Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Environmental Justice Act

Bill: 109-hr-6396
Sponsor: Rep. Jefferson, William J. [D-LA-2]
Introduced: 2006-12-06 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Alabama
Citizen participation
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Congressional reporting requirements
Emergency Management
Environmental assessment
Environmental health
Environmental justice
Environmental research
Federal advisory bodies
Federal-state relations
Floods
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Health
Hurricane aftermath legislation
Hurricanes
Louisiana
Medical research
Medical statistics
Minorities
Mississippi
Nondiscrimination provisions
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Public meetings
Science, Technology, Communications
Texas

Summary:
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Environmental Justice Act - Defines &quot;environmental justice&quot; to mean the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and socioeconomic groups with respect to the development and implementation of laws affecting the environment.
 
Requires the heads of federal agencies to make achieving environmental justice part of their missions by identifying and addressing disproportionately high and adverse effects of its programs on minority, low-income populations in the area affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Requires agencies to conduct programs in a manner to prevent discrimination.
 
Establishes the Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Interagency Working Group on Environmental Justice. Includes among the functions of the working group providing guidance to federal and state agencies on criteria for identifying effects on such populations.
 
Requires federal agencies to develop agency-wide environmental justice strategies that address disproportionately high and adverse effects or disproportionately low benefits of their programs with respect to minority, low-income populations. Requires such strategies to identify programs that should be revised to: (1) promote enforcement of all health and environmental statutes in areas with such populations; (2) ensure greater public participation; (3) improve research and data collection; and (4) identify differential patterns of use of natural resources among such populations.
 
Establishes the Federal Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Environmental Justice Advisory Committee to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Working Group on areas relating to environmental justice.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-12-06
text: Introduced in House