Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Environmental Justice Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-1602
Sponsor: Rep. Jefferson, William J. [D-LA-2]
Introduced: 2007-03-20 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Alabama
Citizen participation
Congressional reporting requirements
Emergency Management
Environmental health
Environmental justice
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Government Operations and Politics
Health
Hurricanes
Louisiana
Minorities
Mississippi
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Texas

Summary:
action_date: 2007-03-20
text: 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Environmental Justice Act of 2007 - Defines &quot;environmental justice&quot; to mean the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and socioeconomic groups with respect to the development, adoption, implementation, and enforcement of laws and policies 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 their 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 (Working Group). 

Requires federal agencies to develop agency-wide environmental justice strategies that identify and 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: 2007-03-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.
action_date: 2007-03-20
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 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: 2007-03-20
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 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: 2007-03-20
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Natural 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: 2007-03-20
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-03-20
text: Introduced in House