, which encourages “journeying toward spiritual wholeness by working to build a diverse, multicultural Beloved Community by our actions that accountably dismantle racism and other oppressions in ourselves and our institutions.”