An official website of the United States government
          Here's how you know
        Here's how you knowDot gov**Official websites use .gov**
              
              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        Https**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock** (   Locked padlock
 ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.  Newsroom
                                
                          
        
                Vote.gov Accessibility Menu
  

        
        Accessibility Menu
      Toggle Font Size
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle OpenDyslexic
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle Dyslexia-friendly black-on-creme color scheme
                                        
                                
          
                    Contact Us
 *U.S. Department of the Interior*
Menu


    close

        
        
                        
        
        
  
  
          About
      
                
        
        
  
  
          About
                    Interior
              
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Meet the Secretary
      
                        
                    
      
              Interior Leadership
      
                        
                    
      
              Departmental Offices
      
                        
                    
      
              History of the Interior
      
                        
                    
      
                      Join
              
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Careers
      
                        
                    
      
              Pathways Program
      
                        
                    
      
              Veterans Employment
      
                        
                    
      
              Volunteer
    
  

      
              
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureaus
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Bureaus
                    Bureaus
              
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Bureau of Indian Affairs
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Indian Education
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Land Management
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Reclamation
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Safety & Environmental Enforcement
      
                        
                    
      
              Bureau of Trust Funds Administration
      
                        
                    
      
              National Park Service
      
                        
                    
      
              Office of Surface Mining Reclamation & Enforcement
      
                        
                    
      
              U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
      
                        
                    
      
              U.S. Geological Survey
    
  

      
              
      
                        
                    
      
              Priorities
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Priorities
                    Addressing the Drought Crisis
      
                        
                    
      
                      Advancing Environmental Justice
      
                        
                    
      
                      America the Beautiful
      
                        
                    
      
                      Clean Energy Future
      
                        
                    
      
                      Increasing Outdoor Access
      
                        
                    
      
                      Investing in America
      
                        
                    
      
                      Strengthening Indian Country
      
                        
                    
      
                      Tackling the Climate Crisis
    
  

      
              
      
                        
                    
      
              Media
      
                
        
        
  
  
          Media
                    Blog
      
                        
                    
      
                      Press Releases
      
                        
                    
      
                      Media Contacts
      
                        
                    
      
                      Multimedia
    
  

      
              
      
    
          
    
  



Search

  Search


          
          
                      Newsroom
                                
                          
        
                Vote.govAccessibility Menu
  

        
        Accessibility Menu
      Toggle Font Size
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle OpenDyslexic
                                        
                                
          
                    Toggle Dyslexia-friendly black-on-creme color scheme
                                        
                                
          
                    Contact Us
  


Breadcrumb
        Home
                            Advancing Environmental Justice


  Share
  FacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditPinterest

  Advancing Environmental Justice

*Centering justice, equity and inclusion in our work*
      

            Sec Haaland with Children at San Diego National Wildlife Refuge
*“From climate adaptation and the promise of clean energy to legacy pollution clean-up and clean water infrastructure, it is imperative that the Biden-Harris administration’s significant investments benefit historically disadvantaged communities, who for too long have borne the brunt of the climate crisis.”*******
— **Secretary Deb Haaland**
Communities of color, rural and Indigenous communities, low-income families, and people in the U.S. territories have long suffered disproportionate and cumulative harm from the climate crisis, from air and water pollution to environmental hazards left behind at toxic sites.
As we acknowledge that reality, the Biden-Harris administration has mobilized an all-of-government approach to advance environmental justice. As directed in Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, the Department of the Interior has partnered with agencies across the federal government to develop a strategy to address current and historic environmental injustices and ensure accountability.
President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is delivering historic resources to make communities more resilient to climate change. Combined, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act represent the largest investments in climate resilience in the nation’s history and provide unprecedented resources to support the Administration’s comprehensive approach.
The Department is in a new era as we develop programs, policies and activities that address long-standing environmental injustices and ensure that historically marginalized communities have greater input on and receive enhanced benefits from federal policies and decisions. Some efforts include:
**Advancing the Justice40 initiative:** The Biden-Harris administration’s Justice40 Initiative aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of climate, clean energy, and related investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized, overburdened and underserved. The Department of the Interior has 65 programs and ten bureaus working directly with local communities to advance our commitment to environmental justice.
**Making America’s public lands and waters more accessible and inclusive:** We must ensure that everyone, no matter their background or zip code, can enjoy the benefits of green spaces and the outdoors. Programs like the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership Program andUrban National Wildlife Refuges help increase equitable access to the outdoors, particularly in urban communities.
**Cleaning up legacy pollution:** Legacy pollution caused by environmental hazards like abandoned mines and orphaned oil and gas wells have impacted Black, Brown, Indigenous, and rural communities for generations. President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes a historic $16 billion investment to plug orphan wells and reclaim abandoned mine lands, which will help communities eliminate dangerous environmental conditions and pollution while creating good-paying union jobs.
**Fighting the climate crisis:** Urgent action on the climate crisis includes creating a more equitable and sustainable future. Every community faces the devastation caused by extreme weather events, but communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities face disproportionate impacts. As part of our efforts to advance a clean energy future, all new renewable energy projects must engage with Tribes and underserved communities.The Department of the Interior will continue to play a central role in how the United States stewards its public lands, increases environmental protections, pursues environmental justice, and honors our nation-to-nation relationship with Tribes.
We have no time to waste in taking action to protect public lands, the environment, and Americans’ lives and futures. Interior will continue to take the bold action desperately needed to ensure all communities — including communities of color and urban, rural, and Indigenous communities — benefit from an aggressive and whole-of-government response to advancing environmental justice.
**Resources:**
The Justice40 Initiative
Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance Environmental Justice policy materials
Was this page helpful?
    
      Yes
No
This page was not helpful because the content:
          

        
  
      Please provide a comment


  
Leave this field blankReturn to top
    
          Subscribe
    
      Enter your email address to subscribe to Interior news and updates


  Leave this field blank
Section Title
  

        
      About DOI
                              Accessibility
                              Contact Us
                              Copyright
                              Disclaimer
                              Information Quality
                              Privacy Policy
                              Site Map
                              Vulnerability Disclosure PolicySection Title
  

        
      Budget & Performance
                              Coronavirus Updates
                              Cummings Act Notices
                              Diversity, Inclusion & Civil Rights
                              FOIA
                              Inspector General
                              No Fear Act reports
                              Open Government Initiative
    
          U.S. Department of the Interior
                    Stewarding Conservation and Powering Our Future

                          1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240