“To establish an Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes the Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice's Environment and Natural Resources Division to address environmental justice matters (i.e., civil or criminal matters involving disproportionate adverse environmental or human health effects on low-income communities—defined as census block groups where 30% or more of the population has household income at or below the greater of 80% of area median income or 200% of the federal poverty line—or Tribal, Indigenous, or other communities with environmental justice concerns). The Attorney General must appoint a director, provide necessary personnel and funding, and ensure the office develops a five-year environmental justice strategy; coordinates such matters across the department and U.S. Attorneys' offices; administers the grant program under section 3; promotes public participation in decision-making; counsels state, local, and Tribal governments; supports enforcement training; facilitates relationships among stakeholders via the Community Relations Service; holds bimonthly meetings with affected communities; manages the Senior Advisory Council; makes recommendations on settlement agreements; and develops training materials, education programs, and resources (e.g., instructional videos, CLE courses, and an email hotline) for department personnel on identifying and addressing such matters.
This section establishes a grant program within the Department of Justice's Office of Environmental Justice, to be implemented not later than 180 days after enactment, to improve the capacity of State, local, and Tribal governments to enforce environmental laws involving environmental justice matters (i.e., civil or criminal matters with disproportionate adverse environmental or human health effects on low-income, minority, Tribal, or Indigenous communities). The Assistant Attorney General may award competitive grants (not more than one per recipient) of $50,000 to $1,000,000 to capable State, local, or Tribal governments for: (1) training agencies responsible for prosecuting and enforcing such laws; (2) hiring staff to assist in investigating, prosecuting, and enforcing such laws; or (3) establishing collaborative programs to provide technical and legal assistance, outreach, and engagement to communities with environmental justice concerns. The federal share is up to 80 percent (waivable by the Attorney General). Not later than 18 months after enactment and biennially thereafter, the Attorney General must report to designated congressional committees (Senate Environment and Public Works and Judiciary; House Energy and Commerce and Judiciary) on grantees and grant activities. The section authorizes $50 million annually for FY2026 through FY2035.